Data · Montana

Montana storm damage and disaster statistics

Compiled from NOAA and FEMA data, November 10, 2026 How the figures are built

In short

From 2016 to 2025 the National Weather Service logged 12,789 storm event reports in Montana, with property damage estimates totalling $89.3 million. That is the 45th highest of the 50 states and D.C.

Damaging wind was reported most often (5,770 reports). Flood accounted for the most reported damage ($47.7 million). FEMA has issued 31 major disaster declarations for Montana since 2000.

12,789

storm event reports, 2016–2025

$89.3M

property damage estimated in those reports

major disaster declarations since 2000

1,850

hail reports, 186 of two inches or larger

tornado reports, 3 rated EF2 or stronger

$29.2M

home damage verified by FEMA inspectors since 2002

Reported storm damage in Montana, year by year

Property damage estimated in National Weather Service storm reports for Montana. Not insured losses, and not adjusted for inflation.

Largest single damage estimate

$31.0 million

Flood, Lincoln, 2025. Large events are recorded county by county, so one disaster can appear as several entries.

A quiet year on this chart can mean few damaging storms, or storms whose reports carried no damage estimate.

What hits Montana: reports and damage by type

Damaging wind 5,770
Winter weather 3,452
Hail 1,850
Flood 326
Wildfire 104
Tornado 38
Lightning 9

Storm event reports by type, 2016 to 2025.

Flood $47.7M
Damaging wind $18.5M
Winter weather $13.2M
Hail $4.1M
Wildfire $3.9M
Tornado $1.5M
Lightning $87K

Property damage estimated in those reports, 2016 to 2025.

Federal disasters in Montana

FEMA has recorded 31 major disaster declarations, 4 emergency declarations and 53 fire management declarations for Montana since 2000.

The most recent major disaster declaration in this data is Severe Winter Storm And Straight-Line Winds (straight-line winds), declared May 29, 2026.

Some states change their rules on public adjuster fees and contracts after a declared disaster. See what a declaration changes.

Severe Storm 11
Flood 10
Straight-Line Winds 3
Fire 3
Winter Storm 1
Other 1
Biological 1

Major disaster declarations by cause since 2000.

Home damage FEMA has verified in Montana

After a declared disaster, homeowners can register with FEMA and have their home inspected. These are the totals for Montana since 2011.

6,398

homeowners registered, across 8 disasters

$29.2M

damage verified by FEMA inspectors

$39.5M

individual assistance FEMA approved for those owners

5,285

homes inspected

inspections that found more than $30,000 of damage

$5,526

average verified damage per inspected home

FEMA assistance is not insurance and is capped. It measures damage against its own habitability standard, and it counts only owners who registered and were inspected.

How Montana ranks

Montana compared with the other states and the District of Columbia
Measure	Montana	Rank of 51	In context
Storm event reports	12,789	23rd	1125 per 100,000 residents
Reported property damage	$89.3 million	45th	$79 per resident
Hail reports	1,850	14th	186 of two inches or larger
Tornado reports	38	36th	3 rated EF2 or stronger
Major disaster declarations since 2000	31	24th	4 emergency declarations
FEMA-verified home damage since 2002	$29.2 million	42nd	6,398 homeowners registered

If you have a claim in Montana

Montana questions

What causes the most storm damage in Montana?

Flood accounts for the most property damage in National Weather Service reports for Montana from 2016 to 2025: $47.7 million of a $89.3 million total. Damaging wind is the most frequently reported, with 5,770 reports.

How often does it hail in Montana?

The National Weather Service logged 1,850 hail reports in Montana from 2016 to 2025. 186 involved hail two inches or larger, and the largest reported stone measured 4 inches. One storm can produce several reports.

How many tornadoes does Montana get?

38 tornado segments were recorded in Montana from 2016 to 2025, and 3 were rated EF2 or stronger. A tornado that crosses a county line is recorded once per county.

How many federal disasters has Montana had?

FEMA records 31 major disaster declarations and 4 emergency declarations for Montana since 2000. The most common cause of a major disaster declaration was severe storm.

How much home damage has FEMA verified in Montana?

Since 2011, 6,398 homeowners in Montana registered with FEMA across 8 disasters. Inspectors verified $29.2 million in damage and FEMA approved $39.5 million in individual assistance. These figures cover only people who registered and were inspected.

Use this data

You are welcome to quote these figures and reuse the charts in news stories, research and blog posts. Please credit the page with a link.

PublicAdjuster.cc, "Montana storm damage and disaster statistics," https://publicadjuster.cc/data/montana/. Compiled from the NOAA Storm Events Database and FEMA OpenFEMA data, November 10, 2026.

Download all states (CSV) How the figures are built

The underlying records are published by NOAA, FEMA and the U.S. Census Bureau. This product uses the FEMA 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).