Hail & Wind Storms in Great Falls, MT — Latest Dates and Sizes
Hail and wind activity within ~25 miles of Great Falls, Montana or recorded for its county: the last 12 months from NWS warnings, storm reports, and station measurements, plus official NOAA records back to 2010.
Latest hail and wind near Great Falls
- Last reported hail (0.75 in.+, screening): none reported within 25 miles in the last 12 months.
- Last wind gust 45 mph+ (screening): September 29, 2026 — 51 mph measured at the Great Falls International station (4.3 mi SW of Great Falls), ASOS weather station.
- 2026 so far: no hail days and 36 wind days within 25 miles (days with a storm report or station gust at the screening thresholds; warnings alone never count).
| Date | Largest reported hail | Strongest gust |
|---|---|---|
| September 29, 2026 | — | 51 mph measured |
| September 26, 2026 | — | 55 mph measured |
| September 25, 2026 | — | 54 mph measured |
| September 10, 2026 | — | 54 mph measured |
| September 2, 2026 | — | 83 mph measured |
| August 27, 2026 | — | 62 mph reported |
| August 26, 2026 | — | 52 mph measured |
| August 18, 2026 | — | 48 mph measured |
| July 24, 2026 | — | 51 mph measured |
| July 18, 2026 | — | 70 mph measured |
Was your address hit on September 29, 2026? Check any address free with the Free Report Snapshot — a YES/NO estimate at the screening thresholds.
Great Falls storm facts
- StormAuditor's analysis of NOAA and National Weather Service records found 236 wind and hail events, NWS warning products included, within 25 miles of Great Falls, Montana or recorded for Cascade County in the 12 months ending October 7, 2026 (223 wind, 13 hail).
- The strongest gust within 25 miles of Great Falls in the last 12 months was 83 mph, measured at the Great Falls International station (4.3 mi SW of Great Falls) on September 2, 2026 (ASOS weather station; storm reports and station gusts only, warnings excluded).
- The busiest day by event count near Great Falls was September 2, 2026, with 19 events.
- Cascade County alone recorded 218 of those wind and hail events (205 wind, 13 hail); the Montana page ranks counties by events of every type, floods and Special Weather Statements included.
Great Falls, Montana storm history at a glance (last 12 months)
This free weather history for Great Falls — home to about 60,000 residents — draws on StormAuditor's consolidated public record: 236 wind and hail events within 25 miles of Great Falls or recorded for Cascade County in the trailing 12 months — 223 wind and 13 hail.
Events combine NWS warning products, observed Local Storm Reports, station measurements and official NCEI records in one event table. Because they include warnings, and wind covers thunderstorm and non-thunderstorm wind alike, they measure something different from the NCEI entry counts in the history section below; the two are not comparable year to year.
Busiest days near Great Falls by event count
Ranked by the number of 12-month events, NWS warnings included, so a day with many warnings can outrank a day with larger hail.
- September 2, 2026 — 19 events incl. warnings · 18 wind · 1 hail · storm-date page: 18 storm reports
- December 17, 2025 — 18 events incl. warnings · 18 wind
- March 12, 2026 — 17 events incl. warnings · 17 wind · storm-date page: 28 storm reports
- March 8, 2026 — 15 events incl. warnings · 15 wind
- May 13, 2026 — 11 events incl. warnings · 10 wind · 1 hail
Storm-day records for Great Falls
Storm-date pages for the biggest days near Great Falls: a report or station gust within 25 miles met NWS severe criteria (hail 1.00 in.+ or wind 58 mph+), with at least two separate observations. Not every storm day in the table above has a page. Each page lists the reports, station gusts and a free way to check one address:
How these numbers are counted
The storm numbers on this page are counted in four different ways, plus the free address check. Each answers a different question with its own size cutoffs, area and time span, so compare numbers within one group, not across groups.
- Storm days (latest hail and wind): A day in the last 12 months when at least one report within 25 miles of Great Falls showed hail 0.75 in. or larger or wind of 45 mph or more (StormAuditor screening thresholds). Reports are NWS storm reports from spotters, the public and officials, plus weather-station gusts, which count from 50 mph. A warning on its own never makes a storm day. The latest and largest hail, the latest and strongest gust, and the storm-day table all use this record.
