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Hail in Madison County, Montana
29 hail events in the NCEI Storm Events record, 1950 to 2026. Event types counted: Hail.
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. Storm records through 30 Jun 2026.
Madison County, Montana, has 29 hail events in the NCEI record since 1950, with at least one in 16 different years.
August is the busiest month, with 13 of the recorded events. The last 20 years account for 19 events against 9 in the 20 years before, a change that reflects reporting practice as much as weather.
The county holds 0.3% of the 8,391 hail events recorded in Montana; its 0.8 per 100 square miles compares with 5.8 statewide.
3 of the hail reports with a recorded size were golf-ball size (1.75 inches) or larger; the largest recorded stone was 1.75 inches (golf ball size).
Compared with Montana
| Measure | Madison County | Montana | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hail events since 1950 | 29 | 8,391 | 424,356 |
| Per 100 square miles | 0.8 | 5.8 | 12.0 |
| Per 10,000 residents | 32.5 | 76.0 | 12.8 |
| Deaths recorded | 0 | 0 | 29 |
| Busiest month | August | July | May |
By year
Seasonality
0Feb
0Mar
0Apr
0May
2Jun
5Jul
8Aug
13Sep
1Oct
0Nov
0Dec
0
Magnitude distribution
NWS hail-size descriptors
- under 1 in
- pea to quarter
- 1–1.74 in
- quarter to golf ball
- 1.75–2.74 in
- golf ball to baseball
- 2.75–3.99 in
- baseball to softball
- 4 in and larger
- softball and larger
Hail size in inches as recorded by NCEI; events without a size are not binned.
Recorded events
All 29 events, most recent first. Magnitude is hail size, tornado rating or wind speed as recorded.
| Date | Event type | Magnitude | Property damage | Crop damage | Deaths | Injuries | Geography |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 Aug 2024 | Hail | 1.25 in | — | — | — | — | County |
| 20 Aug 2024 | Hail | 1.50 in | — | — | — | — | County |
| 20 Aug 2024 | Hail | 1.00 in | — | — | — | — | County |
| 30 Jun 2024 | Hail | 1.00 in | — | — | — | — | County |
| 22 Jul 2021 | Hail | 0.75 in | — | — | — | — | County |
| 11 Aug 2019 | Hail | 1.75 in | — | — | — | — | County |
| 11 Aug 2019 | Hail | 1.00 in | — | — | — | — | County |
| 11 Aug 2019 | Hail | 1.00 in | — | — | — | — | County |
| 1 Aug 2013 | Hail | 1.00 in | — | — | — | — | County |
| 1 Aug 2013 | Hail | 1.50 in | — | — | — | — | County |
| 17 Jul 2013 | Hail | 1.00 in | — | — | — | — | County |
| 30 Jun 2010 | Hail | 1.25 in | — | — | — | — | County |
| 30 Jun 2010 | Hail | 1.00 in | — | — | — | — | County |
| 12 Jul 2009 | Hail | 1.00 in | — | — | — | — | County |
| 22 Jul 2008 | Hail | 0.88 in | — | — | — | — | County |
| 22 Jul 2008 | Hail | 1.75 in | — | — | — | — | County |
| 22 Jun 2008 | Hail | 0.75 in | — | — | — | — | County |
| 18 Aug 2007 | Hail | 0.88 in | — | — | — | — | County |
| 18 Aug 2007 | Hail | 1.25 in | — | — | — | — | County |
| 7 Jun 2006 | Hail | 1.00 in | — | — | — | — | County |
| 9 Jul 2005 | Hail | 0.75 in | — | — | — | — | County |
| 4 Aug 2004 | Hail | 0.75 in | — | — | — | — | County |
| 4 Aug 2004 | Hail | 0.75 in | — | — | — | — | County |
| 30 May 2002 | Hail | 1.00 in | — | — | — | — | County |
| 30 May 2002 | Hail | 0.75 in | — | — | — | — | County |
| 13 Aug 1999 | Hail | 0.88 in | — | — | — | — | County |
| 11 Jul 1998 | Hail | 1.75 in | — | — | — | — | County |
| 7 Sep 1995 | Hail | 0.00 in | — | — | — | — | County |
| 8 Jul 1968 | Hail | 0.75 in | — | — | — | — | County |
Questions and answers
How many hail events has Madison County had?
29 events in the NCEI Storm Events record between 1950 and 2026. Reporting of hail became far more complete after 1996, so early decades undercount.
When was the last recorded hail event in Madison County?
20 Aug 2024 (Hail, 1.00 in). Records reach NCEI about 120 days after the month ends.
What was the most damaging hail event recorded in Madison County?
NCEI records no damage estimate for events of this type in the county.
How does Madison County compare with Montana for hail?
0.8 events per 100 square miles against 5.8 statewide; the county holds 29 of the state's 8,391 recorded events.
Provenance
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, yearly details files through 30 Jun 2026, public domain. County-recorded events plus zone-recorded events whose forecast zone is named for the county (marked "Forecast zone"). Population and area from the US Census Bureau (2021). Built 1 Oct 2026. See the methodology, the Hail hub and the county page.