NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Sidney, 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 Sidney, Montana since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 15 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 15
- 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 Sidney
The highest rating among the 15 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2, reached 3 times; the most recent, on June 25, 1975, came within 19 miles. Of the 15, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 6 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 9. The most recent tornado was on June 10, 2021. Sidney has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 84% of the 73 Montana cities on this site. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 57 times since 1959, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Sidney has more hail reports within 10 miles than 73% of the 73 Montana cities.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Sidney
By decade
- 2020s3
- 2010s2
- 2000s1
- 1990s1
- 1980s3
- 1970s2
- 1960s1
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 25, 1975 | F2 | 19 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 11, 1972 | F2 | 20 mi | 9.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 23, 1953 | F2 | 22 mi | 33.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 30, 2015 | EF1 | 15 mi | 17.47 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jul 22, 1962 | F1 | 18 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 29, 2011 | EF0 | 18 mi | 11.45 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 5, 2001 | F0 | 6 mi | — | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 22, 1995 | F0 | 16 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 23, 1989 | F0 | 11 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 23, 1989 | F0 | 11 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 23, 1989 | F0 | 7 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 29, 1955 | F0 | 24 mi | 0.1 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 Sidney
The Storm Prediction Center has 57 hail reports within 10 miles of Sidney since 1959, made on 37 separate days. Of these, 42 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2 inches (hen egg size), was reported on 4 days, most recently June 10, 2021. The most recent report is from June 10, 2021. June has the most reports, 23.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Sidney
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Sidney, MT, 4 miles northeast of Sidney at 1,933 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 57°F; January is the coolest, at 27°F and 7°F. June is the wettest at 2.8 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 0.4 inches; the year adds up to 15.7 inches over 36 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 30 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 178 nights a year. Snowfall averages 30.4 inches a year, most of it in December. That 15.7 inches is more than at 40 of the 58 Montana stations used on this site (69%).
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 27 | 7 | 0.5 | 1 | 7.0 |
| Feb | 32 | 11 | 0.4 | 1 | 5.6 |
| Mar | 46 | 21 | 0.6 | 2 | 3.0 |
| Apr | 61 | 32 | 1.2 | 3 | 1.7 |
| May | 71 | 43 | 2.4 | 6 | 0.7 |
| Jun | 79 | 52 | 2.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 87 | 57 | 2.7 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 86 | 55 | 1.3 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 76 | 46 | 1.6 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 59 | 34 | 1.1 | 3 | 1.5 |
| Nov | 42 | 21 | 0.6 | 1 | 3.0 |
| Dec | 31 | 11 | 0.5 | 2 | 7.9 |
| Year | 58 | 32 | 15.7 | 36 | 30.4 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Sidney, MT (1,933 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 Sidney
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 58 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Sidney: 45 thunderstorm wind reports, 7 floods, 3 flash floods and 3 heavy rain events. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $131,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 115 mph, on June 10, 2021.
June 30, 2009: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Sidney — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “Initial wind gust was from the west-northwest. Straight line wind damage, or a macroburst was the cause of the damage in Sidney.”
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
Richland County, which includes Sidney, 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 Straight-Line Winds, on August 13, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Richland County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for inland flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $23.3 million a year, the 9th highest of 56 Montana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $4.0 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 Sidney
- Williston, ND43 mi
- Glendive, MT47 mi
- Watford City, ND47 mi
- Poplar, MT54 mi
- Wolf Point, MT74 mi
- Tioga, ND76 mi
- New Town, ND80 mi
- Dickinson, ND86 mi
- Baker, MT92 mi
- Stanley, ND95 mi
- Beulah, ND118 mi
- Miles City, MT120 mi
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