Florence County, Wisconsin
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 55037 · population 4,558 · 488 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 265 records for Florence County, Wisconsin from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 240 days; the most frequent are winter storm records (111 records). 183 of them are forecast-zone records, which the National Weather Service files once per zone: a county covered by several zones receives each one, so a single storm can add several records on the same day. The deadliest single record is the January 2, 2018 cold/wind chill, filed for the forecast zone Florence, which covers the county: 1 death. FEMA has issued 6 declarations naming the county since 1976, 4 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Severe Storms and Flooding” on August 9, 2016.
The record, 1950 to 2026
Storm records filed for the county each year (2026 to June 30, 2026). Before 1996 NOAA recorded only tornadoes (from 1950), thunderstorm wind and hail (from 1955).
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $100,000
- $100,000 or more
- $1 million or more
- $10 million or more, or a death
- $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- 1955: wind and hail recorded from 1955
- 1996: all 48 event types from 1996
- Storm records
- 265on 240 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 20 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $3.8Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 5strongest EF1
- FEMA declarations
- 6latest 2020
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026 (file revision 20260918); damage converted to 2025 dollars with the BLS CPI-U. Search the record at NCEI. BLS consumer price index.
What hazards hit Florence County most?
The most frequent records are winter storm records: 111 since 1996. 41% of its winter storm records since 1996 fell in March and April. The rank column places the county among Wisconsin's counties by days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land over each hazard's complete period.
| Hazard | Records | Days | First, last | Killed | Injured | Damage | Rank in state |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter storms | 111 | 111 | 1996-2026 | 0 | 0 | – | 24 of 72 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 47 | 35 | 1986-2025 | 0 | 0 | $417K | 65 of 72 |
| Drought | 32 | 32 | 1999-2026 | 0 | 0 | – | 3 of 72 |
| Hail | 26 | 22 | 1985-2024 | 0 | 0 | – | 68 of 72 |
| Extreme cold | 16 | 16 | 1996-2026 | 2 | 0 | – | 26 of 72 |
| High wind and dust storms | 10 | 10 | 1997-2010 | 0 | 0 | $3K | 39 of 72 |
| Floods | 8 | 7 | 1996-2010 | 0 | 0 | $2.8M | 53 of 72 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 7 | 7 | 1996-2000 | 0 | 0 | – | 36 of 72 |
| Tornadoes | 5 | 5 | 1957-2023 | 0 | 0 | $364K | 64 of 72 |
| Heat | 2 | 2 | 1999-2025 | 0 | 0 | – | 56 of 72 |
| Lightning | 1 | 1 | 2013-2013 | 0 | 0 | $205K | 59 of 72 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (county and forecast-zone records attributed to the county; a zone record shows its own totals on each county it covers). Days: dates with at least one record of the hazard in the county. Ranks: days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer), since 1950 for tornadoes, 1955 for hail and thunderstorm wind, 1996 for the rest.
How many tornadoes has Florence County had?
NOAA records 5 tornadoes in Florence County from 1957 to 2023, the strongest rated EF1, with 0 deaths and 0 injuries recorded in the county. A tornado that crossed a county line is counted in each county it touched, with the length of its path inside the county.
Counted as whole tornadoes rather than county records, the Storm Prediction Center's database holds 5 tornadoes whose track touched Florence County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 5, the same count); along their whole tracks they killed 0 people.
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Wisconsin.
Every tornado record filed for Florence County (5)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-07-27 | Long Lake, Florence County | EF0 1.68 mi x 90 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2020-08-09 | Tipler, Florence County | EF1 0.71 mi x 250 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2011-04-10 | Long Lake, Florence County | EF0 2.8 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $20K |
| 2002-09-30 | Spread Eagle, Florence County | F1 0.7 mi x 400 yd | 0 | 0 | $82K |
| 1957-06-14 | Florence County | F1 7.8 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
A damage figure marked "step" is a record from before 1993: NOAA then filed damage by category, and the figure is the category as entered, in the dollars of that year, not an estimate of the loss.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, tornado records by county (path length in the county, maximum width); ratings as published: F scale before February 1, 2007, EF scale after. Whole-track figures: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database (1950-2025). SPC severe weather database.
When was the last damaging storm in Florence County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the January 2, 2018 cold/wind chill (1 death).
A missing 19 year old male, who was driving to Upper Michigan, was found dead in the woods. His abandoned vehicle was discovered on the afternoon of the 7th and authorities had to travel a considerable distance into the woods in order to recover his body that evening. Subzero and single digit temperatures were common in far northeast Wisconsin during the time that the man was missing.
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 734809)
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-04-03 | Ice StormFlorence County · forecast zone Florence | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-02 | Winter StormFlorence County · forecast zone Florence | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-15 | BlizzardFlorence County · forecast zone Florence | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-12 | Winter StormFlorence County · forecast zone Florence | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-01 | DroughtFlorence County · forecast zone Florence | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-23 | Extreme Cold/Wind ChillFlorence County · forecast zone Florence | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-12-28 | Winter StormFlorence County · forecast zone Florence | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-07-08 | Thunderstorm WindSpread Eagle, Florence County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-07-08 | Thunderstorm WindSpread Eagle, Florence County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-06-22 | Excessive HeatFlorence County · forecast zone Florence | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-03-30 | Winter StormFlorence County · forecast zone Florence | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-03-29 | Ice StormFlorence County · forecast zone Florence | 0 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database; every record of 2025-2026 is listed, earlier ones when they caused deaths, injuries or $250,000 of damage (2025 dollars), and every tornado.
