NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Polson, 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 Polson, Montana since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 5 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 5
- 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 Polson
The highest rating among the 5 tornadoes within 25 miles is EF0, reached 5 times; the most recent, on May 9, 2023, came within 24 miles. Of the 5, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 5 have come since 2000. Polson has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 57% of the 73 Montana cities on this site. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 8 times since 1985, with stones up to 1.25 inches (half dollar size). Of the 73 Montana cities, 88% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Polson.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Polson
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2010s2
- 2000s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 9, 2023 | EF0 | 24 mi | 0.47 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 4, 2013 | EF0 | 19 mi | 0.75 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 1, 2011 | EF0 | 8 mi | 0.73 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 18, 2007 | EF0 | 19 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 18, 2007 | EF0 | 5 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 5 of 5, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Polson
The Storm Prediction Center has 8 hail reports within 10 miles of Polson since 1985. Of these, 4 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest, 1.25 inches (half dollar size), fell on June 24, 2020. The most recent report is from July 9, 2022.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Polson
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Polson, MT, 2 miles southwest of Polson at 3,010 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 53°F; December is the coolest, at 33°F and 22°F. Highs reach 90°F on about 11 days a year, almost all from July to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 147 nights a year. That 14.9 inches is more than at 32 of the 58 Montana stations used on this site (55%). Bigfork, 20 miles northeast, has its own station (Bigfork 13 S, MT): 21.3 inches a year, 6.4 more than here, and a July average high of 80°F against 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 33 | 22 | 0.9 | 4 |
| Feb | 37 | 22 | 0.8 | 3 |
| Mar | 47 | 28 | 0.9 | 3 |
| Apr | 56 | 34 | 1.4 | 4 |
| May | 66 | 41 | 2.0 | 6 |
| Jun | 72 | 47 | 2.4 | 7 |
| Jul | 83 | 53 | 0.8 | 3 |
| Aug | 82 | 53 | 0.8 | 2 |
| Sep | 71 | 46 | 1.2 | 3 |
| Oct | 56 | 36 | 1.6 | 5 |
| Nov | 41 | 27 | 1.2 | 4 |
| Dec | 33 | 22 | 0.9 | 4 |
| Year | 56 | 36 | 14.9 | 48 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Polson, MT (3,010 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 Polson
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 8 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Polson: 7 thunderstorm wind reports and 1 heavy rain event. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $53,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on July 18, 2007.
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
Lake County, which includes Polson, has been named in 8 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 2000, 5 of them major disasters (by incident: 2 biological emergencies, 2 fires, 2 floods, 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 Lake County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for inland flooding and lightning; Very Low for tornadoes, hail, strong wind and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $23.0 million a year, the 10th highest of 56 Montana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $7.1 million (31%), 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 Polson
- Ronan, MT11 mi
- Bigfork, MT20 mi
- Lakeside, MT22 mi
- St Ignatius, MT27 mi
- Kalispell, MT36 mi
- Arlee, MT37 mi
- Frenchtown, MT45 mi
- Thompson Falls, MT50 mi
- Whitefish, MT51 mi
- Columbia Falls, MT51 mi
- Missoula, MT58 mi
- Bonner, MT60 mi
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