NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Poplar, 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 Poplar, Montana since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 14 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 14
- EF3 or stronger
- 0
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
1 deaths in all
What the records show for Poplar
The highest rating among the 14 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2 or EF2, reached 2 times; the most recent, on July 15, 2013, came within 16 miles. The deadliest, an F1 on July 9, 1983, killed 1 person. Of the 14, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 2 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 7. Poplar has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 83% of the 73 Montana cities on this site. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 28 times since 1956, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Poplar has more hail reports within 10 miles than 54% of the 73 Montana cities.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Poplar
By decade
- 2010s1
- 2000s1
- 1990s7
- 1980s1
- 1960s1
- 1950s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 15, 2013 | EF2 | 16 mi | 22.99 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 26, 1954 | F2 | 22 mi | 20.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 9, 1983 | F1 | 24 mi | 1 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Jul 4, 1998 | F1 | 15 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 4, 1998 | F1 | 10 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 26, 1959 | F1 | 2 mi | 5.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 30, 1953 | F1 | 20 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 25, 2005 | F0 | 5 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 21, 1999 | F0 | 21 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 21, 1995 | F0 | 24 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 21, 1993 | F0 | 3 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 25, 1991 | F0 | 12 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 14, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Poplar
The Storm Prediction Center has 28 hail reports within 10 miles of Poplar since 1956, made on 24 separate days. Of these, 11 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently July 21, 1999. The most recent report is from September 17, 2024. July has the most reports, 11.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Poplar
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Wolf Point 29 ENE, MT, 12 miles north of Poplar at 2,085 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 53°F; January is the coolest, at 23°F and 0°F. June is the wettest at 2.9 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 0.3 inches; the year adds up to 14.2 inches over 33 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 23 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 206 nights a year. That 14.2 inches is more than at 24 of the 58 Montana stations used on this site (41%). Wolf Point, 23 miles west, has its own station (Wolf Pt, MT): 14.4 inches a year, 0.2 more than here, and a July average high of 87°F against 84°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 23 | 0 | 0.4 | 1 |
| Feb | 28 | 5 | 0.3 | 1 |
| Mar | 40 | 16 | 0.6 | 2 |
| Apr | 56 | 27 | 1.0 | 3 |
| May | 67 | 38 | 2.2 | 5 |
| Jun | 76 | 48 | 2.9 | 6 |
| Jul | 84 | 53 | 2.6 | 4 |
| Aug | 84 | 51 | 1.4 | 4 |
| Sep | 73 | 40 | 1.1 | 3 |
| Oct | 56 | 27 | 0.9 | 3 |
| Nov | 39 | 14 | 0.4 | 1 |
| Dec | 27 | 3 | 0.4 | 1 |
| Year | 54 | 27 | 14.2 | 33 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Wolf Point 29 ENE, MT (2,085 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 Poplar
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 77 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Poplar: 64 thunderstorm wind reports, 10 floods, 1 flash flood, 1 heavy rain event and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $1.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 92 mph, on July 13, 2005.
June 13, 2008: lightning strike 3 miles from the centre of Poplar — 1 injured.
NWS: “A 70 year old man raking the yard suffered minor injuries from a nearby lightning strike. He received treatment at the hospital before being released several hours later.”
June 24, 2016: thunderstorm wind 3 miles from the centre of Poplar — $860,000 damage.
NWS: “Roosevelt County law enforcement and numerous public reported significant damage in the town of Poplar. Numerous trees were uprooted and many homes damaged, including some roofs blown off or damaged.”
July 13, 2005: thunderstorm wind 3 miles from the centre of Poplar — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “See event narrative below.”
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
Roosevelt County, which includes Poplar, has been named in 8 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1997, 6 of them major disasters (by incident: 3 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 1 flood, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Flooding, on August 12, 2023. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Roosevelt County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for inland flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $10.1 million a year, the 21st highest of 56 Montana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $1.7 million (17%), 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 Poplar
- Wolf Point, MT23 mi
- Sidney, MT54 mi
- Williston, ND67 mi
- Glasgow, MT71 mi
- Glendive, MT74 mi
- Watford City, ND92 mi
- Tioga, ND103 mi
- New Town, ND121 mi
- Malta, MT122 mi
- Stanley, ND127 mi
- Miles City, MT128 mi
- Baker, MT130 mi
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