Outagamie County, Wisconsin

County storm and disaster record · FIPS 55087 · population 190,651 · 638 sq mi

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 649 records for Outagamie County, Wisconsin from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 374 days; the most frequent are severe thunderstorm wind events (219 records). The deadliest single record is the May 24, 1989 thunderstorm wind: 1 death and 5 injuries. FEMA has issued 11 declarations naming the county since 1973, 9 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
649on 374 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
Deaths recorded
335 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
$171Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
Tornadoes
34strongest F4
FEMA declarations
11latest 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 Outagamie County most?

The most frequent records are severe thunderstorm wind events: 219 since 1959. 54% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1959 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.

Outagamie County: records by hazard, 1950 to June 30, 2026
HazardRecordsDaysFirst, lastKilledInjuredDamageRank in state
Severe thunderstorm wind 219 117 1959-2026 1 6 $15M 26 of 72
Hail 182 78 1960-2026 0 0 $8.4M 21 of 72
Winter storms 90 86 1996-2026 2 1 $334K 43 of 72
Tornadoes 34 22 1959-2024 0 10 $90M 26 of 72
High wind and dust storms 29 28 1996-2021 0 1 $139K 25 of 72
Fog, smoke and funnel clouds 22 21 1996-2013 0 15 – 27 of 72
Floods 21 21 1996-2026 0 0 $56M 33 of 72
Extreme cold 18 18 1996-2026 0 0 – 33 of 72
Drought 9 9 1999-2023 0 0 – 58 of 72
Heavy rain 9 8 2008-2015 0 0 $125K 20 of 72
Heat 8 8 1998-2026 0 0 – 37 of 72
Lightning 8 8 1996-2020 0 2 $141K 19 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 Outagamie County had?

NOAA records 34 tornadoes in Outagamie County from 1959 to 2024, the strongest rated F4, with 0 deaths and 10 injuries recorded in the county. That is 26th 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 36 tornadoes whose track touched Outagamie County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 34: they file a crossing tornado once per county segment, and the two databases differ on some tracks); along their whole tracks they killed 1 person, 0 of them in Outagamie County.

The deadliest and strongest tornadoes that touched Outagamie County, whole tracks
DateTornadoRatingPathKilled
1984-04-27 15:20, as SPC files itGreenvilleF427.5 mi1
1970-12-01 10:15, as SPC files itHortonvilleF313.1 mi0
1969-06-26 11:15, as SPC files itPulaskiF315.3 mi0

Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Wisconsin.

Every tornado record filed for Outagamie County (34)
Every tornado recorded in Outagamie County, newest first
DatePlaceCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2024-05-21 Kaukauna, Outagamie County EF1 2.69 mi x 80 yd 0 0 –
2022-06-15 Binghampton, Outagamie County EF0 9.37 mi x 400 yd 0 0 –
2022-06-15 Leeman, Outagamie County EF1 1.64 mi x 80 yd 0 0 –
2021-08-10 Stinson, Outagamie County EF1 2.05 mi x 40 yd 0 0 –
2019-07-20 Little Chute, Outagamie County EF0 1.11 mi x 50 yd 0 0 –
2019-07-20 Greenville, Outagamie County EF0 0.72 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $12K
2019-07-20 Hortonville, Outagamie County EF1 3.51 mi x 75 yd 0 0 $87K
2019-07-20 New London, Outagamie County EF1 6.24 mi x 90 yd 0 0 $29K
2017-06-14 Bear Creek, Outagamie County EF0 3.99 mi x 50 yd 0 0 –
2017-06-14 Nichols, Outagamie County EF0 2.16 mi x 100 yd 0 0 –
2017-06-14 Darboy, Outagamie County EF1 6.97 mi x 125 yd 0 0 $301K
2017-06-14 Mackville, Outagamie County EF0 2.83 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $3K
2016-06-10 Mackville, Outagamie County EF0 1.42 mi x 25 yd 0 0 –
2013-08-06 Greenville, Outagamie County EF1 13.72 mi x 150 yd 0 0 $13M
2013-08-06 Mackville, Outagamie County EF1 11.31 mi x 175 yd 0 0 $1.9M
2013-08-06 Mackville, Outagamie County EF1 9.14 mi x 200 yd 0 0 $1.9M
2013-08-06 New London, Outagamie County EF1 4.77 mi x 125 yd 0 0 –
2013-08-06 New London, Outagamie County EF1 10.97 mi x 175 yd 0 0 $3.2M
2011-04-10 Dale, Outagamie County EF1 6.41 mi x 175 yd 0 0 –
2011-04-10 Kaukauna, Outagamie County EF2 1.52 mi x 175 yd 0 0 $8.8M
2005-06-13 Black Creek, Outagamie County F0 0.2 mi x 75 yd 0 0 $2K
2004-06-23 Little Chute, Outagamie County F1 3.5 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $11M
1992-05-16 Outagamie County F1 4 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $250K step
1984-04-27 Outagamie County F4 15.5 mi x 60 yd 0 9 $2.5M step
1982-05-06 Outagamie County F2 9 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $250K step
1980-05-30 Outagamie County F1 2.7 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $25K step
1976-06-13 Outagamie County F1 0.5 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $25K step
1973-07-12 Outagamie County F1 1 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $25K step
1970-12-01 Outagamie County F3 13.1 mi x 67 yd 0 0 $2.5M step
1969-06-26 Outagamie County F3 7.7 mi x 100 yd 0 1 $2.5M step
1968-08-16 Outagamie County F2 2 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $25K step
1968-08-05 Outagamie County F1 1.9 mi x 150 yd 0 0 $250K step
1959-08-28 Outagamie County 0 0 –
1959-05-06 Outagamie County F2 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 Outagamie County?