The deadliest and costliest records
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-01-02 | Cold/Wind ChillFlorence County · forecast zone Florence A missing 19 year old male, who was driving to Upper Michigan, was found dead in the woods. His abandoned vehicle was discovered on the afternoon of the 7th and authorities had to travel a considerable distance into the woods in order to recover his body that evening. Subzero and single digit temperatures were common ... | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2009-01-24 | Cold/Wind ChillFlorence County · forecast zone Florence Northwest winds between a departing cold front and an approaching high pressure system brought much colder air into the area. Low temperatures ranged from the single digits below zero from the Fox Valley east to Lake Michigan, to the teens below zero in north-central and parts of central Wisconsin. Wind chills across ... | 1 | 0 | – |
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999-07-15 | Flash FloodFlorence County | 0 | 0 | $2.8M | |
| 2004-04-18 | Thunderstorm WindFlorence County | 65 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $187K |
| 1999-07-30 | Thunderstorm WindLong Lake, Florence County | 0 | 0 | $181K | |
| 2002-09-30 | TornadoSpread Eagle, Florence County | F1 0.7 mi x 400 yd | 0 | 0 | $82K |
| 2011-04-10 | TornadoLong Lake, Florence County | EF0 2.8 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $20K |
Before 1993 NOAA filed damage by category, not amount, so the list above starts in 1993. The highest category filed here before then (entered as $25K, in the dollars of the day) holds: June 14, 1957 (tornado, Florence County).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths and injuries direct and indirect; damage is property plus crops as estimated by the National Weather Service, converted to 2025 dollars.
Is it getting more frequent?
Records per decade for Florence County's most frequent hazards. Counts rose everywhere after 1996, when NOAA began recording every event type, so compare decades within a hazard's complete period only (the shaded cells come before it).
| Hazard | 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020-26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter storms | – | – | – | – | 19 | 43 | 26 | 23 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 15 | 4 |
| Drought | – | – | – | – | 1 | 17 | 5 | 9 |
| Hail | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 8 | 3 |
| Extreme cold | – | – | – | – | 3 | 6 | 4 | 3 |
| High wind and dust storms | – | – | – | – | 3 | 6 | 1 | 0 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).
What time of year?
41% of its winter storm records since 1996 fell in March and April. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 33 · Feb 30 · Mar 32 · Apr 31 · May 14 · Jun 18 · Jul 34 · Aug 17 · Sep 13 · Oct 9 · Nov 11 · Dec 23 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Florence County
FEMA's register lists 6 declarations that include Florence County: 3 major disasters, 3 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for biological (2) and severe storm (1).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-04-04 | DR-4520 | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic |
| 2020-03-13 | EM-3454 | Biological | Covid-19 |
| 2016-08-09 | DR-4276 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 2005-09-13 | EM-3249 | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation |
| 1999-08-16 | DR-1284 | Flood | Wi-Flood-07/20/99 |
| 1976-06-17 | EM-3014 | Drought | Drought |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), declarations through October 2, 2026; one declaration is counted once however many areas it names. OpenFEMA dataset page.
How many floods has Florence County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 8 flood or flash flood records for Florence County from 1996 to 2010, on 7 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Florence County ranks 2830th of 2,942 U.S. counties.
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $4,849 on 1 claim filed in Florence County; the most in one year was 1 in 1996. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1996: 1; the other years: 0.
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims, as of September 8, 2026; claims by year of loss, payments in the dollars of the year paid. OpenFEMA dataset page.
FEMA's modeled risk for Florence County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Florence County Relatively Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $17.6 million. These are FEMA's model estimates of future loss from 18 hazards, not a count of what happened; they can differ from the record above.
| Hazard | Risk rating | Expected annual loss | Modeled frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cold Wave | Relatively High | $16M | 8.5 a year (modeled) |
| Hail | Relatively Low | $212K | 1.3 a year (modeled) |
| Lightning | Very Low | $63K | 27 a year (modeled) |
| Winter Weather | Very Low | $15K | 17 a year (modeled) |
| Drought | Very Low | $75 | 1.7 modeled event-days a year |
| Tornado | Very Low | $77K | once in about 16 years (modeled) |
| Riverine Flooding | Very Low | $1.4M | once in about 4 years (modeled) |
| Landslide | Very Low | $23 | once in about 7 years (modeled) |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
Counties that share a border with Florence County
Source: U.S. Census Bureau county adjacency file; NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1950. The Census Bureau's adjacency file.
Next
- Tornadoes in WisconsinEvery Wisconsin tornado since 1950 and the counties with the most per square mile
- Winter storms in WisconsinThe state's winter storm records, by county, year and month
- The Wisconsin recordEvery hazard in the state, its deadliest events and its federal declarations
- FEMA's risk rating for each hazard in Florence CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Florence County's FEMA declarations (CSV)6 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis