NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Billings, MT
Every tropical system within 75 miles since 1851 and every tornado within 25 miles since 1950.
Data: NOAA NHC HURDAT2 and NOAA SPC tornado and hail reports, through 2025 · Updated
No tropical storm or hurricane has passed within 75 miles of Billings, Montana since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 20 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 20
- EF3 or stronger
- 1
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Billings
The strongest of the 20 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F3 on June 16, 1965; its path came within 2 miles. Of the 20, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 5 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 10. The most recent tornado was on June 6, 2011. Billings has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 95% of the 73 Montana cities on this site. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 250 times since 1955, with stones up to 3.5 inches. Billings has more hail reports within 10 miles than any other of the 73 Montana cities.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Billings
By decade
- 2010s3
- 2000s2
- 1990s6
- 1970s4
- 1960s2(1 EF3+)
- 1950s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 16, 1965 | F3 | 2 mi | 20.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 20, 2010 | EF2 | 3 mi | 0.69 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 2, 1958 | F2 | 3 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jun 21, 1991 | F1 | 3 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 24, 1990 | F1 | 13 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 12, 1958 | F1 | 14 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jul 6, 1955 | F1 | 13 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 6, 2011 | EF0 | 12 mi | 0.25 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 6, 2011 | EF0 | 14 mi | 0.01 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 11, 2005 | F0 | 15 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 26, 2003 | F0 | 23 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 4, 1998 | F0 | 4 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 20, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Billings
The Storm Prediction Center has 250 hail reports within 10 miles of Billings since 1955, made on 98 separate days. Of these, 172 were 1 inch across or larger, and 18 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3.5 inches, fell on June 24, 1991. The most recent report is from August 7, 2025. July has the most reports, 85.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Billings
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Billings Logan International Airport, MT, 2 miles north of Billings at 3,581 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 59°F; January is the coolest, at 36°F and 18°F. Highs reach 90°F on about 32 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 142 nights a year. Snowfall averages 57.4 inches a year, most of it in January. That 14.5 inches is more than at 27 of the 58 Montana stations used on this site (47%). Huntley, 13 miles northeast, has its own station (Huntley Exp Stn, MT): 14.7 inches a year, 0.2 more than here, and the same July average high, 87°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 36 | 18 | 0.6 | 2 | 10.6 |
| Feb | 39 | 20 | 0.6 | 2 | 9.1 |
| Mar | 49 | 27 | 0.9 | 3 | 8.2 |
| Apr | 57 | 35 | 1.7 | 5 | 7.5 |
| May | 67 | 44 | 2.4 | 6 | 0.9 |
| Jun | 77 | 52 | 2.2 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 87 | 59 | 1.2 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 86 | 58 | 0.9 | 2 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 74 | 49 | 1.4 | 3 | 0.3 |
| Oct | 59 | 37 | 1.4 | 4 | 4.5 |
| Nov | 46 | 27 | 0.6 | 2 | 6.5 |
| Dec | 36 | 19 | 0.6 | 2 | 9.8 |
| Year | 59 | 37 | 14.5 | 39 | 57.4 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Billings Logan International Airport, MT (3,581 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. Normals describe the station; the farther a place is from it, and the bigger the difference in height, the more its weather can differ.
Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Billings
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 203 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Billings: 185 thunderstorm wind reports, 13 flash floods, 2 floods, 2 heavy rain events and 1 lightning strike. They killed 2 people and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $4.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 99 mph, on July 16, 2002. June has had the most flash floods, 6 of 13. Of the 42 Montana cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 41 have had fewer than Billings.
May 21, 2011: flood 9 miles from the centre of Billings — 1 killed, $300,000 damage.
NWS: “Widespread rainfall of 2 to 3 inches with locally higher amounts fell across the Yellowstone County area during a two day period. 12 inches.”
July 4, 2009: lightning strike 3 miles from the centre of Billings — 1 killed.
NWS: “A line of strong thunderstorms moved into the area west of Billings around 730pm MDT. A lightning strike occurred around 800pm MDT at Castlerock Park where the Celebrate Freedom community gathering was occuring.”
August 6, 2020: thunderstorm wind 3 miles from the centre of Billings — 2 injured.
NWS: “A microburst hit the Montana Fair at the Billings Fairgrounds. Three tents were blown over with two employees receiving minor injuries.”
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, events whose starting point is on record, 1996 to June 30, 2026. Damage is the NWS estimate in the dollars of the year, not insured losses, and NWS notes that some reports are unverified.
Flood insurance claims, disaster declarations and FEMA risk ratings
Flood insurance policyholders in Billings's 5 ZIP codes have filed 174 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $842,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 1978, with 41. 2% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 26 Montana cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 23 have fewer than Billings.
Yellowstone County, which includes Billings, has been named in 14 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1978, 6 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 fires, 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods, 2 severe storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storm and Flooding, on June 16, 2022. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Yellowstone County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Moderate for hail, inland flooding and strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $60.1 million a year, the 3rd highest of 56 Montana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $29.3 million (49%), is from inland flooding.
Claims: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset FIMA NFIP Redacted Claims – v3, summed over ZIP codes; payments in the dollars of each year, not adjusted for inflation. Declarations: Disaster Declarations Summaries – v2, by county. Retrieved October 25, 2026. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
Risk ratings: FEMA, National Risk Index county table, December 2025 (v1.20), retrieved October 26, 2026; ratings compare counties nationwide, are meant for planning and are no substitute for a local risk assessment. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset API or downloadable datasets but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.
Cities near Billings
- Huntley, MT13 mi
- Laurel, MT13 mi
- Shepherd, MT18 mi
- Park City, MT23 mi
- Joliet, MT27 mi
- Columbus, MT37 mi
- Hardin, MT43 mi
- Roundup, MT52 mi
- Red Lodge, MT53 mi
- Crow Agency, MT57 mi
- Big Timber, MT67 mi
- Lovell, WY69 mi
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