Juneau County, Wisconsin

County storm and disaster record · FIPS 55057 · population 26,694 · 767 sq mi

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 553 records for Juneau County, Wisconsin from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 372 days; the most frequent are severe thunderstorm wind events (167 records). The deadliest single record is the August 12, 1985 tornado: 2 deaths and 22 injuries. FEMA has issued 16 declarations naming the county since 1976, 14 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding” on June 30, 2026.

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
553on 372 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
Deaths recorded
870 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
$79Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
Tornadoes
27strongest F4
FEMA declarations
16latest 2026

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 Juneau County most?

The most frequent records are severe thunderstorm wind events: 167 since 1955. 56% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1955 fell in June and July. 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.

Juneau County: records by hazard, 1950 to June 30, 2026
HazardRecordsDaysFirst, lastKilledInjuredDamageRank in state
Severe thunderstorm wind 167 97 1955-2026 0 0 $2.5M 46 of 72
Hail 141 76 1959-2026 0 0 $2.7M 37 of 72
Winter storms 91 89 1996-2026 3 2 $87K 57 of 72
Floods 46 39 2004-2026 0 0 $48M 25 of 72
Tornadoes 27 21 1957-2026 3 38 $25M 35 of 72
Drought 19 19 2012-2024 0 0 – 37 of 72
Extreme cold 17 17 1997-2026 0 0 – 46 of 72
Heat 12 12 1999-2026 2 25 $7K 33 of 72
Heavy rain 10 7 2010-2023 0 0 – 30 of 72
High wind and dust storms 7 7 1998-2021 0 0 $363K 49 of 72
Wildfires 7 7 2007-2023 0 1 $323K 1 of 72
Lightning 6 6 1996-2017 0 4 $272K 32 of 72
Fog, smoke and funnel clouds 3 3 2004-2010 0 0 – 62 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 Juneau County had?

NOAA records 27 tornadoes in Juneau County from 1957 to 2026, the strongest rated F4, with 3 deaths and 38 injuries recorded in the county. That is 35th of 72 Wisconsin counties by days with tornadoes per 1,000 square miles since 1950. 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 28 tornadoes whose track touched Juneau County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 27: they file a crossing tornado once per county segment, and the two databases differ on some tracks); along their whole tracks they killed 3 people.

The deadliest and strongest tornadoes that touched Juneau County, whole tracks
DateTornadoRatingPathKilled
1985-08-12 18:35, as SPC files itNew LisbonF222 mi2
1957-04-19 15:30, as SPC files itNew LisbonF421.1 mi1
1983-07-03 18:04, as SPC files itUnnamedF31 mi0

Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Wisconsin.

Every tornado record filed for Juneau County (27)
Every tornado recorded in Juneau County, newest first
DatePlaceCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-04-14 Union Center, Juneau County EF3 6.12 mi x 125 yd 0 0 $2.0M
2025-07-16 Lemonweir, Juneau County EF0 0.24 mi x 15 yd 0 0 –
2022-06-15 Cutler, Juneau County EF2 7.51 mi x 250 yd 0 0 $101K
2022-06-15 Mauston, Juneau County EF1 8.2 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $782K
2011-05-22 Mather, Juneau County EF2 19.32 mi x 800 yd 0 0 $5.8M
2011-04-10 South Necedah, Juneau County EF1 4.37 mi x 150 yd 0 0 $39K
2005-08-18 Necedah, Juneau County F1 6 mi x 25 yd 0 0 $189K
2004-06-23 New Lisbon, Juneau County F1 2 mi x 40 yd 0 0 $11K
2000-06-01 New Lisbon, Juneau County F1 6.5 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $943K
1992-10-08 Juneau County F1 2 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $250K step
1988-05-08 Juneau County F1 0.7 mi x 20 yd 0 0 $3K step
1988-05-08 Juneau County F1 5 mi x 73 yd 0 1 $3K step
1985-08-12 Juneau County F2 17 mi x 880 yd 2 22 $2.5M step
1984-10-16 Juneau County F2 17 mi x 100 yd 0 3 $250K step
1983-07-03 Juneau County F3 1 mi x 50 yd 0 8 $250K step
1983-07-03 Juneau County F1 1 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $25K step
1983-07-03 Juneau County F0 0.3 mi x 10 yd 0 0 $30 step
1983-07-03 Juneau County F0 0.3 mi x 10 yd 0 0 $30 step
1982-03-30 Juneau County F1 8 mi x 33 yd 0 2 $250K step
1979-08-29 Juneau County F1 0 1 $250K step
1979-08-09 Juneau County F2 2.7 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $250K step
1967-03-31 Juneau County F1 2 mi x 200 yd 0 0 $25K step
1964-05-08 Juneau County F2 23.5 mi x 150 yd 0 0 $250K step
1964-05-07 Juneau County F2 3.3 mi x 30 yd 0 1 $3K step
1964-05-04 Juneau County F1 1 mi x 27 yd 0 0 $3K step
1964-05-04 Juneau County F2 7.7 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $25K step
1957-04-19 Juneau County F4 21.1 mi x 300 yd 1 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 Juneau County?

