NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Gillette, WY
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 Gillette, Wyoming since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 70 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 70
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Gillette
The highest rating among the 70 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on June 1, 2018, came within 18 miles. Of the 70, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 22 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 35. The most recent tornado was on July 16, 2019. Gillette has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 91% of the 35 Wyoming cities on this site. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 41 times since 1983, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Gillette has more hail reports within 10 miles than 71% of the 35 Wyoming cities.
Compare Gillette's storm record with another city →
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Gillette
By decade
- 2010s9(1 EF3+)
- 2000s13
- 1990s10
- 1980s5
- 1970s22(1 EF3+)
- 1960s6
- 1950s5
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 1, 2018 | EF3 | 18 mi | 3.76 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 23, 1978 | F3 | 10 mi | 14.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 6, 1988 | F2 | 10 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jul 30, 1975 | F2 | 23 mi | 12.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 25, 1975 | F2 | 14 mi | 16.3 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jul 22, 1966 | F2 | 9 mi | 3.6 mi | 0 / 6 |
| May 27, 1959 | F2 | 9 mi | 10.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 12, 1953 | F2 | 21 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 1, 2018 | EF1 | 19 mi | 4.62 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 1, 2018 | EF1 | 16 mi | 0.47 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 7, 2016 | EF1 | 15 mi | 1.52 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 20, 2007 | EF1 | 9 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 70, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Gillette
The Storm Prediction Center has 41 hail reports within 10 miles of Gillette since 1983, made on 33 separate days. Of these, 28 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on July 17, 1983. The most recent report is from July 17, 2023. June has the most reports, 17.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Gillette
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Gillette 4SE, WY, 12 miles north of Gillette at 4,640 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 57°F; December is the coolest, at 36°F and 16°F. Highs reach 90°F on about 27 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 174 nights a year. Snowfall averages 55.7 inches a year, most of it in April. That 17.6 inches is more than at 26 of the 32 Wyoming stations used on this site (81%). Moorcroft, 38 miles northeast, has its own station (Devils Twr #2, WY): 19.0 inches a year, 1.4 more than here, and a July average high of 85°F against 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 36 | 16 | 0.6 | 2 | 8.2 |
| Feb | 38 | 17 | 0.8 | 2 | 9.0 |
| Mar | 49 | 25 | 1.1 | 3 | 8.6 |
| Apr | 56 | 32 | 2.1 | 5 | 9.4 |
| May | 66 | 41 | 3.3 | 7 | 1.3 |
| Jun | 77 | 50 | 2.5 | 6 | 0.1 |
| Jul | 86 | 57 | 1.7 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 85 | 56 | 1.4 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 75 | 46 | 1.3 | 3 | 0.5 |
| Oct | 59 | 34 | 1.6 | 4 | 4.4 |
| Nov | 46 | 24 | 0.6 | 2 | 5.8 |
| Dec | 36 | 16 | 0.6 | 2 | 8.4 |
| Year | 59 | 35 | 17.6 | 46 | 55.7 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Gillette 4SE, WY (4,640 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 Gillette
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 24 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Gillette: 23 thunderstorm wind reports and 1 flash flood. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $2,500 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on June 22, 2010.
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 Gillette's 2 ZIP codes have filed 18 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $10,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 1978, with 10. Of the 9 Wyoming cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 4 have fewer than Gillette.
Campbell County, which includes Gillette, has been named in 6 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1978, 4 of them major disasters (by incident: 2 biological emergencies, 1 fire, 1 flood, 1 tornado). The latest major disaster declaration was Wildfires, on November 13, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Campbell County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for hail; Relatively Moderate for lightning; Relatively Low for tornadoes, inland flooding and strong wind; Very Low for heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $25.0 million a year, the 5th highest of 23 Wyoming counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $6.5 million (26%), 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 Gillette
- Moorcroft, WY38 mi
- Buffalo, WY59 mi
- Sundance, WY59 mi
- Newcastle, WY59 mi
- Douglas, WY81 mi
- Lead, SD85 mi
- Spearfish, SD86 mi
- Sheridan, WY86 mi
- Glenrock, WY92 mi
- Evansville, WY94 mi
- Belle Fourche, SD95 mi
- Custer, SD96 mi
All Wyoming cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Gillette with another place →