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Storms That Hit

NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database

Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Thompson Falls, 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 Thompson Falls, Montana since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 1 tornado has touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.

Hurricanes
0

within 75 mi, since 1851

Tropical storms
0

below hurricane strength

Tornadoes
1

within 25 mi, since 1950

EF3 or stronger
0

no recorded deaths

What the records show for Thompson Falls

The only tornado within 25 miles was an F0 on July 9, 1978; its path came within 12 miles. Of the 73 Montana cities on this site, 89% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Thompson Falls. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 5 times since 1993, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 73 Montana cities, 92% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Thompson Falls.

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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Thompson Falls

By decade

  • 1970s1
Strongest tornadoes near Thompson Falls, Montana
DateRatingDistancePathKilled / injured
Jul 9, 1978F012 mi0.1 mi0 / 0

The strongest 1 of 1, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.

Hail in Thompson Falls

The Storm Prediction Center has 5 hail reports within 10 miles of Thompson Falls since 1993. All were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 4 days, most recently August 16, 2006. The most recent report is from June 19, 2010.

Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.

Weather by month in Thompson Falls

The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Thompson Falls Ph, MT, 10 miles southwest of Thompson Falls at 2,380 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 53°F; December is the coolest, at 33°F and 25°F. November is the wettest at 2.6 inches of precipitation on average and July and August the driest at 0.9 inches; the year adds up to 22.1 inches over 68 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 39 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 148 nights a year. Snowfall averages 15.3 inches a year, most of it in December. That 22.1 inches is more than at 53 of the 58 Montana stations used on this site (91%). Trout Creek, 20 miles northwest, has its own station (Trout Creek Rs, MT): 26.9 inches a year, 4.8 more than here, and a July average high of 85°F against 86°F.

Monthly climate normals 1991–2020 at Thompson Falls Ph, MT
MonthHigh °FLow °FPrecip. inDays ≥ 0.1"Snow in
Jan34242.372.5
Feb40251.960.6
Mar49292.061.2
Apr58341.760.3
May68412.160.0
Jun75482.260.0
Jul86530.930.0
Aug86520.920.0
Sep75441.030.0
Oct58362.270.7
Nov41292.682.5
Dec33252.377.5
Year593722.16815.3

Averages for 1991–2020 at Thompson Falls Ph, MT (2,380 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 Thompson Falls

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 5 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Thompson Falls: 4 thunderstorm wind reports and 1 flood. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $500 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 72 mph, on August 7, 1999.

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

Sanders County, which includes Thompson Falls, has been named in 16 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 8 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 fires, 4 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 severe storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm and Straight-Line Winds, on April 7, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Sanders County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for inland flooding; Very Low for tornadoes, hail, strong wind, lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $9.0 million a year, the 26th highest of 56 Montana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $5.8 million (64%), 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 Thompson Falls

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