Lake County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Lake County: 0.
2. Weak tornadoes were under-recorded before Doppler radar coverage became national in the early 1990s, so earlier decades read low. Ratings use the Fujita scale before February 2007 and the Enhanced Fujita scale after.

Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, 1950 to 2025.

Every large fire

1. Large fires mapped by the Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity program since 1984: 1,000 acres or more in the West, 500 or more in the East. Prescribed burns are excluded. Acres here are the part of each perimeter inside this place.

Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity (USGS and U.S. Forest Service), 1984 to 2026.

Smoke overhead

1. A smoke day is a date on which a smoke plume traced by NOAA Hazard Mapping System analysts from satellite imagery covered this place's point (the county's population centre or the city centre). Counts here are of medium or heavy smoke. Since 2018 analysts have often drawn light smoke as one area over most of the continent, so light-smoke counts are not comparable from year to year. The plumes show smoke anywhere in the air above, not air quality at the ground, and smoke hidden by cloud is missed.

NOAA Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, 2011 to 2026, retrieved October 30, 2026.

Claims by ZIP code

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).

OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026. NOAA Storm Events through 2026.

River crests

River gauges

1. Crests are the highest and the recent crests the National Weather Service lists for each river gauge in the county that has a flood stage, not every flood. Flood categories use each gauge's current flood stages; crests from before levees, dams or channel changes may not be comparable. Crests measured on an old datum are left out of the rankings.

NOAA National Water Prediction Service gauge records, retrieved October 30, 2026.

1. The Palmer Drought Severity Index is computed by NOAA each month from the county's average temperature and precipitation, relative to the county's own climate. Zero is normal; -3 or lower is severe drought and -4 or lower extreme drought. It describes the long-term balance of moisture, not water supply or crop losses.

NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, 1895 to September 2026, issued October 6, 2026.

Every earthquake of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles

1. Earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or more in the USGS Comprehensive Catalog since 1900. Within 50 miles means the epicentre lies within 50 miles of the county boundary (or inside the county).
2. Small earthquakes were under-recorded before the modern seismic networks of the 1970s and are still missed in remote areas, so early decades read low. Magnitudes are as the catalogue reports them and mix scales (moment, local and body-wave).

USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog, 1900 to present, retrieved October 30, 2026.

Mapped landslides

Mapped by NASA (1).

1. Landslides mapped in the USGS compilation of landslide inventories across the United States (version 3.0, 2025), rated probable or better. The compilation joins inventories made by federal and state agencies for different purposes and areas, so the number mapped in a county reflects how closely it has been surveyed as much as how often its slopes fail. An area with few records may simply not have been mapped. Deaths are as recorded in the inventories; a slide listed in two inventories is counted once.

USGS Landslide Inventories across the United States, version 3.0, retrieved October 27, 2026.

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. Feb 8, 2018Winter Storm, Flathead/Mission Valleys$5.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Severe driving conditions occurred in the Flathead and Mission valleys the evening of the 8th through the morning of the 9th due to snow and blowing snow. A peak wind gust of 56 mph occurred at Glacier Park International Airport at 4:46 pm on the 8th during the evening commute with minor power outages also noted.

2. Aug 1, 2021Wildfire, Flathead/Mission Valleys$3.6 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Boulder 2700 fire spread quickly during the early morning hours of August 1st in the presence of strong downslope winds and dry conditions. The fire ran down the west slope of the Mission Mountains, crossing Montana Highway 35, reaching the east shore of Flathead Lake. Damage surveys confirmed the loss of 14 primary structures and 17 outbuildings.

3. Dec 17, 2025High Wind, Flathead/Mission Valleys$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A historic high wind event impacted the Flathead and Mission Valleys on December 17, 2025, as a powerful cold front brought high winds acting on soils super-saturated by a preceding atmospheric river. Peak gusts frequently exceeded 60 mph across the valley floors, including 67 mph at 0855MST at Glacier Park International Airport, 64 mph at 0915MST at Elmo, and 62 mph at 0900MST at the Creston Agrimet station. The Flathead County Sheriff's Office issued a travel advisory at 1000MST due to hazardous conditions and widespread disruptions. Significant transportation impacts included the closure of US-93 near Somers after a semi-truck was blown across the roadway, and multiple lane…

4. Apr 11, 2020Strong Wind, Flathead/Mission Valleys$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Gusty north and east winds were felt across the Flathead Valley and Flathead Lake with gusts over 40 mph being observed. A downed tree damaged power lines on Echo Lake Road northeast of Bigfork. Flathead Electric noted 400 customers lost power during this strong northeast wind event.