The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the June 10, 2026 thunderstorm wind ($25,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).

The 12 most recent records kept for Juneau County
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-06-29 Excessive HeatJuneau County · forecast zone Juneau 0 0 –
2026-06-10 Thunderstorm WindVolk Aaf Camp D, Juneau County 60 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-06-10 Thunderstorm WindVolk Aaf Camp D, Juneau County 51 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-06-10 Thunderstorm WindMauston, Juneau County 60 kt wind 0 0 $25K
2026-06-10 Thunderstorm WindNew Lisbon, Juneau County 50 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-06-05 Thunderstorm WindElroy, Juneau County 60 kt wind 0 0 $25K
2026-06-05 Thunderstorm WindElroy, Juneau County 50 kt wind 0 0 $30K
2026-06-05 Thunderstorm WindHustler, Juneau County 50 kt wind 0 0 $30K
2026-04-15 FloodNecedah, Juneau County 0 0 –
2026-04-14 FloodNew Lisbon, Juneau County 0 0 –
2026-04-14 HailLyndon Station, Juneau County 3.00 in hail 0 0 $660K
2026-04-14 HailWonewoc 3 Castles Ar, Juneau County 1.00 in hail 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

Records with deaths or injuries in Juneau County, most deaths first
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
1985-08-12 TornadoJuneau County F2 17 mi x 880 yd 2 22 $2.5M step
2007-12-01 Winter StormJuneau County · forecast zone Juneau A mix of heavy snow and sleet caused hazardous traveling conditions. Two fatalities were reported on Interstate 90-94 in separate automobile accidents, which were indirectly related to the poor weather conditions. 2 0 –
2012-07-02 HeatJuneau County · forecast zone Juneau One person died from heat related causes during the evening of July 9th. The person lived in a house which did not have air conditioning and was taking a medication that did not allow the body to sweat. An average of 3 to 4 people a day were treated for heat related illnesses. Heat index values were in the 100 to 110 ... 1 25 –
2001-07-31 HeatJuneau County · forecast zone Juneau Temperatures climbed into the middle to upper 90s, with La Crosse (La Crosse County) even reaching 100. The excessive heat combined with high humidity pushed heat indices dangerously high, with values of 105 to 115. As a result, there were two deaths directly related to the heat. The dangerous heat would continue ... 1 0 –
1999-01-24 Heavy SnowJuneau County · forecast zone Juneau A heavy snow band set up from La Crosse through the Tomah area to around Mauston withaccumulations of 6 to 8 inches. A 28 car pileup occurred on Interstate 90-94 near Oakdale (Monroe County), but only minor injuries were reported. Another weather related accident occurred when a man was killed when his pickup truck ... 1 0 $18K
1957-04-19 TornadoJuneau County F4 21.1 mi x 300 yd 1 0 $25K step
1983-07-03 TornadoJuneau County F3 1 mi x 50 yd 0 8 $250K step
1984-10-16 TornadoJuneau County F2 17 mi x 100 yd 0 3 $250K 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.

