Tornado Risk in Roosevelt County, MT
Roosevelt County's tornado history, by the numbers
17 tornado tracks have crossed Roosevelt County since 1953 by NOAA's count, roughly one every 4.5 years - the Moderate band on this site's scale. That is the 44th percentile nationally for tornado frequency. Within Montana alone, Roosevelt County ranks 7 of 56 counties for tornado frequency.
The number that matters more than frequency
No violent (EF4-5) tornado has been recorded in Roosevelt County in NOAA's 76-year database. Of its 17 recorded tracks, 15 were weak (EF0-1) and 2 significant (EF2-3).
Shelter and safe-room economics
Montana does not currently have a confirmed state rebate layered on top of FEMA's 75% Hazard Mitigation cost-share, so a Roosevelt County homeowner should expect the full national range: $2,890-$13,280, $7,645 typical.
Power after the storm, not just shelter during it
Tornado outbreaks routinely knock out power across Montana for days, separately from any single house getting hit. A portable battery bank keeps a fridge, phone chargers and a radio running through that gap - cheaper and faster to set up than a generator.
What Roosevelt County's figure does not tell you
Roosevelt County's figure is county-wide, not address-specific. Roosevelt County covers about 2,355 square miles, so a single touch here counts the same as a single touch in a county a fraction of that size. NOAA also documents that older records undercount weaker tornadoes from before Doppler radar became standard. Roosevelt County has about 10,197 residents.