Kewaunee County, Wisconsin
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 55061 · population 20,563 · 342 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 302 records for Kewaunee County, Wisconsin from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 250 days; the most frequent are winter storm records (89 records). The deadliest single record is the July 16, 2012 heat, filed for the forecast zone Kewaunee, which covers the county: 1 death. FEMA has issued 8 declarations naming the county since 1973, 6 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
- 302on 250 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 14 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $6.7Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 9strongest F2
- FEMA declarations
- 8latest 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 Kewaunee County most?
The most frequent records are winter storm records: 89 since 1996. 60% of its winter storm records since 1996 fell in January and February. 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 | 89 | 86 | 1996-2026 | 0 | 0 | $881K | 23 of 72 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 71 | 51 | 1970-2025 | 0 | 0 | $1.2M | 35 of 72 |
| Hail | 50 | 34 | 1959-2024 | 0 | 2 | $2K | 36 of 72 |
| High wind and dust storms | 23 | 23 | 1996-2019 | 0 | 0 | $25K | 18 of 72 |
| Floods | 20 | 20 | 1996-2026 | 0 | 0 | $163K | 20 of 72 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 14 | 14 | 1996-2011 | 0 | 0 | – | 23 of 72 |
| Extreme cold | 11 | 11 | 1996-2026 | 0 | 0 | – | 28 of 72 |
| Tornadoes | 9 | 7 | 1969-2016 | 0 | 1 | $4.3M | 49 of 72 |
| Drought | 7 | 7 | 1999-2024 | 0 | 0 | – | 52 of 72 |
| Heat | 4 | 4 | 1999-2026 | 1 | 0 | – | 41 of 72 |
| Lightning | 3 | 3 | 1999-2025 | 0 | 1 | $125K | 27 of 72 |
| Heavy rain | 1 | 1 | 2015-2015 | 0 | 0 | – | 50 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 Kewaunee County had?
NOAA records 9 tornadoes in Kewaunee County from 1969 to 2016, the strongest rated F2, with 0 deaths and 1 injury 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 11 tornadoes whose track touched Kewaunee County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 9: they file a crossing tornado once per county segment, and the two databases differ on some tracks); along their whole tracks they killed 0 people.
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Wisconsin.
Every tornado record filed for Kewaunee County (9)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-08-20 | Kewaunee County | EF0 0.7 mi x 125 yd | 0 | 0 | $31K |
| 2013-08-07 | Pilsen, Kewaunee County | EF1 5.06 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $63K |
| 1994-04-24 | Luxemburg, Kewaunee County | F0 0.1 mi x 25 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1978-05-08 | Kewaunee County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 1978-05-08 | Kewaunee County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 1972-07-20 | Kewaunee County | F1 3.6 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1970-04-22 | Kewaunee County | F2 5.2 mi x 500 yd | 0 | 1 | $250K step |
| 1970-04-22 | Kewaunee County | F2 8.9 mi x 500 yd | 0 | 0 | $250K step |
| 1969-07-02 | Kewaunee County | F1 6.9 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 Kewaunee County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the August 9, 2025 lightning ($125,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-30 | Excessive HeatKewaunee County · forecast zone Kewaunee | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-14 | Flash FloodLuxemburg, Kewaunee County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-14 | BlizzardKewaunee County · forecast zone Kewaunee | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-23 | Extreme Cold/Wind ChillKewaunee County · forecast zone Kewaunee | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-11-29 | Heavy SnowKewaunee County · forecast zone Kewaunee | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-08-09 | Thunderstorm WindAlgoma, Kewaunee County | 60 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-08-09 | LightningRosiere, Kewaunee County | 0 | 0 | $125K | |
| 2025-07-23 | Thunderstorm WindKewaunee County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-06-21 | Excessive HeatKewaunee County · forecast zone Kewaunee | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-02-08 | Heavy SnowKewaunee County · forecast zone Kewaunee | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-01-21 | Extreme Cold/Wind ChillKewaunee County · forecast zone Kewaunee | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2019-09-19 | LightningKewaunee County | 0 | 1 | – |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012-07-16 | HeatKewaunee County · forecast zone Kewaunee Hot temperatures returned to central and east central Wisconsin during the middle of the month. High temperatures were mainly in the 90s but heat index values topped out at 95 to 105. A 71 year old man in poor health became ill from the heat and eventually died on July 18. He was pronounced dead at a local hospital. | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2000-07-13 | HailAlaska, Kewaunee County Sunny skies and lingering low level moisture allowed the atmosphere to destabilize. Weak surface troughs combined with upper support to initiate storms. The storms downed trees and power lines and dropped large hail as they moved through northeast Wisconsin. Two people were injured by quarter size hail at a golf ... | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 2 | – |
| 2019-09-19 | LightningKewaunee County A 30 year old male was struck by lightning in the city of Kewaunee. Kewaunee Police say the man was working for a company that was contracted to do some work in the area and had been holding an uncharged power line in the performance of his job when lightning struck. He was transported to the hospital and his ... | 0 | 1 | – | |
| 1970-04-22 | TornadoKewaunee County | F2 5.2 mi x 500 yd | 0 | 1 | $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.