- Storm-date pages (NWS severe): A storm-date page is published only when at least one report or station gust within 25 miles of a city met the National Weather Service severe criteria (hail 1.00 in. or larger, or wind 58 mph or more), at least two separate observations were logged, and the day ranks among the most significant. A storm report that relays an airport weather station's reading (the same station, the same gust and the same time) counts once, as the station reading. Not every storm day gets a page; when one does, the page and the storm-day table show the same largest hail and strongest gust.
- Events (12-month counts): Events count NWS warnings, storm reports (wind 50 mph+, hail 0.75 in.+), station gusts (50 mph+) and NCEI entries within 25 miles of Great Falls or recorded for Cascade County, tornado entries counted as wind. One event is one place on one day, counted separately for hail and for wind. A weather station or storm-report point counts once a day, at that day's highest reading, however many readings it filed; a place with hail and wind on the same day is two events. NWS warnings count once per county per day, and each NCEI entry once per place per day. A storm report that relays an airport weather station's reading (the same station, the same gust and the same time) counts once, as the station reading. The same report arriving through another feed (SPC or NCEI) is one record. Events measure how busy the area was, not whether a storm hit: one storm can bring warnings and reports from many places, so the busiest days by event count can differ from the storm days.
- NOAA history (since 2010): The official NOAA storm record (NCEI Storm Events) within 25 miles of Great Falls or in Cascade County from January 1, 2010 to the day before the 12-month window starts: hail 0.50 in.+, thunderstorm wind 40 mph+ and tornadoes. It is a separate, older record with its own "storm days" (days with any entry), so its counts are not compared with the 12-month numbers.
- Free Report Snapshot: A free YES/NO estimate for one address, from radar and wind analysis at the property rather than area reports, at the same screening thresholds: hail 0.75 in. or wind 45 mph.
Full method: Methodology and Data Sources.
Great Falls hail and wind history in NOAA NCEI records, 2010–Oct. 2025
This section covers January 1, 2010 through October 6, 2025. Storms from October 7, 2025 on are in the 12-month summary above, so no date is counted in both.
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 274 NCEI Storm Events entries within 25 miles of Great Falls or in Cascade County for this period, on 88 separate storm days. Thunderstorm wind outnumbers hail here: 150 wind reports against 123 hail reports.
On July 7, 2022, 3.00 in. (teacup size) hail was reported in Cascade County — the largest in these records for this area. Hail of 2 inches or more appears in 3 different years of this record, the latest being 2022. The strongest measured thunderstorm gust was 83 mph on July 14, 2019 in Cascade County. NCEI also lists 1 tornado entry for the area — one entry per county a tornado crossed.
Hail peaks in June (34% of all hail reports), while thunderstorm wind reports cluster in August. December through February accounts for 1 storm day.
The most storm days came in 2013, with 12; the fewest in a full year was 2, in 2010 and 2015. Across 2022–2024, the area averaged 5.3 storm days a year, above the 15-year average of 5.2.
- Average: 5.2 storm days a year (2010–2024)
- June and July: 63% of all hail reports
- Most hail reports in one year: 28 in 2014
- Hail of 1 in. or larger reported in 12 of 15 full years (2010–2024)
| Year | Hail reports | Thunderstorm wind reports | Tornado entries | Storm days | Largest hail | Strongest measured gust |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 2 | — | 69 mph |
| 2011 | 2 | 10 | 0 | 5 | 1.75 in. | 68 mph |
| 2012 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 2.75 in. | 74 mph |
| 2013 | 17 | 14 | 0 | 12 | 2.00 in. | 69 mph |
| 2014 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1.75 in. | — |
| 2015 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | — | 66 mph |
| 2016 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1.75 in. | 58 mph |
| 2017 | 6 | 9 | 0 | 4 | 1.00 in. | 64 mph |
| 2018 | 0 | 12 | 1 | 5 | — | 63 mph |
| 2019 | 9 | 18 | 0 | 6 | 1.75 in. | 83 mph |
| 2020 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 4 | 1.50 in. | 62 mph |
| 2021 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 4 | 1.00 in. | 66 mph |
| 2022 | 23 | 20 | 0 | 7 | 3.00 in. | 77 mph |
| 2023 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 1.75 in. | 70 mph |
| 2024 | 1 | 13 | 0 | 5 | 1.50 in. | 78 mph |
| 2025 through Oct. 6 | 14 | 15 | 0 | 10 | 1.75 in. | 70 mph |
Download this history: CSV · JSON at https://www.stormauditor.com/downloads/storm-history/mt/great-falls.json (free, open license, cite StormAuditor).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (thunderstorm wind, hail, and tornado entries; hail 0.50 in. or larger, wind 40 mph or more; wind converted from knots).
