NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Powell, 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 Powell, Wyoming 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
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Powell
The highest rating among the 14 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2, reached 2 times; the most recent, on July 11, 1978, came within 9 miles. Of the 14, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 5 have come since 2000. May and June have had the most tornadoes, 5 each. The most recent tornado was on June 12, 2017. Powell has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 54% of the 35 Wyoming cities on this site. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 13 times since 1955, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 35 Wyoming cities, 63% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Powell.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Powell
By decade
- 2010s3
- 2000s2
- 1990s3
- 1980s3
- 1970s2
- 1960s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 11, 1978 | F2 | 9 mi | 0.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 26, 1964 | F2 | 6 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 18, 1991 | F1 | 4 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 24, 1990 | F1 | 23 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 25, 1986 | F1 | 19 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 24, 1981 | F1 | 24 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 26, 1976 | F1 | 7 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 12, 2017 | EF0 | 25 mi | 0.69 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 16, 2015 | EF0 | 21 mi | 1.37 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 24, 2014 | EF0 | 23 mi | 0.77 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 1, 2005 | F0 | 18 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 1, 2005 | F0 | 12 mi | 4 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 Powell
The Storm Prediction Center has 13 hail reports within 10 miles of Powell since 1955. Of these, 10 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on June 29, 1964. The most recent report is from July 18, 2025. June has the most reports, 6.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Powell
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Powell Field Stn, WY, 5 miles east of Powell at 4,372 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 52°F; January is the coolest, at 32°F and 6°F. June is the wettest at 1.3 inches of precipitation on average and December the driest at 0.1 inches; the year adds up to 6.8 inches over 21 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 24 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 190 nights a year. Snowfall averages 11.2 inches a year, most of it in January. That 6.8 inches is more than at 1 of the 32 Wyoming stations used on this site (3%). Cody, 23 miles southwest, has its own station (Buffalo Bill Dam, WY): 12.8 inches a year, 6.0 more than here, and a July average high of 82°F against 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 32 | 6 | 0.2 | 0 | 2.6 |
| Feb | 36 | 10 | 0.2 | 0 | 1.8 |
| Mar | 48 | 20 | 0.3 | 1 | 1.7 |
| Apr | 57 | 28 | 0.6 | 2 | 0.8 |
| May | 66 | 40 | 1.2 | 4 | 0.1 |
| Jun | 76 | 47 | 1.3 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 85 | 52 | 0.8 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 84 | 50 | 0.4 | 2 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 73 | 41 | 0.8 | 2 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 58 | 29 | 0.7 | 2 | 1.1 |
| Nov | 43 | 17 | 0.2 | 1 | 1.6 |
| Dec | 33 | 8 | 0.1 | 0 | 1.5 |
| Year | 57 | 29 | 6.8 | 21 | 11.2 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Powell Field Stn, WY (4,372 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 Powell
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 9 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Powell: 7 thunderstorm wind reports, 1 flash flood and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 4, and the NWS estimated $6,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 69 mph, on April 27, 2023.
June 25, 2014: lightning strike 9 miles from the centre of Powell — 4 injured.
NWS: “Lightning struck near the 3rd green at the Powell Golf Club near Garland. The strike affected four golfers, one of which was knocked to the ground.”
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
Park County, which includes Powell, has been named in 4 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1978, 3 of them major disasters (by incident: 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 11, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Park County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Low for hail, 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 $19.8 million a year, the 6th highest of 23 Wyoming counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $9.3 million (47%), 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 Powell
- Cody, WY23 mi
- Lovell, WY26 mi
- Red Lodge, MT38 mi
- Greybull, WY46 mi
- Joliet, MT50 mi
- Park City, MT58 mi
- Columbus, MT59 mi
- Laurel, MT61 mi
- Billings, MT70 mi
- Worland, WY71 mi
- Huntley, MT79 mi
- Thermopolis, WY80 mi
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