The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the April 17, 2026 flood ($4.6 million in damage in 2025 dollars).

Widespread low-land flooding occurred in Outagamie County, resulting in considerable flood damage along the Wolf River and Embarrass River to 52 homes and $4.6 million of damage. Evacuations occurred in the towns of Shiocton and New London for multiple days. Power and gas in these areas were shutoff as flood waters impacted many homes and businesses.
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 1324906)
The 12 most recent records kept for Outagamie County
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-06-29 Excessive HeatOutagamie County · forecast zone Outagamie 0 0 –
2026-06-10 Thunderstorm WindAppleton, Outagamie County 56 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-05-17 HailAppleton, Outagamie County 0.75 in hail 0 0 –
2026-04-17 FloodNew London, Outagamie County 0 0 $4.6M
2026-04-02 Ice StormOutagamie County · forecast zone Outagamie 0 0 –
2026-03-31 HailApplecreek, Outagamie County 0.88 in hail 0 0 –
2026-03-14 BlizzardOutagamie County · forecast zone Outagamie 0 0 $6K
2026-01-23 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillOutagamie County · forecast zone Outagamie 0 0 –
2025-12-09 Heavy SnowOutagamie County · forecast zone Outagamie 0 0 –
2025-11-29 Heavy SnowOutagamie County · forecast zone Outagamie 0 0 –
2025-09-20 Thunderstorm WindDale, Outagamie County 52 kt wind 0 0 –
2025-08-09 Thunderstorm WindShiocton, Outagamie County 52 kt wind 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 Outagamie County, most deaths first
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
1989-05-24 Thunderstorm WindOutagamie County 1 5 –
2020-02-09 Heavy SnowOutagamie County · forecast zone Outagamie Five to eight inches of snow fell across Outagamie County. The highest snowfall totals included: Greenville 8.0 inches, Shiocton 7.5 inches, Kaukauna 7.0 inches, New London 6.2 inches and Appleton 6.0 inches. A two vehicle crash in the Town of Liberty resulted in one fatality and one injury during the morning hours of ... 1 1 $34K
2008-01-11 Winter WeatherOutagamie County · forecast zone Outagamie A low pressure system produced an inch or two of snow in east-central Wisconsin as it moved from Illinois to Lake Huron. A woman was killed (indirect) in a three-vehicle crash on State Highway 55 just south of County Highway VV. She was northbound on Highway 55, on a stretch of the highway that was slippery due to ... 1 0 –
2010-03-05 Dense FogOutagamie County · forecast zone Outagamie A series of vehicle accidents occurred in a patch of dense fog on northbound U.S. Highway 41 near Kaukauna. Law enforcement officers estimated that the visibility there was only about 20 feet. One series of accidents occurred between 7:30 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. and involved 31 vehicles and another involved 7 vehicles. The ... 0 15 –
1984-04-27 TornadoOutagamie County F4 15.5 mi x 60 yd 0 9 $2.5M step
2001-10-25 Strong WindOutagamie County · forecast zone Outagamie An area of low pressure intensified as it moved toward the upper Great Lakes, producing strong winds across northeast Wisconsin and locally heavy snow in Vilas county and northern Oneida county as it moved into southern Canada.The strong winds began in northeast Wisconsin on the morning of the 25th and continued ... 0 1 –
1999-04-03 LightningKimberly, Outagamie County A nearly stationary front across Wisconsin and an upper atmospheric system combined with unstable air, resulting in an area of showers and thunderstorms that moved across the state on the morning of April 3rd. In Boulder Junction, Vilas county, lightning struck a 125 foot pine tree causing its trunk to explode. The ... 0 1 $1K
1996-07-18 LightningNew London, Outagamie County A 23-year old New London man was struck by lightning, prompting a transport to the local hospital. 0 1 –

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 Outagamie County since 1993, damage in 2025 dollars
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
1996-06-16 FloodOutagamie County · forecast zone Outagamie 0 0 $51M
2013-08-06 TornadoGreenville, Outagamie County EF1 13.72 mi x 150 yd 0 0 $13M
2004-06-23 TornadoLittle Chute, Outagamie County F1 3.5 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $11M
2011-04-10 TornadoKaukauna, Outagamie County EF2 1.52 mi x 175 yd 0 0 $8.8M
2010-07-20 HailAppleton, Outagamie County 1.75 in hail 0 0 $8.4M
2011-09-02 Thunderstorm WindGreenville, Outagamie County 70 kt wind 0 0 $7.0M
2001-06-11 Thunderstorm WindAppleton, Outagamie County 67 kt wind 0 0 $6.2M
2026-04-17 FloodNew London, Outagamie County 0 0 $4.6M

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: April 27, 1984 (tornado, Outagamie County); June 26, 1969 (tornado, Outagamie County); December 1, 1970 (tornado, Outagamie 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 Outagamie 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).

Outagamie County: records per decade (the 2020s to June 30, 2026)
Hazard1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020-26
Severe thunderstorm wind16112734297932
Hail0241023337139
Winter storms––––21292416
Tornadoes233312164
High wind and dust storms––––71651
Fog, smoke and funnel clouds––––10840

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

What time of year?

54% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1959 fell in June and July. The two busiest months are in violet.

The values, month by month

Jan 35 · Feb 34 · Mar 30 · Apr 56 · May 57 · Jun 128 · Jul 114 · Aug 93 · Sep 57 · Oct 13 · Nov 5 · Dec 27 (records).

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

Federal disaster declarations for Outagamie County

FEMA's register lists 11 declarations that include Outagamie County: 8 major disasters, 3 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for flood (4) and severe storm (3).

Declarations including Outagamie County, newest first
DeclaredNumberTypeTitle
2026-06-30DR-4923FloodSevere Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding
2020-04-04DR-4520BiologicalCovid-19 Pandemic
2020-03-13EM-3454BiologicalCovid-19
2019-08-27DR-4459FloodSevere Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding
2005-09-13EM-3249HurricaneHurricane Katrina Evacuation
2004-06-18DR-1526Severe StormSevere Storms and Flooding
2001-05-11DR-1369FloodFlooding, Severe Storms and Tornadoes
1993-07-02DR-994Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes & Flooding
1990-07-13DR-874Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes & Flooding
1976-06-17EM-3014DroughtDrought
1973-04-27DR-376FloodSevere 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 Outagamie County had?

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 21 flood or flash flood records for Outagamie County from 1996 to 2026, on 21 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Outagamie County ranks 1390th of 2,942 U.S. counties.

The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $2.0 million on 86 claims filed in Outagamie County; the most in one year was 35 in 2026. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.

The values, year by year

1978: 1 · 1979: 12 · 1984: 1 · 1986: 1 · 1993: 1 · 1996: 3 · 1998: 1 · 2001: 5 · 2004: 2 · 2006: 1 · 2007: 1 · 2010: 3 · 2011: 3 · 2014: 1 · 2015: 3 · 2016: 1 · 2018: 4 · 2019: 4 · 2020: 1 · 2022: 1 · 2024: 1 · 2026: 35; 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 Outagamie County

FEMA's National Risk Index rates Outagamie County Relatively Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $59.0 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 Outagamie County (December 2025 release), by FEMA's rating, then score
HazardRisk ratingExpected annual lossModeled frequency
Cold WaveRelatively High$18M5.7 a year (modeled)
LightningRelatively High$1.8M32 a year (modeled)
HailRelatively Moderate$3.2M2.2 a year (modeled)
TornadoRelatively Moderate$8.2Monce in about 3 years (modeled)
Winter WeatherRelatively Moderate$270K15 a year (modeled)
Riverine FloodingRelatively Moderate$25Monce in about 2 years (modeled)
Strong WindRelatively Moderate$1.4M2.4 a year (modeled)
Heat WaveRelatively Low$1.4M1.5 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 Outagamie County

  1. Outagamie County 649
  2. Brown County 609
  3. Winnebago County 591
  4. Waupaca County 533
  5. Shawano County 462
  6. Calumet County 431

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

Next