Meagher County
Population 2,137 (2025) 2,392 sq mi
Large wildfires have burned 61,846 acres of Meagher County since 1984, 34th most of 56 counties in Montana; the largest was the Woods Creek Fire in 2021.
Hazard fingerprint Each spoke is this county’s percentile among U.S. counties where that hazard occurs. How it is computed
- Tornado damage paths since 19503
- Wildfire burn scars since 198414
At a glance
The record for Meagher County in eight numbers. Each links to its section below.
Tornadoes
About one every 25 years since 1950, none rated F3/EF3 or stronger.
Strongest
June 5, 2012
EF1, 2.8 mile path
300 yards wide.
Most recent
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
EF1, 2.8 mile path
14 years ago.
Every recorded tornado
| Jun 5, 2012 | EF1 | 2.8 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 15, 1996 | F0 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug 22, 1978 | F0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
- Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Meagher County: 0.
- 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.
Hurricanes and tropical storms
No tropical storm or hurricane has tracked within 100 miles since records began in 1851.
Wildfire and smoke
61,846 acres burned in 14 large fires since 1984, equal to 4.0% of the land.
Largest
July 10, 2021
Woods Creek Fire, 55,808 acres
38,192 acres inside Meagher County.
Most recent
July 17, 2021
American Fork Fire
20,717 acres in total.
Every large fire
| American Fork | 2021 | 3,910 | 20,717 |
| Woods Creek | 2021 | 38,192 | 55,808 |
| Balsinger | 2021 | 108 | 8,309 |
| Ellis | 2021 | 1,154 | 1,155 |
| Blacktail | 2017 | 997 | 4,027 |
| Chinn Ma | 2017 | 7,029 | 7,022 |
| Hay Field | 2003 | 1,032 | 1,032 |
| Burnt Ridge Complex (Ant Park) | 2003 | 1,500 | 1,776 |
| Lost Fork-Monarch Complex (Lost Fork) | 2001 | 2,129 | 2,308 |
| Judith Complex (Lost Fork Ridge) | 2000 | 405 | 1,388 |
| Smith Creek | 1994 | 1,098 | 1,098 |
| 9-Mile-Y | 1994 | 1,083 | 1,083 |
| Hussey Creek | 1992 | 1,113 | 1,113 |
| Two Dot | 1988 | 2,091 | 5,096 |
- 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
Smokiest year
2021: 61 days
Heavy smoke on 47 days in 2021, the most of any year.
Last 10 years
28.0 days a year
Medium or heavy smoke, 2016 to 2025.
2025
18 days
Medium or heavy smoke. 32 so far in 2026.
- 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.
Floods and flood insurance
6 federal flood insurance claims since 1991, with $78,000 paid.
Flood events since 1996
- Heavy Rain9
- Flood4
- Flash Flood2
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.
Drought
In severe drought or worse for 257 of 1,581 months since 1895 (16%); the longest spell lasted 36 months.
257
Months in severe drought or worse since 1895
155
Months in extreme drought
16%
Share of all months, severe or worse
Lowest reading
July 1936
−8.06, extreme drought
Longest severe spell
36 months
November 1934 to October 1937.
Latest month
September 2026
−3.19, severe drought
- 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.
Earthquakes
34 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles since 1900; the largest was magnitude 6.6 in 1925.
6
Magnitude 2.5+ inside the county since 1973
182
Magnitude 3+ within 50 miles since 1973
34
Magnitude 4+ within 50 miles since 1900
12
Magnitude 5+ within 50 miles since 1900
Largest within 50 miles
June 27, 1925
The 1925 Clarkston Valley, Montana Earthquake; 22.7 miles away.
Most recent, magnitude 3 or more
September 18, 2026
Magnitude 3.7
7 km NNW of Black Eagle, Montana; 35.0 miles away.
Every earthquake of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles
| Jan 29, 2026 | 4.2 | 36.4 |
| Aug 15, 2019 | 4.2 | 25.5 |
| Aug 5, 2019 | 4.1 | 25.8 |
| Jul 13, 2019 | 4.0 | 19.6 |
| Jul 17, 2017 | 4.0 | 41.8 |
| Jul 6, 2017 | 4.4 | 42.1 |
| Jul 6, 2017 | 4.0 | 44.5 |
| Jul 6, 2017 | 5.0 | 48.1 |
| Jul 6, 2017 | 5.8 | 43.4 |
| Jan 30, 2016 | 4.3 | 36.0 |
| Nov 10, 2000 | 4.0 | 6.5 |
| Apr 8, 2000 | 4.1 | 10.2 |
| Nov 6, 1997 | 4.0 | 25.9 |
| Aug 7, 1989 | 4.0 | 23.1 |
| Dec 31, 1983 | 4.0 | 20.3 |
| Aug 26, 1977 | 4.5 | 32.9 |
| Mar 10, 1977 | 4.6 | 19.9 |
| Feb 7, 1975 | 4.0 | 21.4 |
| Jul 16, 1974 | 4.4 | 28.6 |
| Nov 1, 1972 | 4.2 | 19.8 |
| Mar 7, 1966 | 4.8 | 15.4 |
| Feb 15, 1963 | 4.5 | 7.1 |
| Nov 28, 1935 | 5.0 | 23.4 |
| Oct 31, 1935 | 5.9 | 21.3 |
| Oct 18, 1935 | 6.1 | 11.4 |
| Oct 12, 1935 | 5.9 | 23.4 |
| Feb 15, 1929 | 4.7 | 13.1 |
| Feb 29, 1928 | 4.9 | 28.6 |
| Dec 12, 1926 | 5.4 | 9.2 |
| Jul 10, 1925 | 5.5 | 22.7 |
| Jun 27, 1925 | 5.5 | 22.7 |
| Jun 27, 1925 | 5.5 | 22.7 |
| Jun 27, 1925 | 6.4 | 22.7 |
| Jun 27, 1925 | 6.6 | 22.7 |
- 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).
