NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Colstrip, 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 Colstrip, Montana since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 6 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 6
- EF3 or stronger
- 0
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Colstrip
The highest rating among the 6 tornadoes within 25 miles is F1 or EF1, reached 2 times; the most recent, on June 7, 2018, came within 25 miles. Of the 6, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and one has come since 2000. Colstrip has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 67% of the 73 Montana cities on this site. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 50 times since 1958, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Colstrip has more hail reports within 10 miles than 68% of the 73 Montana cities.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Colstrip
By decade
- 2010s1
- 1990s4
- 1980s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 7, 2018 | EF1 | 25 mi | 0.75 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 14, 1980 | F1 | 24 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 23, 1998 | F0 | 16 mi | 7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 20, 1993 | F0 | 24 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Jun 29, 1991 | F0 | 7 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 21, 1991 | F0 | 14 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 6 of 6, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Colstrip
The Storm Prediction Center has 50 hail reports within 10 miles of Colstrip since 1958, made on 36 separate days. Of these, 35 were 1 inch across or larger, and 6 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 4 inches (softball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently June 14, 2006. The most recent report is from August 21, 2024. June has the most reports, 26.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Colstrip
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Colstrip, MT, 2 miles southeast of Colstrip at 3,218 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 57°F; January is the coolest, at 36°F and 14°F. May is the wettest at 3.1 inches of precipitation on average and December the driest at 0.6 inches; the year adds up to 16.4 inches over 43 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 24 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 162 nights a year. Snowfall averages 36.6 inches a year, most of it in January. That 16.4 inches is more than at 42 of the 58 Montana stations used on this site (72%). Lame Deer, 23 miles south, has its own station (Busby, MT): 15.8 inches a year, 0.6 less than here, and a July average high of 88°F against 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 36 | 14 | 0.7 | 2 | 7.4 |
| Feb | 37 | 15 | 0.7 | 3 | 7.3 |
| Mar | 47 | 24 | 1.0 | 3 | 5.5 |
| Apr | 55 | 32 | 1.9 | 5 | 3.3 |
| May | 65 | 42 | 3.1 | 7 | 0.5 |
| Jun | 75 | 51 | 2.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 85 | 57 | 1.4 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 84 | 55 | 1.0 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 73 | 46 | 1.4 | 3 | 0.2 |
| Oct | 58 | 34 | 1.4 | 4 | 2.3 |
| Nov | 46 | 24 | 0.7 | 3 | 3.9 |
| Dec | 37 | 15 | 0.6 | 2 | 6.2 |
| Year | 58 | 34 | 16.4 | 43 | 36.6 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Colstrip, MT (3,218 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 Colstrip
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 15 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Colstrip: 13 thunderstorm wind reports and 2 flash floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $1,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 83 mph, on July 12, 2006.
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
Rosebud County, which includes Colstrip, has been named in 15 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1978, 10 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 fires, 4 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm and Straight-Line Winds, on April 7, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Rosebud County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for hail, inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Very Low for tornadoes and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $8.7 million a year, the 27th highest of 56 Montana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $4.4 million (50%), 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 Colstrip
- Forsyth, MT11 mi
- Lame Deer, MT23 mi
- Crow Agency, MT41 mi
- Hardin, MT48 mi
- Miles City, MT50 mi
- Sheridan, WY79 mi
- Huntley, MT79 mi
- Shepherd, MT82 mi
- Billings, MT91 mi
- Roundup, MT100 mi
- Laurel, MT103 mi
- Buffalo, WY112 mi
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