NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Shepherd, 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 Shepherd, Montana since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 15 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 15
- EF3 or stronger
- 1
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Shepherd
The strongest of the 15 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F3 on June 16, 1965; its path came within 14 miles. Of the 15, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 4 have come since 2000. June and July have had the most tornadoes, 6 each. The most recent tornado was on May 21, 2016. Shepherd has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 84% of the 73 Montana cities on this site. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 89 times since 1958, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Shepherd has more hail reports within 10 miles than 91% of the 73 Montana cities.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Shepherd
By decade
- 2010s3
- 2000s1
- 1990s5
- 1970s3
- 1960s1(1 EF3+)
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 16, 1965 | F3 | 14 mi | 20.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 20, 2010 | EF2 | 15 mi | 0.69 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 2, 1958 | F2 | 15 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 21, 2016 | EF1 | 22 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 21, 1991 | F1 | 18 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 24, 1990 | F1 | 4 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 6, 1955 | F1 | 9 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 6, 2011 | EF0 | 6 mi | 0.25 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 26, 2004 | F0 | 21 mi | — | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 4, 1998 | F0 | 14 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 14, 1993 | F0 | 16 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 19, 1991 | F0 | 10 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 15, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Shepherd
The Storm Prediction Center has 89 hail reports within 10 miles of Shepherd since 1958, made on 46 separate days. Of these, 65 were 1 inch across or larger, and 16 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 3 inches (tea cup size), was reported on 2 days, most recently July 5, 1996. The most recent report is from August 7, 2025. July has the most reports, 31.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Shepherd
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Huntley Exp Stn, MT, 8 miles southeast of Shepherd at 3,034 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 55°F; January is the coolest, at 35°F and 12°F. Highs reach 90°F on about 39 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 182 nights a year. Snowfall averages 34.4 inches a year, most of it in February. That 14.7 inches is more than at 30 of the 58 Montana stations used on this site (52%). Billings, 18 miles southwest, has its own station (Billings Logan International Airport, MT): 14.5 inches a year, 0.2 less than here, and the same July average high, 87°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 35 | 12 | 0.5 | 2 | 6.7 |
| Feb | 39 | 14 | 0.5 | 2 | 7.1 |
| Mar | 50 | 22 | 0.8 | 2 | 4.7 |
| Apr | 59 | 32 | 1.7 | 5 | 1.8 |
| May | 68 | 41 | 2.6 | 6 | 0.2 |
| Jun | 77 | 50 | 2.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 87 | 55 | 1.5 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 86 | 53 | 0.9 | 2 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 75 | 43 | 1.4 | 3 | 0.2 |
| Oct | 60 | 31 | 1.4 | 3 | 2.7 |
| Nov | 47 | 21 | 0.6 | 2 | 4.4 |
| Dec | 36 | 13 | 0.5 | 2 | 6.6 |
| Year | 60 | 32 | 14.7 | 39 | 34.4 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Huntley Exp Stn, MT (3,034 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 Shepherd
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 40 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Shepherd: 37 thunderstorm wind reports, 2 flash floods and 1 heavy rain event. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $2.5 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 92 mph, on August 17, 2006.
August 11, 2019: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Shepherd — $2.5 million damage.
NWS: “Significant damage was done to Shepherd schools. There was roof damage and extensive damage to the bus barn.”
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
Yellowstone County, which includes Shepherd, has been named in 14 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1978, 6 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 fires, 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods, 2 severe storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storm and Flooding, on June 16, 2022. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Yellowstone County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Moderate for hail, inland flooding and strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $60.1 million a year, the 3rd highest of 56 Montana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $29.3 million (49%), 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 Shepherd
- Huntley, MT10 mi
- Billings, MT18 mi
- Laurel, MT30 mi
- Hardin, MT38 mi
- Roundup, MT38 mi
- Park City, MT39 mi
- Joliet, MT44 mi
- Columbus, MT52 mi
- Crow Agency, MT54 mi
- Red Lodge, MT70 mi
- Big Timber, MT76 mi
- Forsyth, MT80 mi
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