5. May 1, 1997Flood, Flathead/Mission Valleys$912,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Snowmelt flooding caused numerous road closures and road washouts throughout the region. In Flathead County, at least three road washouts were reported and one bridge damaged. At least 50 homes were flooded, mainly along Ashley Creek and the Stillwater, Swan and Whitefish Rivers. 50 people were isolated along Truman Creek, which washed out an access road. In Missoula County, at least four bridges were damaged, including a collapsed bridge on Sun Ray Lane in Lolo. Hardest hit was property along the Clark Fork River, Lolo and Rock Creeks. Several culverts and dikes were damaged. In Sanders County, extensive flooding occurred from Plains to Thompson Falls. One road washout resulted…

6. Jun 2, 2005Flood, Flathead/Mission Valleys$700,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Three days of moderate to heavy rain on top of snow pack in the Mission and Swan Mountains caused small creeks to flood with mud and debris flows causing damage. Total rainfall amounts ranged from 2.50 inches in the valleys, and 4 to 7 inches over higher terrain in Lake County. Damage occurred mainly in Lake County due to washouts of roads and clogged culverts from debris and water flowing out of the Mission Mountains. Several bridges along creeks were also damaged. The worse damage occurred along the east side of Flathead Lake on Highway 35 between mile markers 9 and 12. The highway was closed for several days from several creeks that had washed out and covered the highway with…

7. Sep 28, 2019High Wind, Flathead/Mission Valleys$300,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Wind damage to tree and power lines was concentrated in and around Lake Blaine, Swan Lake, and the eastern shore of Flathead Lake. The strongest wind gust were estimated near 60 mph in these areas. Power outages began early Saturday and lasted into Sunday evening for some with thousands of customers impacted. Thirty trees and five power lines were reported down across Highway 35 which resulted in the road being closed to only local traffic. A conservative estimate of a couple hundred downed trees occurred in populated areas. On the west side of Flathead Lake, significant boat and dock damage occurred as waves reached over 6 feet. At the Dayton Yacht Harbor, 2 sailboats sank due to…

8. Dec 12, 2008Blizzard, Flathead/Mission Valleys$200,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Snowfall was difficult to measure due to the blowing and drifting nature, but estimates were anywhere from 3 to 7 inches. The main impact came from strong east to northeast winds measured at sustained 20 mph gusting up to 40 mph. Visibility down to near zero was reported in many locations due to the blowing snow. Many area roads were closed, including Highway 35 between Polson and the junction with S-206 where many trees were blown down onto the road from strong winds. One person was killed on this road when a tree blew onto his vehicle. Two other vehicles were also damaged from falling trees.

9. Mar 11, 1996Flood, Flathead/Mission Valleys$200,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A rapid warming of temperatures, after an extended cold, snowy period, caused ice jams and flooding problems across north central Montana. Many small streams went out of their banks, washing out numerous roads. 3 homes were flooded on the Fort Belknap reservation and most roads were closed. Other hard hit areas included Blaine county where a basement was flooded in the town of Lohman. The Marias river went out of it's banks, flooding low lying areas, including one farm south of Shelby. Several families were evacuated in Harlem where 15 homes were flooded. In Chester, 8 to 10 homes had minor basement flooding and a laundromat was flooded. The estimated damage across the region…

10. Nov 27, 2019High Wind, Flathead/Mission Valleys$145,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    A local utility remarked that this was one of the most damaging storms they've ever experienced. The owner of a tree farm, located north of Echo Lake, stated to a local newspaper that he had never seen such damage since 1958. The Echo Lake area was one of the most hard hit: four houses had minor structure damage, one truck and trailer were totaled, and one mobile home had moderate to severe damage. Dozens of trees, mostly pines and firs, some estimated to be 100 feet tall and three feet wide, were reported to have fallen in this area. One resident was sleeping when a tree fell onto his house into his bedroom, but escaped unharmed. Sporadic tree damage and power outages were…

1. Storm Events records before 1996 cover only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail. Damage figures are as reported by the National Weather Service at the time, not adjusted for inflation.

NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026, issued October 26, 2026.

All-time high

104°FJul 19, 1960

All-time low

−28°F2 times, most recently Dec 31, 1968

Warmest night

72°F3 times, most recently Aug 16, 2004

Coldest day

−14°FJan 13, 2024

Wettest day

2.97 inJun 13, 1980

Snowiest day

15.0 in3 times, most recently Mar 21, 2002

Hottest year

2015mean 49.5°F

Coldest year

1969mean 43.5°F

Wettest year

201022.79 in

Driest year

19768.78 in

Snowiest season

95.0 in1996-97

Station Skq Dam (USC00246640), 2,730 ft elevation, 7.3 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1951 to October 26, 2026; 96.6% of days in the last 30 years are complete. Records at a single station can differ from a city’s official threaded record, which may combine several stations.

NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily.

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).

OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries, retrieved October 30, 2026. Statewide declarations are not listed.

Neighbouring counties

• Tornadoes NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, through 2025.
• Tropical cyclones NOAA National Hurricane Center HURDAT2 (Atlantic; Northeast and Central Pacific), through 2025.
• Wildfire USGS/USFS Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity, through 2026.
• Storm events NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, through 2026.
• Flood insurance OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026.
• Declarations OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Weather records NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily, station USC00246640.
• River crests NOAA National Weather Service, National Water Prediction Service river gauges, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Drought NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, through September 2026.
• Smoke NOAA NESDIS Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Landslides USGS Landslide Inventories across the United States, version 3.0 (2025).
• Earthquakes USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat), retrieved October 30, 2026.

Joins, thresholds and known limits are set out in the methodology. Found an error? Report it. Page built October 30, 2026.