NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Manhattan, 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 Manhattan, Montana since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 4 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 4
- 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 Manhattan
The strongest of the 4 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F1 on June 15, 1960; its path came within 15 miles. The most recent tornado was on July 2, 1997. Of the 73 Montana cities on this site, 42% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Manhattan. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 13 times since 1958, with stones up to 2.25 inches. Of the 73 Montana cities, 73% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Manhattan.
Compare Manhattan's storm record with another city →
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Manhattan
By decade
- 1990s3
- 1960s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 15, 1960 | F1 | 15 mi | 1.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 2, 1997 | F0 | 5 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 2, 1997 | F0 | 5 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 17, 1994 | F0 | 13 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 4 of 4, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Manhattan
The Storm Prediction Center has 13 hail reports within 10 miles of Manhattan since 1958. Of these, 11 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.25 inches, fell on June 21, 1988. The most recent report is from August 19, 2024. August has the most reports, 6.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Manhattan
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Bozeman Gallatin Field, MT, 8 miles east of Manhattan at 4,427 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 49°F; December is the coolest, at 32°F and 10°F. Highs reach 90°F on about 24 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 198 nights a year. That 13.2 inches is more than at 16 of the 58 Montana stations used on this site (28%). Three Forks, 11 miles northwest, has its own station (Trident, MT): 13.2 inches a year, the same as here, and the same July average high, 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 32 | 10 | 0.4 | 1 |
| Feb | 36 | 13 | 0.4 | 1 |
| Mar | 46 | 22 | 0.9 | 3 |
| Apr | 55 | 29 | 1.7 | 6 |
| May | 65 | 38 | 2.1 | 6 |
| Jun | 74 | 44 | 2.5 | 7 |
| Jul | 85 | 49 | 1.1 | 3 |
| Aug | 84 | 47 | 0.9 | 3 |
| Sep | 73 | 40 | 1.0 | 3 |
| Oct | 58 | 29 | 1.1 | 3 |
| Nov | 42 | 18 | 0.7 | 2 |
| Dec | 32 | 10 | 0.4 | 1 |
| Year | 57 | 29 | 13.2 | 40 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Bozeman Gallatin Field, MT (4,427 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 Manhattan
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 33 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Manhattan: 30 thunderstorm wind reports and 3 floods. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 89 mph, on August 1, 2013.
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
Gallatin County, which includes Manhattan, has been named in 9 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1981, 5 of them major disasters (by incident: 3 fires, 2 biological emergencies, 2 severe storms, 1 flood). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 31, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Gallatin County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Moderate for hail; Relatively Low for inland flooding and strong wind; Very Low for tornadoes and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $65.8 million a year, the 2nd highest of 56 Montana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $15.5 million (24%), 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 Manhattan
- Belgrade, MT8 mi
- Three Forks, MT11 mi
- Bozeman, MT15 mi
- Gallatin Gateway, MT28 mi
- Ennis, MT39 mi
- Whitehall, MT40 mi
- Townsend, MT41 mi
- Boulder, MT45 mi
- Clancy, MT56 mi
- Butte, MT58 mi
- East Helena, MT59 mi
- Helena, MT66 mi
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