The costliest records in Juneau County since 1993, damage in 2025 dollars
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2018-08-28 Flash FloodUnion Center, Juneau County 0 0 $34M
2008-06-08 FloodMauston, Juneau County 0 0 $6.0M
2011-05-22 TornadoMather, Juneau County EF2 19.32 mi x 800 yd 0 0 $5.8M
2008-06-08 FloodMauston, Juneau County 0 0 $4.5M
2026-04-14 TornadoUnion Center, Juneau County EF3 6.12 mi x 125 yd 0 0 $2.0M
2010-09-24 FloodFinley, Juneau County 0 0 $1.2M
2000-06-01 TornadoNew Lisbon, Juneau County F1 6.5 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $943K
2022-06-15 TornadoMauston, Juneau County EF1 8.2 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $782K

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 $2.5M, in the dollars of the day) holds: August 12, 1985 (tornado, Juneau County, 2 killed).

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 Juneau 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).

Juneau County: records per decade (the 2020s to June 30, 2026)
Hazard1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020-26
Severe thunderstorm wind1342430424122
Hail142525602717
Winter storms––––8412220
Floods––––082018
Tornadoes15291324
Drought––––00712

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).

What time of year?

56% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1955 fell in June and July. The two busiest months are in violet.

The values, month by month

Jan 31 · Feb 27 · Mar 34 · Apr 54 · May 53 · Jun 93 · Jul 81 · Aug 75 · Sep 48 · Oct 15 · Nov 7 · Dec 35 (records).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.

Federal disaster declarations for Juneau County

FEMA's register lists 16 declarations that include Juneau County: 13 major disasters, 3 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for severe storm (7) and flood (5).

Declarations including Juneau County, newest first
DeclaredNumberTypeTitle
2026-06-30DR-4923FloodSevere Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding
2020-04-04DR-4520BiologicalCovid-19 Pandemic
2020-03-13EM-3454BiologicalCovid-19
2018-10-18DR-4402FloodSevere Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, and Landslides
2016-10-20DR-4288FloodSevere Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides
2010-10-21DR-1944Severe StormSevere Storms and Flooding
2008-06-14DR-1768Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding
2005-09-13EM-3249HurricaneHurricane Katrina Evacuation
2004-06-18DR-1526Severe StormSevere Storms and Flooding
2001-05-11DR-1369FloodFlooding, Severe Storms and Tornadoes
2000-06-24DR-1332Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding
1993-07-02DR-994Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes & Flooding
1992-09-30DR-964FloodSevere Storms & Flooding
1990-07-13DR-874Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes & Flooding
1978-07-07DR-559Severe StormSevere Storms, Flooding, Hail & Tornadoes
1976-06-17EM-3014DroughtDrought

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 Juneau County had?

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 46 flood or flash flood records for Juneau County from 2004 to 2026, on 39 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Juneau County ranks 1243rd of 2,942 U.S. counties.

The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $4.3 million on 114 claims filed in Juneau County; the most in one year was 59 in 2018. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.

The values, year by year

2008: 22 · 2010: 17 · 2011: 1 · 2013: 2 · 2014: 2 · 2015: 2 · 2016: 2 · 2017: 1 · 2018: 59 · 2019: 2 · 2020: 3 · 2022: 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 Juneau County

FEMA's National Risk Index rates Juneau County Relatively Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $24.3 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.

National Risk Index ratings for Juneau County (December 2025 release), by FEMA's rating, then score
HazardRisk ratingExpected annual lossModeled frequency
Heat WaveRelatively Moderate$5.2M3.1 modeled event-days a year
HailRelatively Moderate$1.2M3.2 a year (modeled)
Cold WaveRelatively Moderate$4.1M6.8 a year (modeled)
TornadoRelatively Moderate$1.8Monce in about 3 years (modeled)
Strong WindRelatively Moderate$512K3 a year (modeled)
LandslideRelatively Low$14Konce in about 6 years (modeled)
Riverine FloodingRelatively Low$11M1.1 a year (modeled)
LightningRelatively Low$218K34 a year (modeled)

Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.

Counties that share a border with Juneau County

  1. Sauk County 940
  2. Columbia County 928
  3. Vernon County 834
  4. Monroe County 686
  5. Jackson County 568
  6. Juneau County 553
  7. Wood County 541
  8. Adams County 477

Source: U.S. Census Bureau county adjacency file; NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1950. The Census Bureau's adjacency file.

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