NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit St Ignatius, 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 St Ignatius, Montana since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 3 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 3
- 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 St Ignatius
The highest rating among the 3 tornadoes within 25 miles is F0 or EF0, reached 3 times; the most recent, on May 9, 2023, came within 3 miles. Of the 73 Montana cities on this site, 59% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than St Ignatius. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 13 times since 1989, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 73 Montana cities, 73% have more hail reports within 10 miles than St Ignatius.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of St Ignatius
By decade
- 2020s1
- 1990s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 9, 2023 | EF0 | 3 mi | 0.47 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 7, 1995 | F0 | 24 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 3, 1991 | F0 | 14 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 3 of 3, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in St Ignatius
The Storm Prediction Center has 13 hail reports within 10 miles of St Ignatius since 1989, made on 10 separate days. Of these, 8 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 June 27, 2002. The most recent report is from July 8, 2022. July has the most reports, 7.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in St Ignatius
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Saint Ignatius, MT, 3 miles west of St Ignatius at 2,915 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 52°F; December is the coolest, at 37°F and 23°F. June is the wettest at 2.6 inches of precipitation on average and March and December the driest at 0.9 inches; the year adds up to 16.8 inches over 46 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 20 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 152 nights a year. That 16.8 inches is more than at 44 of the 58 Montana stations used on this site (76%). Ronan, 16 miles north, has its own station (Polson, MT): 14.9 inches a year, 1.9 less than here, and a July average high of 83°F against 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 37 | 23 | 1.0 | 3 |
| Feb | 40 | 22 | 1.2 | 3 |
| Mar | 51 | 28 | 0.9 | 3 |
| Apr | 59 | 34 | 1.8 | 4 |
| May | 69 | 41 | 2.3 | 7 |
| Jun | 75 | 47 | 2.6 | 7 |
| Jul | 86 | 52 | 1.0 | 3 |
| Aug | 86 | 51 | 1.2 | 3 |
| Sep | 75 | 44 | 1.5 | 3 |
| Oct | 59 | 35 | 1.3 | 4 |
| Nov | 45 | 28 | 1.1 | 3 |
| Dec | 37 | 23 | 0.9 | 3 |
| Year | 60 | 36 | 16.8 | 46 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Saint Ignatius, MT (2,915 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 St Ignatius
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 8 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of St Ignatius: 6 thunderstorm wind reports, 1 heavy rain event and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $156,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 72 mph, on June 10, 2003.
July 6, 2009: lightning strike 3 miles from the centre of St Ignatius — $140,000 damage.
NWS: “A home in St. Ignatius was completely burned down and destroyed by a lightning strike.”
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 St Ignatius, 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 St Ignatius
- Arlee, MT10 mi
- Ronan, MT16 mi
- Frenchtown, MT21 mi
- Polson, MT27 mi
- Missoula, MT31 mi
- Bonner, MT34 mi
- Lolo, MT42 mi
- Bigfork, MT44 mi
- Florence, MT47 mi
- Lakeside, MT48 mi
- Stevensville, MT54 mi
- Thompson Falls, MT62 mi
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