THOMPSON FALLS
OperatingHydro power plant
- Capacity
- 87 MW
- Primary fuel
- Hydro
- County
- Sanders County
- Operator
- PPL MONTANA LLC
- Status
- Operating
- Commissioned
- 1915
- EIA plant ID
- 2195
- Coordinates
- 47.5936, -115.3600
THOMPSON FALLS, an 87 MW Hydro power plant in Sanders County, Montana. Operated by PPL MONTANA LLC, commissioned 1915.
Weather peril exposure
THOMPSON FALLS is an 87 MW hydro power plant in Sanders County, MT, operated by PPL MONTANA LLC, commissioned in 1915. Sanders County carries low modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 1.4 of 5 at the 10th national percentile. Riverine flooding is the leading peril, rated Relatively Low by FEMA at the 93rd percentile.
The Bywatts loss layer is calibrated to solar PV hardware, so it is not applied to a hydro plant. The ratings below are the FEMA National Risk Index county hazard ratings for this location.
Sanders County hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Riverine flooding | Relatively Low | 93rd | 4.7 of 5 | 0.68 |
| Ice storm | Relatively Moderate | 88th | 4.5 of 5 | 0.20 |
| Wildfire | Relatively Moderate | 87th | 4.5 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | 81st | 4.2 of 5 | 0.02 |
| Winter weather | Relatively High | 70th | 3.8 of 5 | 43.6 |
| Heat wave | Very Low | 48th | 2.9 of 5 | 2.1 |
| Strong wind | Very Low | 14th | 1.6 of 5 | 0.22 |
| Lightning | Very Low | 13th | 1.5 of 5 | 17.8 |
| Hail | Very Low | 12th | 1.5 of 5 | 0.30 |
| Tornado | Very Low | 3rd | 1.1 of 5 | 0.04 |
Perils not assessed in Sanders County
These perils carry no usable National Risk Index figure for this county, so they are excluded from the scoring rather than scored zero. A zero would claim the peril was assessed and found benign.
| Peril | Why it is not scored |
|---|---|
| Hurricane | FEMA rating is "Not Applicable" for this county |
| Coastal flooding | FEMA rating is "Not Applicable" for this county |
Model hail, wind and flood exposure for Sanders County in the weather risk calculator
Ratings are the FEMA National Risk Index county hazard ratings; the peril score is a Bywatts transform of the FEMA national percentile. Full data sources and the solar vulnerability methodology are in the weather risk calculator.
Modeled estimate for screening and negotiation. Built from FEMA National Risk Index county hazard data and a solar vulnerability layer documented above. Not a quote, a binder, or actuarial advice, and not a substitute for a carrier's own model. Hazard data: FEMA National Risk Index December 2025, synced 2026-07-24. Resolution is county level, not site level.