Richland County, Montana
Tornadoes, hail, floods and severe storms recorded here between 1956 and 2026, from NOAA's Storm Events Database. Search an address to see which tornadoes came closest to it.
13
Tornado reports
217
Hail reports
37
Floods since 1996
758
All events
0
Deaths
$2.7M
Property damage
Tornado paths in Richland County
The part of each tornado’s path NOAA recorded in this county, 12 in all. Zoom in and the paths widen to their surveyed width.
EF0EF1EF2EF3EF4EF5Unrated
Year by year
All storm eventsTornadoes
NOAA's storm database records tornadoes back to 1950 and hail and thunderstorm wind back to 1955, but floods only from 1996 on. Older floods are missing here. For those, the U.S. Geological Survey's stream gauge records and flood reports are the place to look.
Most significant events
The strongest tornadoes, deadliest events and biggest damage here, up to 50.
Hail Hail
Public reported (via Facebook) hail up to the size of ping pong balls.
Hail Hail
Trained spotter reported hail up to the size of golf balls.
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
The Lambert MT-200 DOT site (MTLBT) recorded a 73 mph wind gust.
Hail Hail
Public reported hail up to the size of half dollars along with heavy rain and a power outage.
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
The Sioux Pass MT-16 DOT site (MTSOO) measured a 58 mph wind gust.
Drought Drought
To begin the month, all but the far northeastern corner of Richland County was in at least D2 drought conditions, with D3 conditions through a wide central swath of the county. On the last day of the month, drought impacts lessened to include only D2 conditions through all but th…
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
A trained spotter at 12SSE Sprole estimated 60 mph wind gusts, and reported trees damaged by lightning.
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
The Lambert MT-200 DOT site (MTLBT) measured a 63 mph wind gust.
High Wind High Wind
The Badger Creek mesonet site (FW2498) measured a 69 mph wind gust.
Drought Drought
D2 drought conditions developed into southwestern and central Richland County to begin the month. In the second week of the month, D2 drought conditions expanded to cover all but the far northeast corner of the county. From mid-May through the end of the month, that extent of D2 …
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
The Savage CWOP mesonet site (F8536) recorded a 60 mph wind gust.
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
The Lambert MT-200 DOT site (MTLBT) recorded a 58 mph wind gust.
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
The Crane W Montana Climate Office mesonet site (CRBM8) recorded a 61 mph wind gust.
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
The Badger Creek CWOP mesonet site (F2498) recorded a 61 mph wind gust.
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
The Savage MT-16 DOT site (MTSVG) recorded a 59 mph wind gust.
Winter Weather Winter Weather
Most snowfall reports from Richland County ranged from 2 to 5 inches, but one report from Facebook recorded 6 inches in Savage.
High Wind High Wind
Multiple observations in Richland County recorded wind gusts in excess of 59 mph, the strongest of which was 64 mph, measured at the Lambert MT-200 DOT site (MTLBT).
High Wind High Wind
Wind gusts of 58 mph were recorded in multiple locations in Richland County, including the Sidney-Richland airport ASOS site (KSDY).
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill Extreme Cold/Wind Chill
The Lambert MT-200 DOT site (MTLBT) measured a wind chill of -43 degrees.
High Wind High Wind
The Savage MT-16 DOT site (MTSVG) measured a 68 mph wind gust.
Dense Fog Dense Fog
The Sidney-Richland airport AWOS site (KSDY) recorded dense fog with visibility of 1/4 mile or worse for about 2 hours.
Dense Fog Dense Fog
The Sidney-Richland airport AWOS site (KSDY) recorded dense fog with visibility of 1/4 mile or worse for almost 15 hours. DOT cameras in the area also showed the dense fog.
High Wind High Wind
The Lambert MT-200 DOT site (MTLBT) measured a 59 mph wind gust.
Flood Flood
Richland County Dispatch in Sidney reported flooding at the intersection of W Holly St and Third Avenue.
Hail Hail
Public reported quarter size hail, strong winds, and heavy rain.
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
Public estimated 80 mph wind gusts.
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
The mesonet site near Lambert (D8633) recorded a 58 mph wind gust.
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
The mesonet site (D8633) near lambert recorded a 64 mph wind gust.
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
A wind gust of 62 mph was measured at the Savage MT-16 DOT site (MTSVG).
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
Reported at the Badger Creek station.
Drought Drought
D2 drought remained over the southeast one quarter of Richland county.
Drought Drought
D2 drought remained over southeastern Richland County.
Drought Drought
The area of D3 drought over the southeast one-third of the county at the beginning of the month, decreased to a D2 by the end of the month.
