NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Frenchtown, 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 Frenchtown, Montana since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 3 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 3
- 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 Frenchtown
The highest rating among the 3 tornadoes within 25 miles is F0 or EF0, reached 3 times; the most recent, on May 9, 2023, came within 23 miles. Of the 73 Montana cities on this site, 59% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Frenchtown. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 17 times since 1988, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Of the 73 Montana cities, 59% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Frenchtown.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Frenchtown
By decade
- 2020s1
- 1990s1
- 1980s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 9, 2023 | EF0 | 23 mi | 0.47 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 3, 1991 | F0 | 12 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 20, 1983 | F0 | 13 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 3 of 3, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Frenchtown
The Storm Prediction Center has 17 hail reports within 10 miles of Frenchtown since 1988, made on 10 separate days. Of these, 15 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on July 8, 2022. The most recent report is from July 31, 2025. June has the most reports, 9.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Frenchtown
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Alberton, MT, 11 miles west of Frenchtown at 3,060 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 49°F; December is the coolest, at 33°F and 19°F. June is the wettest at 2.2 inches of precipitation on average and July and August the driest at 0.9 inches; the year adds up to 18.7 inches over 56 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 33 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 183 nights a year. Snowfall averages 49.4 inches a year, most of it in December. That 18.7 inches is more than at 49 of the 58 Montana stations used on this site (84%). Arlee, 12 miles northeast, has its own station (Saint Ignatius, MT): 16.8 inches a year, 1.9 less than here, and a July average high of 86°F against 87°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 35 | 18 | 1.5 | 5 | 10.3 |
| Feb | 40 | 20 | 1.5 | 5 | 11.1 |
| Mar | 49 | 25 | 1.7 | 5 | 6.0 |
| Apr | 58 | 30 | 1.7 | 5 | 1.4 |
| May | 68 | 38 | 2.0 | 6 | 0.1 |
| Jun | 75 | 44 | 2.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 87 | 49 | 0.9 | 2 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 87 | 47 | 0.9 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 76 | 40 | 1.1 | 3 | 0.1 |
| Oct | 58 | 30 | 1.6 | 6 | 1.2 |
| Nov | 41 | 24 | 2.0 | 6 | 6.4 |
| Dec | 33 | 19 | 1.6 | 5 | 12.8 |
| Year | 59 | 32 | 18.7 | 56 | 49.4 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Alberton, MT (3,060 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 Frenchtown
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 13 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Frenchtown: 10 thunderstorm wind reports, 2 heavy rain events and 1 flash flood. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $146,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 72 mph, on May 31, 1997.
April 18, 2004: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Frenchtown — $100,000 damage.
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
Missoula County, which includes Frenchtown, has been named in 21 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 11 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 fires, 4 severe storms, 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm and Straight-Line Winds, on April 7, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Missoula County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for lightning; Relatively Low for inland flooding, strong wind and heat waves; Very Low for tornadoes and hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $56.7 million a year, the 4th highest of 56 Montana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $19.0 million (34%), 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 Frenchtown
- Arlee, MT12 mi
- Missoula, MT17 mi
- St Ignatius, MT21 mi
- Lolo, MT21 mi
- Florence, MT29 mi
- Bonner, MT31 mi
- Ronan, MT34 mi
- Stevensville, MT37 mi
- Polson, MT45 mi
- Victor, MT45 mi
- Corvallis, MT52 mi
- Hamilton, MT58 mi
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