- 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.
Severe weather and other events
393 events in the National Weather Service record, 378 of them since 1996.
36
Hail reports, 1 inch or larger
2
Hail, 2 inches or larger
18
Damaging gusts, 58 mph+
188
Winter weather events since 1996
0
Heat events since 1996
22
Cold events since 1996
Largest hail
June 24, 2007
2.50 inches
Strongest measured or estimated gust
July 14, 2002
75 mph
Costliest events since 1996
- May 7, 2024Blizzard, Little Belt And Highwood Mountains$114,000
National Weather Service narrative
MT DOT sensor at Monarch Canyon showed visibility at or below one-quarter mile for at least 7 hours (Power failed at that point). US-89 was closed from Armington Junction to White Sulphur Springs early morning May 8. The Onion Park Snotel estimated 28 inches new snow with rates of 2 inches per hour. Elsewhere, the Porphyry Peak RAWS reported sustained winds averaging 25 mph, with gusts into the 50's mph before the sensor failed at 1005 PM MDT May 7. A widespread power outage affected much of the zone through Wednesday morning. End time is estimated given lack of observations after late evening of the 7th. The Monarch Fire Department reported 48 inches storm total snow by noon…
- Jul 3, 2000Thunderstorm Wind$50,000
National Weather Service narrative
Wind gust to 80kt...hail 1 inch...funnel cloud.
- Nov 16, 2006High Wind, Meagher$50,000
National Weather Service narrative
A gust to 60 mph was reported near White Sulfur Springs. The high winds also lifted, carried, and destroyed a 40 foot by 42 foot airplane hanger.
- Jul 3, 2000Thunderstorm Wind$25,000
- 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.
Weather records
From Millegan 14 Se, 27.4 miles from the county’s population centre, with records from 1984.
- All-time high
- 98°FJul 28, 2017
- All-time low
- −44°FFeb 4, 1989
- Warmest night
- 69°FJul 19, 2007
- Coldest day
- −27°FFeb 2, 1989
- Wettest day
- 3.00 inOct 11, 2022
- Snowiest day
- 48.0 inDec 27, 2003
- Hottest year
- 1987mean 43.3°F
- Coldest year
- 2019mean 37.1°F
- Wettest year
- 199328.28 in
- Driest year
- 20215.95 in
- Snowiest season
- 216.0 in2010-11
Median first snow
October 7
Earliest: August 22, 1992
Median last snow
May 11
Latest: June 12, 2008
0 of 29 winters had no measurable snow.
Station Millegan 14 Se (USC00245712), 4,970 ft elevation, 27.4 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1984 to June 30, 2026; 87.4% 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.
Federal disaster declarations
10 since 1953. The most recent: Covid-19 Pandemic, March 31, 2020.
| Mar 31, 2020 | Biological | DR-4508-MT |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | EM-3476-MT |
| Jun 17, 2011 | Severe Storm | DR-1996-MT |
| Sep 13, 2005 | Hurricane | EM-3253-MT |
| Aug 30, 2000 | Fire | DR-1340-MT |
| Jul 24, 2000 | Fire | FM-2314-MT |
| Jul 25, 1997 | Severe Storm | DR-1183-MT |
| Feb 23, 1996 | Severe Storm | DR-1105-MT |
| May 27, 1981 | Flood | DR-640-MT |
| Jun 28, 1975 | Flood | DR-472-MT |
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.
How this compares
Where Meagher County stands among 56 counties in Montana and 3,143 in the United States.
| Tornadoes since 1950 | 3 | 35 / 56 |
| Tornadoes rated F3/EF3 or stronger | 0 | — |
| Tropical cyclones within 50 mi | 0 | — |
| Hurricane-strength passes within 50 mi | 0 | — |
| Wildfire acres since 1984 | 61,846 | 34 / 56 |
| Flood insurance claims | 6 | 35 / 56 |
| Flood insurance paid | $78,000 | 24 / 56 |
| Disaster declarations | 10 | 27 / 56 |
| Flood events since 1996 | 15 | 40 / 56 |
| Hail and wind events since 1996 | 143 | 48 / 56 |
| Winter storm events since 1996 | 188 | 21 / 56 |
| Reported damage since 1996 | $239,000 | 43 / 56 |
| River crests at major flood stage | 0 | — |
| High tide flooding days a year, last 10 years | 0.0 | — |
| Months in severe drought since 1895 | 257 | 6 / 56 |
| Medium or heavy smoke days a year, last 10 years | 28.0 | 42 / 56 |
| Earthquakes M4+ within 50 mi since 1900 | 34 | 11 / 56 |
| Earthquakes M2.5+ in the county since 1973 | 6 | 17 / 56 |
Neighbouring counties
| Broadwater County | 1 | 0 |
| Cascade County | 13 | 0 |
| Gallatin County | 4 | 0 |
| Judith Basin County | 18 | 0 |
| Lewis and Clark County | 6 | 0 |
| Park County | 2 | 0 |
| Sweet Grass County | 2 | 0 |
| Wheatland County | 7 | 0 |
Sources and vintage
Every number on this page comes from these public records.
- 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 USC00245712.
- 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.
- 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.