Medicine Lake, Montana
7 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1948 and the latest in 1958. It stands in the Medicine Lake census division. It lies in ZIP code area 59247. The Survey maps it on the Alkali Coulee quadrangle. 244 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,959 feet above sea level.
Population over time
2 figuresMedicine Lake grew from 225 to 244 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 225 | |
| 2020 | 244 | +19 (+8%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
4 surveys from 7 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1948 USGS Alkali Coulee quadrangle1:24000, 3 printings
- 1949 USGS Alkali Coulee quadrangle1:24000
- 1954 USGS Wolf Point quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1958 USGS Wolf Point quadrangle1:250000
Fires near this place
8 since 1994Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 8 fires within 5 miles of Medicine Lake between 1994 and 2014, burning about 371 acres in total. 4 started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Natural | 4 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 2 |
| Debris and open burning | 1 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 August 2006 | Natural | 1.3 acres | Medicine Lake National Wildlife Refuge | WEST HWY 16 |
| 2 August 2000 | Natural | 30 acres | Medicine Lake National Wildlife Refuge | DNCWF |
| 1 August 1994 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Medicine Lake National Wildlife Refuge | RANGER |
| 20 July 2014 | Debris and open burning | 82 acres | Medicine Lake National Wildlife Refuge | LODAHL COULEE |
| 2 July 1996 | Natural | 1.5 acres | Medicine Lake National Wildlife Refuge | WILD BONE |
| 10 July 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Medicine Lake National Wildlife Refuge | COOK |
| 3 June 1997 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Medicine Lake National Wildlife Refuge | MOTORHOME |
| 13 April 2006 | Natural | 255 acres | Medicine Lake National Wildlife Refuge | SOUTH LAKE |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
6 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 6 workings within 5 miles of Medicine Lake: 4 unknowns, 1 producer, 1 occurrence. 1 still produces. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Unknown | ||
| Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Unknown | ||
| Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Unknown | ||
| Gravel Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Unknown | ||
| Medicine Lake Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Unnamed Sand & Gravel | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Occurrence |
Storms near this place
33 since 1999Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Medicine Lake in 33 storm reports between 1999 and 2026: 19 thunderstorm wind, 14 hail. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Medicine Lake | $25,000 | A semi-truck was blown over due to the strong microbust winds within the squall line of thunderstorms that moved through. Other minor damage was reported in the area as well to homes and farm outbuildings. |
| June 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Medicine Lake | $10,000 | A microburst caused from the outflow of dying thunderstorms south of the area caused a 107 year old barn to collapse. Observations from a RAWS site 8 miles away had a peak wind of 44 mph. No other structures on the farm were damaged.| |
| April 2026 | Thunderstorm Wind | Medicine Lake | - | The Medicine Lake W Montana Climate Office mesonet site (MEDM8) recorded a 64 mph wind gust. |
| April 2026 | Thunderstorm Wind | Medicine Lake | - | The Medicine Lake W Montana Climate Office mesonet site (MEDM8) recorded a 71 mph wind gust. |
| July 2022 | Hail | Medicine Lake | - | A trained spotter reported hail up to the size of golf balls. |
| July 2022 | Hail | Medicine Lake | - | Public reported, via Facebook, hail up to the size of quarters. |
| July 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Medicine Lake | - | Trained spotter reported a 12-inch diameter tree broke in half. Wind speed estimated. |
| July 2019 | Hail | Medicine Lake | - | Trained spotter reported quarter size hail. |
| July 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Medicine Lake | - | The Medicine Lake RAWS site recorded a 69 mph wind gust. Time estimated by radar. |
| June 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Medicine Lake | - | The Medicine Lake RAWS site recorded a 76 mph wind gust. Time estimated. |
| July 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | Medicine Lake | - | Public reported 85 mph winds. |
| September 2014 | Hail | Medicine Lake | - | Trained spotter reported quarter-sized hail. |
| July 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Medicine Lake | - | Trained spotter estimated wind gusts up to 60 mph. |
| July 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Medicine Lake | - | Spotter estimated wind gusts up to 60 mph and reported shingles blowing off their roof. |
| July 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Medicine Lake | - | Spotter estimated winds of at least 60 mph and reported a broken 2.5-inch diameter tree limb. |
| July 2010 | Hail | Medicine Lake | - | Quarter size hail was observed with a 70 mph wind. |
| July 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Medicine Lake | - | Very strong winds accompanied the storm. NWS damage survey found evidence of wind blown debris in the Medicine Lake area. |
| July 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Medicine Lake | - | Pea size hail and heavy rain also occurred. |
| August 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Medicine Lake | - | Medicine Lake Raws. |
| July 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Medicine Lake | - | The wind was accompanied by heavy rainfall. |
| August 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Medicine Lake | - | The strong wind lasted for approximately 30 minutes. |
| July 2008 | Hail | Medicine Lake | - | no account filed |
| June 2005 | Hail | Medicine Lake | - | no account filed |
| June 2005 | Hail | Medicine Lake | - | no account filed |
| June 2005 | Hail | Medicine Lake | - | no account filed |
| July 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Medicine Lake | - | no account filed |
| July 2005 | Hail | Medicine Lake | - | no account filed |
| July 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Medicine Lake | - | no account filed |
| August 2002 | Hail | Medicine Lake | - | no account filed |
| July 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Medicine Lake | - | no account filed |
| July 2001 | Hail | Medicine Lake | - | no account filed |
| June 2000 | Hail | Medicine Lake | - | no account filed |
| July 1999 | Hail | Medicine Lake | - | no account filed |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homestead | 5.8 miles | 8 | |
| Reserve | 7.6 miles | 6 | |
| Rock Crossing | 8.4 miles | 7 | |
| Antelope | 13.2 miles | 6 | |
| Dagmar | 17.2 miles | 6 | |
| Volmer | 19.0 miles | 6 | |
| Plentywood | 19.1 miles | 4 | |
| Midby (historical) | 20.7 miles | 4 |
Elsewhere
Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.
| Wikipedia article on Medicine Lake | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q959043 | The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0). |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 774077. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.



