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Scobey, Montana

5 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1954 and the latest in 1983. It stands in the Scobey census division. It lies in ZIP code area 59263. The Survey maps it on the Scobey quadrangle. 999 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 2,467 feet above sea level.

Research this city

Scobey within Daniels County

On record in Scobey

Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.

On the National Register 3 records

Population over time

2 figures

Scobey fell from 1,017 to 999 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.

YearPeople Change
20101,017
2020999-18 (-2%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

4 surveys from 5 printed sheets

Matched 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.

Fires near this place

6 since 1994

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 6 fires within 5 miles of Scobey between 1994 and 2020, burning about 953 acres in total. None 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
Missing data/not specified/undetermined5
Equipment and vehicle use1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
30 August 2020Missing data/not specified/undetermined2.0 acresDaniels CountyFDH-MTLG37-327
23 August 1994Missing data/not specified/undetermined900 acresNortheastern Land OfficeTOWER HILL
16 August 2018Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresNortheastern Land Officenot named
1 August 2017Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreNortheastern Land Officenot named
25 July 2017Equipment and vehicle use25 acresNortheastern Land Officenot named
21 April 2017Missing data/not specified/undetermined25 acresNortheastern Land Officenot named

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Daniels County

Mines and quarries near this place

2 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 2 workings within 5 miles of Scobey: 2 past producers. None of them 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 SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Four Buttes PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Leonard Bud JensenSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer

Every working recorded in Daniels County

Storms near this place

60 of 81 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Scobey in 81 storm reports between 1995 and 2025: 52 hail, 20 thunderstorm wind, 4 heavy rain, 3 flash flood. 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.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
August 1997Thunderstorm WindScobey$25,000Thunderrstorm winds nicking southeast Daniels County did damage to a farm, destorying a barn, two grain bins and a corral.
July 2015Thunderstorm WindScobey$10,000Daniels County dispatch relayed a public report of a roof blown off a new addition to a home from thunderstorm wind gusts.
July 2015Thunderstorm WindScobey$6,000Daniel County dispatch relayed a public report of 6 power poles blown down from thunderstorm wind gusts.
August 1998Thunderstorm WindScobey$6,000A severe thunderstorm moved into Scobey while a concert was going on at the fair grounds. Loud speakers and equipment were blown off of the stage. Power was knocked out in parts of Scobey and the local radio station was off of the air.
June 2025HailScobey-Ping pong ball size hail was reported with a photo via social media.
August 2024HailScobey-A trained spotter reported hail up to the size of quarters.
August 2024HailScobey-Public reported hail up to the size of ping pong balls.
June 2023Heavy RainScobey-A trained spotter reported 2.85 inches of rain falling during a 2 hour period.
July 2023HailScobey-The public reported hail up to the size of quarters.
July 2021Thunderstorm WindScobey-Public reported, via Facebook, 65mph winds.
July 2020HailScobey-Public reported plentiful hail up to the size of ping pong balls, lasting for approximately 15 to 20 minutes.
June 2019Thunderstorm WindScobey-Trained spotter reported newly installed siding blown off of a house.
July 2018Thunderstorm WindScobey-Public reported 60 mph wind gusts.
July 2018HailScobey-Public reported quarter size hail.
July 2015HailScobey-Trained spotter reported quarter-sized hail with heavy rain.
September 2014HailScobey-Trained spotter reported half dollar-sized hail.
September 2014HailScobey-Trained spotter reported quarter- to half dollar-sized hail covering the ground.
September 2014HailScobey-Trained spotter reported quarter-sized hail.
July 2013HailScobey-Cooperative observer reported quarter-sized hail.
July 2012HailScobey-Spotter reported quarter-sized hail stones and estimated 50 mph winds gusts.
July 2012HailScobey-Spotter estimated quarter-sized hail stones.
July 2012HailScobey-Public estimated mostly dime-sized hail with some quarter-sized stones and reported heavy rain with water flowing down the streets.
July 2012HailScobey-Public estimated quarter-sized hail and water flowing down the streets.
August 2011HailScobey-Spotter reported dime-sized hail stones.
August 2011HailScobey-Spotter reports quarter-sized hail stones.
August 2011HailScobey-Spotter reported ping pong ball-sized hail stones.
August 2011Thunderstorm WindScobey-Spotter estimated 60 mph winds.
July 2011Thunderstorm WindScobey-Strong winds tore some siding from a house.
June 2011Flash FloodScobey-At 1730 MST, French Lane (2 miles north of Scobey) was under water in five places. Highway 248 near Four Buttes had water over the road. The middle fork of the Poplar River near Scobey was flooding. Since 1330 MST, two inches (2.00) of rain fell. At 1754 MST, four miles northwest of Scobey, numerous creeks were flooding or running full. Also, several roads were flooding while coulees were full.
July 2011Thunderstorm WindScobey-Daniels County Dispatch reported 60 mph winds and heavy rain.
July 2010HailScobey-Very large hail of 3 to 4 inches were reported by the public.
July 2010HailScobey-At 1600 MST 10 miles southeast of Scobey spotter observed 1 inch hail and heavy rain which damaged crop. At 1605 MST 8 miles south-southeast of Scobey 0.75 hail fell.
June 2010Thunderstorm WindScobey-Spotter reported power poles downed; roofs were lifted off of small sheds as well.
July 2009Thunderstorm WindScobey-Person also reported hail with this storm.
July 2009Heavy RainScobey-Public reported 0.95 inches of rain with this storm.
July 2009HailScobey-Hail covered the ground up to two inches deep. Gardens wiped out in town with leaves and branches knocked down.
July 2009HailScobey-One inch of rain also fell.
August 2009HailScobey-Dime and Nickel size hail with heavy rain.
August 2009Heavy RainScobey-Rainfall of 1.5 inches accompanied hail with this thunderstorm.
August 2009Thunderstorm WindScobey-Pea size hail with estimated 50 to 60 mph wind gust, moving deck furniture.
June 2008Heavy RainScobey-One hour rainfall was measured at 2.25 inches.
July 2008HailScobey-The hail ranged from dime to nickel size and covered the ground.
July 2008HailScobey-Rainfall was measured at 2.10 inches.
July 2008Thunderstorm WindScobey-Pea size hail and heavy rain also occurred.
June 2005Thunderstorm WindScobey-The strong wind tore off an awning, and tore off a 20 by 12 foot deck from a house and was broken apart. A grain bin was destroyed and wound up in a field a few hundred yards from the house.
July 2001Tornado (F0)Scobey-Brief tornado occurred south of Scobey.
July 1998Flash FloodScobey-Rain falling at the rate of three inches an hour caused the West Fork of the Poplar River to overflow its banks. A wagon train on its way to Wolf Point for the Wild Horse Stampede became bogged down. Water levels reached as high as the wagon's axles.
August 2011Thunderstorm WindScobey-no account filed
August 2010HailScobey-no account filed
August 2010HailScobey-no account filed
August 2010HailScobey-no account filed
July 2009HailScobey-no account filed
July 2009HailScobey-no account filed
July 2009HailScobey-no account filed
July 2009HailScobey-no account filed
July 2008HailScobey-no account filed
July 2008HailScobey-no account filed
July 2008HailScobey-no account filed
July 2008HailScobey-no account filed
July 2008HailScobey-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Daniels County

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 PlaceDistance Sheets
Madoc7.3 miles5
Four Buttes9.9 miles5
Julian (historical)10.9 miles5
Flaxville13.2 miles5
Kahle (historical)14.9 miles5
Whitetail15.4 miles5
Navajo19.1 miles5
Peerless21.8 miles5

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 ScobeyAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q687728The 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 776297. 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.