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill Extreme Cold/Wind Chill
Mesonet observations reported wind chills as cold as -42F (both at 12NE Lambert and 1NE Lambert).
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill Extreme Cold/Wind Chill
Observations reported wind chills as cold as -53F (6NW Sidney).
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill Extreme Cold/Wind Chill
AWOS and mesonet observations reported wind chills as cold as -50F (Sidney Airport and 12S Culbertson).
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill Extreme Cold/Wind Chill
AWOS and mesonet observations reported wind chills as cold as -49F (2SW Savage, 247569 Sidney and Sidney Airport).
Extreme Cold/Wind Chill Extreme Cold/Wind Chill
Wind chills as low as -40 were observed at Sioux Pass (16SW Bainville) in Richland county.
Drought Drought
D2 and D3 drought conditions remained in the southeast portions of the county, but improved to D0 over the western one third by the end of the month.
Drought Drought
D2 through D3 drought conditions continued across eastern portions of Richland county through January.
Rainfall of 0.05 (eastern Richland) to 0.52 (central Richland) and freezing temperatures and frozen ground resulted in a widespread icy glaze. A person falling in Sidney resulted in an injury.
High Wind High Wind
High winds occurred with strong winds continuing till 930 pm. Locations were mainly west of the Sidney area. Highest gust occurred at 12 SSE of Sprole.
Drought Drought
D2 through D3 drought continued across much of central and eastern Richland county through December.
Drought Drought
D2 and D3 drought conditions continued across most of Richland county through November. The most extreme conditions were along the North Dakota border.
High Wind High Wind
A peak wind gust of 64 mph was recorded at the Savage mesonet site (FW8536).
High Wind High Wind
The public reported, via Facebook, a farm building shed had been blown apart. Picture is on social media. Time is estimated.
High Wind High Wind
The public reported, via Facebook, a large tree had fallen into a house and smashed part of their decking. Picture is on social media. Time is estimated.
High Wind High Wind
The public reported, via Facebook, power poles down on County Roads 480 and 146. Picture is on social media. Times are estimated.
Drought Drought
To start October, ongoing D-2 Severe drought conditions continued over the northeastern third of Richland County. On the second week of October, the northeastern third of Richland County worsened to D-3 Extreme drought, and the central strip of the county worsened to D-2 Severe d…
Thunderstorm Wind Thunderstorm Wind
The Sioux Pass MT-16 DOT site (MTSOO) measured a 58 mph thunderstorm wind gust.
Events by year, as a table
| Year | Events | Tornadoes |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 20 | 0 |
| 2025 | 20 | 0 |
| 2024 | 22 | 0 |
| 2023 | 19 | 0 |
| 2022 | 25 | 0 |
| 2021 | 50 | 0 |
| 2020 | 15 | 0 |
| 2019 | 18 | 0 |
| 2018 | 33 | 0 |
| 2017 | 13 | 0 |
| 2016 | 21 | 0 |
| 2015 | 33 | 1 |
| 2014 | 5 | 0 |
| 2013 | 26 | 0 |
| 2012 | 23 | 0 |
| 2011 | 40 | 1 |
| 2010 | 42 | 0 |
| 2009 | 26 | 0 |
| 2008 | 25 | 0 |
| 2007 | 32 | 0 |
| 2006 | 11 | 0 |
| 2005 | 21 | 0 |
| 2004 | 23 | 0 |
| 2003 | 8 | 0 |
| 2002 | 17 | 0 |
| 2001 | 28 | 1 |
| 2000 | 15 | 0 |
| 1999 | 17 | 0 |
| 1998 | 21 | 0 |
| 1997 | 25 | 0 |
| 1996 | 9 | 0 |
| 1995 | 10 | 1 |
| 1994 | 3 | 0 |
| 1992 | 1 | 0 |
| 1991 | 8 | 1 |
| 1990 | 5 | 1 |
| 1989 | 4 | 3 |
| 1988 | 1 | 0 |
| 1983 | 1 | 0 |
| 1979 | 1 | 0 |
| 1975 | 3 | 1 |
| 1972 | 1 | 1 |
| 1968 | 2 | 0 |
| 1964 | 1 | 0 |
| 1963 | 5 | 0 |
| 1962 | 2 | 2 |
| 1961 | 1 | 0 |
| 1960 | 3 | 0 |
| 1959 | 2 | 0 |
| 1956 | 1 | 0 |
Search your address
See every tornado that passed within 25 miles of a place in Richland County, measured to its path.
We couldn’t get your location. Check that location access is allowed for this site, or type an address.