Rusk County, Wisconsin

What hazards hit Rusk County most?

The most frequent records are severe thunderstorm wind events: 98 since 1960. 60% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1960 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.

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 Rusk County had?

NOAA records 16 tornadoes in Rusk County from 1950 to 2021, the strongest rated EF3, with 0 deaths and 34 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 16 tornadoes whose track touched Rusk County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 16, the same count); along their whole tracks they killed 2 people, 0 of them in Rusk County.

Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Wisconsin.

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 Rusk County?

The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the June 24, 2021 tornado ($22,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).

A tornado moved toward the north-northwest and struck a farm toward the end of its path. The roof of a shed was lifted up and pushed, some concrete blocks were knocked over. Siding of a house was ripped off. A few trees were downed. The starting point was based on video. Three videos were available. The damage survey of the farm was provided by a storm chaser.
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 957094)

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

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: 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 Rusk 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).

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 severe thunderstorm wind events since 1960 fell in June and July. The two busiest months are in violet.

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

Federal disaster declarations for Rusk County

FEMA's register lists 12 declarations that include Rusk County: 8 major disasters, 4 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for flood (4) and severe storm (3).

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 Rusk County had?

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 10 flood or flash flood records for Rusk County from 1999 to 2016, on 8 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Rusk County ranks 2358th of 2,942 U.S. counties.

The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $290,000 on 10 claims filed in Rusk County; the most in one year was 4 in 1994. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.

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 Rusk County

FEMA's National Risk Index rates Rusk County Very Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $10.5 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.

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

Counties that share a border with Rusk County

1. Chippewa County 581
2. Sawyer County 559
3. Barron County 558
4. Price County 508
5. Taylor County 446
6. Washburn County 417
7. Rusk County 324

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
• Severe thunderstorm wind in WisconsinThe state's severe thunderstorm wind events, 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 Rusk CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
• Download Rusk County's FEMA declarations (CSV)12 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis