NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Three Forks, 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 Three Forks, 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 Three Forks
The highest rating among the 3 tornadoes within 25 miles is F0, reached 3 times; the most recent, on July 2, 1997, came within 10 miles. Of the 73 Montana cities on this site, 59% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Three Forks. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 3 times since 2002, with stones up to 1.5 inches (ping pong ball size). Of the 73 Montana cities, 95% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Three Forks.
Compare Three Forks's storm record with another city →
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Three Forks
By decade
- 1990s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 2, 1997 | F0 | 10 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 2, 1997 | F0 | 10 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 17, 1994 | F0 | 4 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 Three Forks
The Storm Prediction Center has 3 hail reports within 10 miles of Three Forks since 2002. Of these, 2 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest, 1.5 inches (ping pong ball size), fell on June 6, 2011, the most recent report.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Three Forks
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Trident, MT, 4 miles northeast of Three Forks at 4,036 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 54°F; December is the coolest, at 33°F and 15°F. June is the wettest at 2.4 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 0.3 inches; the year adds up to 13.2 inches over 37 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 25 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 174 nights a year. That 13.2 inches is more than at 16 of the 58 Montana stations used on this site (28%). Manhattan, 11 miles southeast, has its own station (Bozeman Gallatin Field, MT): 13.2 inches a year, the same as here, and the same July average high, 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 33 | 16 | 0.4 | 1 |
| Feb | 37 | 18 | 0.3 | 1 |
| Mar | 48 | 26 | 0.7 | 2 |
| Apr | 56 | 33 | 1.5 | 4 |
| May | 66 | 42 | 2.2 | 5 |
| Jun | 74 | 49 | 2.4 | 6 |
| Jul | 85 | 54 | 1.4 | 4 |
| Aug | 84 | 51 | 1.0 | 3 |
| Sep | 73 | 43 | 1.1 | 3 |
| Oct | 58 | 33 | 0.9 | 3 |
| Nov | 42 | 23 | 0.6 | 2 |
| Dec | 33 | 15 | 0.7 | 2 |
| Year | 57 | 33 | 13.2 | 37 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Trident, MT (4,036 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 Three Forks
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 6 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Three Forks: 4 floods, 1 flash flood and 1 thunderstorm wind report. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $100,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 63 mph, on July 2, 1998.
June 27, 2023: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Three Forks — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “Jefferson County Sheriff's Office reported Milligan Canyon Road was washed out in several locations due to heavy rainfall.”
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
Gallatin County, which includes Three Forks, has been named in 9 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1981, 5 of them major disasters (by incident: 3 fires, 2 biological emergencies, 2 severe storms, 1 flood). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 31, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Gallatin County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Moderate for hail; Relatively Low for 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 $65.8 million a year, the 2nd highest of 56 Montana counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $15.5 million (24%), 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 Three Forks
- Manhattan, MT11 mi
- Belgrade, MT17 mi
- Bozeman, MT27 mi
- Whitehall, MT31 mi
- Boulder, MT33 mi
- Townsend, MT34 mi
- Gallatin Gateway, MT37 mi
- Ennis, MT42 mi
- Clancy, MT45 mi
- Butte, MT48 mi
- East Helena, MT50 mi
- Helena, MT56 mi
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