Powerful Tornadoes Happen In Montana More Often Than You Think

I knew of a few tornadoes that have happened in Montana, but it blew my mind to see the total numbers of how many tornadoes have been recorded in Montana since 1950. The weather in Montana gets even rowdier than I thought.

It never really occurred to me that Montana is right next door to the northern part of 'Tornado Alley'. North and South Dakota are both included in that unofficial term used by weather and media folks. It's not actually used by officials at the National Weather Service in a formal way.

Tornadoes have happened in all 50 states, including Hawaii and Alaska. Hard to believe, but it's true. Montana has endured way more tornadoes than I would have guessed. What defines an actual tornado? It's pretty simple:

"Tornado - A violently rotating column of air touching the ground, usually attached to the base of a thunderstorm." (National Weather Service)

Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma, Alabama, Mississippi, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Florida, and Nebraska are the states with the most number of reported tornadoes. Texas is consistently the national leader.

What state is the safest from tornado danger? It's not Montana. Surprisingly, Ohio has been deemed the safest state from tornado damage by Kuali. It's 'safer' because of it's location and it's moderate climate.

Tornadoes are rated on the EF scale, from zero to five, depending on wind speed. How tornadoes are measured has been adjusted over the years, with the current EF scale using adjusted wind speeds.

432 'tornadic events' were reported in Montana between 1950 and 2025. According to NOAA

You can see where and when every Montana tornado happened HERE.

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