Great Falls storm history questions, 2010–Oct. 2025
How big did hail get in Great Falls, 2010–Oct. 2025?
3.00 in., teacup size, reported on July 7, 2022 in Cascade County, per NCEI. Other years with hail of 2 inches or more: 2012 and 2013.
Which year had the most storm days near Great Falls, 2010–Oct. 2025?
2013, with 12 storm days (17 hail reports, 14 thunderstorm wind reports). The 15-year average is 5.2 storm days.
How many hail reports does Great Falls see in a typical year?
About 7.3 hail reports a year (2010–2024 average), with 1-inch or larger hail in 12 of 15 years. Thunderstorm wind averages 9.0 reports a year.
What month has the most hail near Great Falls?
June has the most hail reports (42, 2010–Oct. 2025), followed by July (35) and May (27).
What is the strongest measured thunderstorm gust near Great Falls, 2010–Oct. 2025?
83 mph, measured on July 14, 2019 in Cascade County. Only gusts NCEI lists as measured count here; gusts measured on a date and county with a tornado entry, and entries of 120 knots or more (known entry errors), are left out.
Great Falls hail map and wind map
Researching hail or wind in Great Falls? The Hail Explorer and Wind Explorer map radar-derived hail swaths and peak-gust wind swaths across Montana, including the Great Falls metro: pick any storm date and see how estimated hail size and gust bands tracked through Cascade County. Both explorers are included with Pro+ and Organization plans.
County-level activity is on the Impact Heatmap (free with an account), and day-by-day history is on the Storm Calendar (Pro plans and higher).
Free Great Falls weather report by address
Area maps show where storms tracked; an insurance claim or roof inspection turns on what happened at the property. Three ways to check one Great Falls address:
- The Free Report Snapshot answers YES/NO instantly on estimated wind of 45 mph or more and hail of 0.75 in. or larger (screening thresholds) at the address.
- The free Address Lookup lists NWS warnings, storm reports and NOAA observations near the address — free Great Falls wind history and free Great Falls hail history.
- A complete Weather Report for $2.99 covers every qualifying storm date at one address over the last 2 years.
All values are estimates from public NOAA data under our published methodology (see Limitations).
Storm professionals: restoration and exterior contractors, public adjusters, and crews and teams on one Organization plan work from this same public record — see StormAuditor for professionals.
Sources: NWS alerts (api.weather.gov) · NWS Local Storm Reports via the Iowa Environmental Mesonet · ASOS/AWOS station gusts via the Iowa Environmental Mesonet · NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database · every StormAuditor data source.
Free Great Falls storm data download
The Great Falls storm records for the last 12 months download free, free to reuse under the data license: download CSV · JSON at https://www.stormauditor.com/downloads/storm-data/mt/great-falls.json.
- Coverage: every wind and hail record within about 25 miles of Great Falls or recorded for Cascade County, with dates, counties, event types, measured gusts and hail sizes.
- Rows: each source record before consolidation, including every NWS warning product and smaller storm reports, so the row count differs from the event counts above.
- Statewide files are on the Montana storm data page.
Nearby city storm pages:
Guides for reading this data
Cite or link to this data — free
Free to quote, summarize, reuse, and link — for bloggers, journalists, researchers, contractors, and AI writing tools. No permission or credit required. A ready-made citation and link are below if they help. Terms: StormAuditor data & content license.
Citation: StormAuditor. "Great Falls, MT Hail & Wind Storm History." Updated September 29, 2026. https://www.stormauditor.com/storm-data/mt/great-falls
HTML link: <a href="https://www.stormauditor.com/storm-data/mt/great-falls">Great Falls, MT Hail & Wind Storm History — StormAuditor</a>
About this page: built by Storm Auditor LLC from public NOAA/NWS records — deduplicated warnings, storm reports, station measurements, and official records on a rolling 12-month window, under the published methodology. See the StormAuditor Editorial Team for how content is produced.
Data last refreshed October 7, 2026. Event counts cover wind and hail (warning products, and storm reports from 50 mph or 0.75 in.); flood activity and Special Weather Statements are not counted here.