Forest County, Wisconsin
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 55041 · population 9,147 · 1,014 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 365 records for Forest County, Wisconsin from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 304 days; the most frequent are winter storm records (123 records). 200 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 most damaging was the May 30, 1994 tornado ($10.1 million in 2025 dollars). FEMA has issued 7 declarations naming the county since 1976, 5 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding” on August 27, 2019.
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
- 365on 304 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 03 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $13Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 7strongest EF2
- FEMA declarations
- 7latest 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 Forest County most?
The most frequent records are winter storm records: 123 since 1996. 41% of its winter storm records since 1996 fell in February and March. 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 | 123 | 123 | 1996-2026 | 0 | 0 | $8K | 51 of 72 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 88 | 65 | 1983-2024 | 0 | 0 | $234K | 68 of 72 |
| Hail | 61 | 44 | 1958-2022 | 0 | 0 | $152K | 69 of 72 |
| Drought | 38 | 38 | 1999-2026 | 0 | 0 | – | 17 of 72 |
| Extreme cold | 18 | 17 | 1996-2026 | 0 | 0 | – | 65 of 72 |
| High wind and dust storms | 12 | 12 | 1997-2010 | 0 | 0 | $20K | 45 of 72 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 12 | 11 | 1996-2012 | 0 | 0 | – | 43 of 72 |
| Tornadoes | 7 | 6 | 1963-2020 | 0 | 3 | $13M | 70 of 72 |
| Floods | 4 | 4 | 1996-2002 | 0 | 0 | $263K | 72 of 72 |
| Heat | 1 | 1 | 1999-1999 | 0 | 0 | – | 72 of 72 |
| Lightning | 1 | 1 | 2000-2000 | 0 | 0 | – | 63 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 Forest County had?
NOAA records 7 tornadoes in Forest County from 1963 to 2020, the strongest rated EF2, with 0 deaths and 3 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 7 tornadoes whose track touched Forest County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 7, the same count); along their whole tracks they killed 0 people.
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Wisconsin.
Every tornado record filed for Forest County (7)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-08-09 | Nelma, Forest County | EF1 2.85 mi x 250 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2011-04-10 | Armstrong Creek, Forest County | EF1 3.29 mi x 250 yd | 0 | 0 | $66K |
| 2011-04-10 | Argonne, Forest County | EF2 9.17 mi x 600 yd | 0 | 0 | $262K |
| 1994-05-30 | Crandon To, Forest County | F2 12 mi x 800 yd | 0 | 3 | $10M |
| 1972-09-16 | Forest County | F2 53.1 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | $250K step |
| 1968-06-30 | Forest County | F2 1 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1963-09-19 | Forest County | F1 0.5 mi x 33 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 Forest County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the March 14, 2026 winter storm ($8,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-04-02 | Winter StormForest County · forecast zone Forest | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-14 | Winter StormForest County · forecast zone Forest | 0 | 0 | $8K | |
| 2026-03-12 | Winter StormForest County · forecast zone Forest | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-22 | Extreme Cold/Wind ChillForest County · forecast zone Forest | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-01 | DroughtForest County · forecast zone Forest | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-12-28 | Winter StormForest County · forecast zone Forest | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-12-01 | DroughtForest County · forecast zone Forest | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-11-18 | DroughtForest County · forecast zone Forest | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-03-29 | Ice StormForest County · forecast zone Forest | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-03-23 | Winter StormForest County · forecast zone Forest | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-03-04 | Winter StormForest County · forecast zone Forest | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-01-20 | Extreme Cold/Wind ChillForest County · forecast zone Forest | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994-05-30 | TornadoCrandon To, Forest County Severe thunderstorms raked west-central and northern Wisconsin with violent damaging winds up to 61 mph, hail up to tennis ball-size, and two tornadoes. A tornado set down just east of Woodville in St Croix County damaging eight farm dwellings and structures along its one-mile path causing $55,000 damage. Another ... | F2 12 mi x 800 yd | 0 | 3 | $10M |
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994-05-30 | TornadoCrandon To, Forest County | F2 12 mi x 800 yd | 0 | 3 | $10M |
| 2000-07-08 | Flash FloodSouth Portion, Forest County | 0 | 0 | $263K | |
| 2005-06-07 | HailLaona, Forest County | 2.75 in hail | 0 | 0 | $151K |
| 2010-06-23 | Thunderstorm WindMole Lake, Forest County | 65 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $135K |
| 2011-04-10 | TornadoArmstrong Creek, Forest County | EF1 3.29 mi x 250 yd | 0 | 0 | $66K |
| 2026-03-14 | Winter StormForest County · forecast zone Forest | 0 | 0 | $8K |
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 $250K, in the dollars of the day) holds: September 16, 1972 (tornado, Forest 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 Forest 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 | – | – | – | – | 26 | 46 | 31 | 20 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 19 | 36 | 21 | 5 |
| Hail | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 24 | 17 | 7 |
| Drought | – | – | – | – | 1 | 18 | 5 | 14 |
| Extreme cold | – | – | – | – | 3 | 6 | 4 | 5 |
| High wind and dust storms | – | – | – | – | 5 | 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 February and March. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 38 · Feb 34 · Mar 34 · Apr 38 · May 27 · Jun 43 · Jul 52 · Aug 28 · Sep 22 · Oct 12 · Nov 14 · Dec 23 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Forest County
FEMA's register lists 7 declarations that include Forest County: 3 major disasters, 4 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for biological (2) and severe storm (2).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-04-04 | DR-4520 | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic |
| 2020-03-13 | EM-3454 | Biological | Covid-19 |
| 2019-08-27 | DR-4459 | Flood | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding |
| 2005-09-13 | EM-3249 | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation |
| 2000-06-24 | DR-1332 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding |
| 1977-10-03 | EM-3048 | Severe Storm | Winds, Hail & Rain |
| 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 Forest County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 4 flood or flash flood records for Forest County from 1996 to 2002, on 4 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Forest County ranks 2685th of 2,942 U.S. counties.
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $33,000 on 3 claims filed in Forest County; the most in one year was 1 in 2000. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
2000: 1 · 2014: 1 · 2020: 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 Forest County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Forest County Relatively Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $11.8 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 | $9.1M | 9.1 a year (modeled) |
| Hail | Relatively Low | $173K | 1.5 a year (modeled) |
| Lightning | Relatively Low | $128K | 28 a year (modeled) |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Low | $35K | 17 a year (modeled) |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Low | $130K | 1.6 a year (modeled) |
| Tornado | Very Low | $220K | once in about 5 years (modeled) |
| Riverine Flooding | Very Low | $2.0M | once in about 7 years (modeled) |
| Drought | Very Low | $2K | 1.4 modeled event-days a year |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
Counties that share a border with Forest 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 Forest CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Forest County's FEMA declarations (CSV)7 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis