States › Montana › Dawson County
Dawson County, Montana
Recorded hazard history: storm events since 1950, federal disaster declarations since 1953, flood insurance claims since 1978, and FEMA's risk index.
NCEI notes that Storm Data is compiled from a variety of sources including the National Weather Service, other federal, state and local agencies, the media and the public; that property and crop damage figures are estimates; and that some events are recorded by NWS forecast zone rather than by county. FEMA notes that NFIP claim records are redacted and aggregated to protect the privacy of policyholders. NCEI storm records through 30 Jun 2026; OpenFEMA declarations refreshed 1 Oct 2026; NFIP claims as of 8 Sep 2026.
Dawson County, Montana, has 853 weather events in the NCEI Storm Events record since 1950, most of them damaging wind.
That is 36.0 events per 100 square miles, above the Montana figure of 24.9, and 958.0 per 10,000 residents against 328.5 statewide.
26 events fall in the 12 months to 30 Jun 2026. NCEI attributes 2 deaths and 11 injuries to events in the county, with property damage estimated at $8.5M and crop damage at $3.9M.
FEMA has designated the county in 10 federal disaster declarations since 1953; the most recent is Severe Winter Storm And Straight-Line Winds (major disaster, 7 Apr 2026).
National Flood Insurance Program policyholders in the county filed 7 claims since 1978, of which 6 were paid, totalling $145K (about $24K per paid claim). FEMA counts 4 residential flood policies in force.
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the county's overall risk as "Relatively Low" and its expected annual loss as "Relatively Low" ($21M a year across 18 hazards).
Compared with Montana and the United States
| Measure | Dawson County | Montana | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recorded events since 1950 | 853 | 36,277 | 1,977,440 |
| Events per 100 square miles | 36.0 | 24.9 | 56.0 |
| Events per 10,000 residents | 958.0 | 328.5 | 59.6 |
| Events in the last 12 months | 26 | 1,522 | 62,008 |
| Deaths recorded by NCEI | 2 | 166 | 26,435 |
| Property damage (NCEI estimates) | $8.5M | $369M | $575B |
| NFIP claims per 1,000 residents | 0.8 | 2.0 | 8.1 |
| Average paid NFIP claim | $24K | $12K | $43K |
| Claims per 100 policies in force, last 10 years | 50.0 | 9.8 | 16.1 |
County-recorded events plus zone-recorded events whose forecast zone is named for the county. State and US rows include events recorded only by forecast zone. Rates use 2021 Census population and land area.
Events by decade
Trend: 578 events in the 20 years to 2025 against 233 in the 20 years before. Reporting practice changed in 1996 and again with automated reports in the 2000s, so decade totals measure the record as much as the weather.
Events by type
Hazard pages exist for hail, tornado, flood, wind and winter where the county has at least 10 recorded events. "Other" covers heavy rain, debris flow, dust, funnel clouds and similar reports.
Largest recorded events
| Date | Event type | Group | Magnitude | Property damage | Crop damage | Deaths | Injuries | Geography |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 Jun 2018 | Excessive Heat | Heat | — | — | — | 1 | — | Forecast zone |
| 31 Jul 2020 | Lightning | Lightning | — | — | — | 1 | — | County |
| 15 Dec 2024 | Ice Storm | Winter | — | — | — | — | 4 | Forecast zone |
| 26 Dec 2003 | Blizzard | Winter | — | — | — | — | 2 | Forecast zone |
| 29 Jun 1961 | Tornado | Tornado | — | $2.5M | — | — | 1 | County |
| 2 Jul 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wind | 69 mph | $380K | $120K | — | 1 | County |
| 5 Apr 2000 | High Wind | Wind | 58 mph | $16K | — | — | 1 | Forecast zone |
| 29 May 1999 | Lightning | Lightning | — | — | — | — | 1 | County |
| 17 Dec 2003 | High Wind | Wind | 48 mph | — | — | — | 1 | Forecast zone |
| 27 Jul 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wind | 120 mph | $2.5M | — | — | — | County |
| 7 Jul 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wind | 90 mph | $200K | $1.8M | — | — | County |
| 14 Jun 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wind | 98 mph | $2.0M | — | — | — | County |
| 1 May 2004 | Drought | Drought | — | — | $990K | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 11 Aug 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wind | 84 mph | $250K | $500K | — | — | County |
| 20 Jul 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wind | 104 mph | $75K | $250K | — | — | County |
| 28 Jun 2005 | Flash Flood | Flood | — | $112K | — | — | — | County |
Ranked by deaths, then injuries, then NCEI's damage estimate. Deaths and injuries are NCEI counts (direct plus indirect); no personal details are recorded here.
Federal disaster declarations
| Declared | Number | Type | Incident | Title | Programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 Apr 2026 | DR-4902 | Major disaster | Straight-Line Winds | Severe Winter Storm And Straight-Line Winds | Public assistance |
| 13 Aug 2021 | DR-4608 | Major disaster | Other | Straight-Line Winds | Public assistance |
| 31 Mar 2020 | DR-4508 | Major disaster | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 13 Mar 2020 | EM-3476 | Emergency | Biological | Covid-19 | Public assistance |
| 17 Apr 2014 | DR-4172 | Major disaster | Flood | Ice Jams And Flooding | Public assistance |
| 10 Jul 2013 | DR-4127 | Major disaster | Flood | Flooding | Public assistance |
| 17 Jun 2011 | DR-1996 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Storms And Flooding | Public assistance |
| 13 Sep 2005 | EM-3253 | Emergency | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Public assistance |
| 25 Jul 1997 | DR-1183 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Storms,Ice Jams, Snow Melt, Flooding | Public assistance |
| 15 Mar 1986 | DR-761 | Major disaster | Flood | Heavy Rains, Landslides & Flooding | Public assistance |
Declarations in which FEMA designated this county, from the OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2). DR: major disaster; EM: emergency; FM: fire management assistance. Programs show whether individual or public assistance was made available.
Flood insurance claims
| Year of loss | Claims | Paid claims | Amount paid | Average paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 1 | 0 | $0 | — |
| 2018 | 1 | 1 | $110,015 | $110,015 |
| 2014 | 1 | 1 | $27,953 | $27,953 |
| 2011 | 2 | 2 | $3,864 | $1,932 |
| 1978 | 2 | 2 | $2,780 | $1,390 |
OpenFEMA NFIP claims (v3, as of 8 Sep 2026), aggregated by year of loss; amounts are building, contents and increased-cost-of-compliance payments as recorded. Repetitive-loss counts from the NFIP Multiple Loss Properties file (2 Aug 2026); policies in force from the NFIP Residential Penetration Rates file (3 Aug 2026).
National Risk Index
| Hazard (NRI) | Risk rating | Expected annual loss |
|---|---|---|
| Cold wave | $15,809,886 | |
| Inland flooding | $2,992,438 | |
| Heat wave | $594,097 | |
| Lightning | $540,900 | |
| Strong wind | $517,861 | |
| Tornado | $334,784 | |
| Winter weather | $248,591 | |
| Hail | $208,095 | |
| Wildfire | $74,260 | |
| Drought | $31,670 | |
| Earthquake | $14,716 | |
| Ice storm | $5,793 | |
| Landslide | $360 |
FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 release. Ratings are FEMA's relative comparison of counties; expected annual loss is FEMA's modelled estimate of average yearly building, population and agriculture loss. See how to read the NRI.
Hurricane and tropical storm passes
No HURDAT2 track at tropical-storm strength passes within 100 miles of the county's centre point (through the 2025 season).
ZIP codes with flood claims
- 59330 7
ZIP codes whose NFIP claims carry this county's code, with the number of claims. Five or more claims are needed for a ZIP page to be indexed.
Questions and answers
How often does it hail in Dawson County, MT?
NCEI records 244 hail events in Dawson County since 1950, in 43 different years; that is about 3.2 recorded events a year. 49 reports were golf-ball size (1.75 in) or larger.
Has Dawson County had a tornado?
Yes. NCEI records 15 tornadoes in Dawson County since 1950, 2 of them rated (E)F2 or stronger. Tornado deaths recorded: 0.
When was the last federal disaster declaration for Dawson County?
7 Apr 2026: Severe Winter Storm And Straight-Line Winds, a major disaster declaration for straight-line winds. The county appears in 10 declarations since 1953.
How many flood insurance claims have been filed in Dawson County, and how much was paid?
7 NFIP claims since 1978, 6 of them paid, for $145K in total. FEMA publishes these figures redacted and aggregated; individual properties are not identified.
Is Dawson County in the National Risk Index's high-risk band?
FEMA's National Risk Index (December 2025) rates the county "Relatively Low" for overall risk, "Relatively Low" for expected annual loss, "Relatively Moderate" for social vulnerability and "Relatively Moderate" for community resilience. These ratings are FEMA's relative comparison across all US counties.
How does Dawson County compare with the rest of Montana?
36.0 recorded events per 100 square miles against 24.9 statewide, and 0.8 NFIP claims per 1,000 residents against 2.0. The comparison table on this page shows each measure beside the state and national figures.
Provenance
Storm events: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, yearly details files through 30 Jun 2026 (public domain). Declarations: OpenFEMA DisasterDeclarationsSummaries v2, refreshed 1 Oct 2026. Flood claims: OpenFEMA NfipClaims v3 as of 8 Sep 2026; NfipMultipleLossProperties v1 (2 Aug 2026); NfipResidentialPenetrationRates v1 (3 Aug 2026). Risk index: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025. Hurricane tracks: NHC HURDAT2 through 2025. Population and area: US Census Bureau, 2021 vintage. Built 1 Oct 2026; see the methodology and corrections pages. Hazard hubs: Hail · Tornado · Flood · Wind · Winter.