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994-07-06 | Thunderstorm WindAlgoma, Kewaunee County | 0 | 0 | $1.1M | |
| 2018-04-13 | Winter StormKewaunee County · forecast zone Kewaunee | 0 | 0 | $881K | |
| 2025-08-09 | LightningRosiere, Kewaunee County | 0 | 0 | $125K | |
| 2013-08-07 | TornadoPilsen, Kewaunee County | EF1 5.06 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $63K |
| 2016-08-20 | TornadoKewaunee County | EF0 0.7 mi x 125 yd | 0 | 0 | $31K |
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: April 22, 1970 (tornado, Kewaunee County); April 22, 1970 (tornado, Kewaunee 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 Kewaunee 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 | – | – | – | – | 22 | 32 | 26 | 9 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 0 | 0 | 5 | 13 | 15 | 16 | 12 | 10 |
| Hail | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 19 | 15 | 4 |
| High wind and dust storms | – | – | – | – | 7 | 12 | 4 | 0 |
| Floods | – | – | – | – | 1 | 1 | 7 | 11 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | – | – | – | – | 11 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).
What time of year?
60% of its winter storm records since 1996 fell in January and February. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 39 · Feb 33 · Mar 20 · Apr 26 · May 20 · Jun 28 · Jul 48 · Aug 33 · Sep 14 · Oct 11 · Nov 7 · Dec 23 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Kewaunee County
FEMA's register lists 8 declarations that include Kewaunee County: 4 major disasters, 4 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for flood (2) and biological (2).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-30 | DR-4923 | Flood | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding |
| 2020-04-04 | DR-4520 | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic |
| 2020-03-13 | EM-3454 | Biological | Covid-19 |
| 2005-09-13 | EM-3249 | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation |
| 2001-01-24 | EM-3163 | Snowstorm | Snow |
| 1990-07-13 | DR-874 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes & Flooding |
| 1976-06-17 | EM-3014 | Drought | Drought |
| 1973-04-27 | DR-376 | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding |
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 Kewaunee County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 20 flood or flash flood records for Kewaunee County from 1996 to 2026, on 20 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Kewaunee County ranks 2085th of 2,942 U.S. counties.
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $135,000 on 20 claims filed in Kewaunee County; the most in one year was 6 in 2019. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1982: 3 · 1985: 2 · 1990: 1 · 1994: 2 · 1995: 1 · 2007: 1 · 2008: 1 · 2013: 1 · 2019: 6 · 2022: 1 · 2024: 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 Kewaunee County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Kewaunee County Very Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $8.5 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 Moderate | $2.3M | 5.2 a year (modeled) |
| Hail | Relatively Low | $548K | 1.4 a year (modeled) |
| Lightning | Relatively Low | $214K | 29 a year (modeled) |
| Tornado | Relatively Low | $1.1M | once in about 5 years (modeled) |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Low | $423K | 1.5 a year (modeled) |
| Coastal Flooding | Very Low | $6K | once in about 65 years (modeled) |
| Landslide | Very Low | $332 | once in about 19 years (modeled) |
| Riverine Flooding | Very Low | $3.7M | about once 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 Kewaunee 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 Kewaunee CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Kewaunee County's FEMA declarations (CSV)8 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis