Washington County, Wisconsin
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 55131 · population 136,723 · 431 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 882 records for Washington County, Wisconsin from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 696 days; the most frequent are winter storm records (227 records). 463 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 deadliest single record is the April 4, 1981 tornado: 3 deaths and 53 injuries. FEMA has issued 14 declarations naming the county since 1976, 12 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
- 882on 696 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 16118 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $177Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 19strongest F4
- FEMA declarations
- 14latest 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 Washington County most?
The most frequent records are winter storm records: 227 since 1996. 53% 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 | 227 | 226 | 1996-2026 | 9 | 55 | $76K | 6 of 72 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 198 | 145 | 1965-2026 | 1 | 3 | $18M | 7 of 72 |
| Hail | 139 | 80 | 1958-2026 | 0 | 0 | $14M | 8 of 72 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 91 | 88 | 1996-2013 | 0 | 0 | – | 5 of 72 |
| High wind and dust storms | 58 | 58 | 1996-2026 | 0 | 0 | $1.3M | 5 of 72 |
| Heat | 39 | 38 | 1998-2026 | 0 | 0 | – | 6 of 72 |
| Extreme cold | 36 | 35 | 1996-2026 | 1 | 0 | $3K | 6 of 72 |
| Lightning | 28 | 24 | 1996-2025 | 1 | 2 | $5.5M | 6 of 72 |
| Floods | 24 | 19 | 1996-2026 | 1 | 1 | $46M | 27 of 72 |
| Tornadoes | 19 | 18 | 1964-2018 | 3 | 57 | $91M | 18 of 72 |
| Drought | 18 | 18 | 2002-2012 | 0 | 0 | $353K | 15 of 72 |
| Heavy rain | 5 | 5 | 2003-2020 | 0 | 0 | – | 22 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 Washington County had?
NOAA records 19 tornadoes in Washington County from 1964 to 2018, the strongest rated F4, with 3 deaths and 57 injuries recorded in the county. That is 18th 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 20 tornadoes whose track touched Washington County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 19: 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.
| Date | Tornado | Rating | Path | Killed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981-04-04 00:04, as SPC files it | West Bend | F4 | 1.8 mi | 3 |
| 1977-06-05 20:30, as SPC files it | Kekoskee to New Berlin | F3 | 69.5 mi | 0 |
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Wisconsin.
Every tornado record filed for Washington County (19)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-05-09 | Holy Hill, Washington County | EF0 5.22 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $18K |
| 2015-08-10 | Germantown, Washington County | EF0 0.8 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2007-06-03 | Kirchhayn, Washington County | EF1 0.45 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $36K |
| 2007-06-02 | Jackson, Washington County | EF0 0.01 mi x 15 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2006-06-18 | Hartford, Washington County | F1 4.6 mi x 400 yd | 0 | 1 | $5.9M |
| 2004-06-23 | Jackson, Washington County | F0 0.1 mi x 25 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2004-06-23 | Kewaskum, Washington County | F1 3 mi x 150 yd | 0 | 0 | $94K |
| 2003-07-06 | Wayne, Washington County | F1 0.7 mi x 40 yd | 0 | 0 | $32K |
| 2001-06-11 | Hartford, Washington County | F1 3.4 mi x 75 yd | 0 | 0 | $667K |
| 2000-06-01 | Allenton, Washington County | F0 1.5 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $171K |
| 1991-07-01 | Washington County | F1 4 mi x 23 yd | 0 | 1 | $250K step |
| 1984-04-27 | Washington County | F0 0.4 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1981-04-04 | Washington County | F4 1.8 mi x 100 yd | 3 | 53 | $25M step |
| 1980-04-07 | Washington County | F2 6.1 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 2 | $250K step |
| 1977-06-05 | Washington County | F3 11.1 mi x 300 yd | 0 | 0 | $250K step |
| 1970-07-27 | Washington County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 1969-05-31 | Washington County | F1 1.9 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1968-07-21 | Washington County | F2 2 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1964-07-06 | Washington County | F1 0.3 mi x 17 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
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 Washington County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the April 14, 2026 flood ($1,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-30 | Excessive HeatWashington County · forecast zone Washington | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-29 | Excessive HeatWashington County · forecast zone Washington | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-10 | Thunderstorm WindHartford, Washington County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-04-14 | FloodGermantown, Washington County | 0 | 0 | $1K | |
| 2026-04-14 | Thunderstorm WindHoly Hill, Washington County | 61 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $20K |
| 2026-04-14 | Thunderstorm WindMeeker, Washington County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-04-14 | HailGermantown, Washington County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-04-14 | HailGermantown, Washington County | 1.25 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-04-14 | HailRockfield, Washington County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-04-14 | HailGermantown, Washington County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-04-14 | HailPlat, Washington County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-03-16 | BlizzardWashington County · forecast zone Washington | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981-04-04 | TornadoWashington County | F4 1.8 mi x 100 yd | 3 | 53 | $25M step |
| 2009-03-28 | Winter StormWashington County · forecast zone Washington Strong low pressure tracked northeast from southeast Missouri to southeast Lower Michigan during the night of March 28th into the morning of March 29th. Maximum snowfall totals of 6 to 8 inches were recorded over Racine, Kenosha, and far southern Milwaukee counties. Specific accumulations included 8.3 inches 2NE of ... | 3 | 4 | – | |
| 2016-03-23 | Winter WeatherWashington County · forecast zone Washington Two car accidents on slippery roads resulted in three fatalities. Both accidents occurred in the Town of Hartford. 2 to 4 inches of snow and approximately one quarter inch of ice accumulated during this storm. | 3 | 0 | – | |
| 2021-04-21 | Winter WeatherWashington County · forecast zone Washington A narrow band of heavy snow showers produced whiteout conditions and slick roads over portions of I-41 in Washington County for a period of 45 minutes to 90 minutes. Numerous multi-vehicle accidents were reported on I-41 near highway 144 and Cedar Creek Road, which included a crash involving 30 vehicles and another ... | 1 | 38 | – | |
| 2017-03-12 | Lake-Effect SnowWashington County · forecast zone Washington Six to sixteen inches of snow accumulation with the lowest amounts in the far northwest portion of the county. Two large chain-reaction accidents involving dozens of vehicles occurred on I-41 from the late morning into the afternoon hours. I-41 southbound was closed from Sherman Rd. and Hillside Rd. in the Town of ... | 1 | 7 | – | |
| 1998-05-31 | Thunderstorm WindCountywide, Washington County During the early morning hours of Sunday, May 31st, southcentral and southeast Wisconsin experienced an unprecedented, widespread downburst wind event known as a "derecho." Incredibly powerful, hurricane-force straight-line winds, with peak gusts of 100 to 128 mph tore through 12 counties in this part of the state, ... | 1 | 2 | $16M | |
| 2025-08-10 | FloodKirchhayn, Washington County A continuation of flooding of streets, creeks, rivers, low lying neighborhoods, and basements in Germantown and surrounding communities. Additional showers and storms aggravated the flooding. Some vehicles stranded in relatively deep, still water. More specifically, the flooding of the Menomonee River and its ... | 1 | 1 | $1.0M | |
| 2025-09-22 | LightningMichaels, Washington County An employee of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources was struck by lightning when working outside near the New Fane hiking trail. The lightning strike was fatal. | 1 | 0 | – |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998-05-31 | Thunderstorm WindCountywide, Washington County | 1 | 2 | $16M | |
| 2004-06-01 | FloodWashington County · forecast zone Washington | 0 | 0 | $14M | |
| 2008-06-08 | Flash FloodWayne, Washington County | 0 | 0 | $12M | |
| 2006-06-18 | TornadoHartford, Washington County | F1 4.6 mi x 400 yd | 0 | 1 | $5.9M |
| 1997-06-21 | Flash FloodGermantown, Washington County | 0 | 0 | $5.0M | |
| 1996-06-17 | FloodWashington County · forecast zone Washington | 0 | 0 | $4.6M | |
| 2006-04-13 | HailJackson, Washington County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | $2.9M |
| 2013-08-22 | LightningSlinger, Washington County | 0 | 0 | $2.7M |
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 $25M, in the dollars of the day) holds: April 4, 1981 (tornado, Washington County, 3 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 Washington 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 | – | – | – | – | 13 | 57 | 92 | 65 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 0 | 3 | 9 | 30 | 39 | 49 | 43 | 25 |
| Hail | 1 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 13 | 30 | 46 | 37 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | – | – | – | – | 9 | 66 | 16 | 0 |
| High wind and dust storms | – | – | – | – | 5 | 24 | 24 | 5 |
| Heat | – | – | – | – | 7 | 10 | 15 | 7 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).
What time of year?
53% 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 92 · Feb 77 · Mar 55 · Apr 75 · May 55 · Jun 107 · Jul 119 · Aug 102 · Sep 47 · Oct 30 · Nov 40 · Dec 83 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Washington County
FEMA's register lists 14 declarations that include Washington County: 10 major disasters, 4 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for flood (4) and severe storm (4).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-30 | DR-4923 | Flood | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding |
| 2025-09-11 | DR-4892 | Flood | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, and Mudslides |
| 2020-04-04 | DR-4520 | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic |
| 2020-03-13 | EM-3454 | Biological | Covid-19 |
| 2011-04-05 | DR-1966 | Snowstorm | Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm |
| 2008-06-14 | DR-1768 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding |
| 2008-03-19 | EM-3285 | Snowstorm | Record Snow and Near Record Snow |
| 2005-09-13 | EM-3249 | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation |
| 2004-06-18 | DR-1526 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 1997-07-07 | DR-1180 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 1991-08-06 | DR-912 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms & Hail |
| 1986-10-07 | DR-775 | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding |
| 1976-06-17 | EM-3014 | Drought | Drought |
| 1976-03-23 | DR-496 | Flood | Severe Storms, Icing, Wind & 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 Washington County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 24 flood or flash flood records for Washington County from 1996 to 2026, on 19 days, with 1 death. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Washington County ranks 1428th of 2,942 U.S. counties.
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $1.2 million on 78 claims filed in Washington County; the most in one year was 26 in 2008. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1979: 3 · 1980: 2 · 1982: 2 · 1984: 1 · 1986: 3 · 1990: 1 · 1991: 1 · 1993: 3 · 1996: 2 · 1997: 1 · 1998: 1 · 1999: 2 · 2000: 1 · 2001: 2 · 2002: 1 · 2004: 2 · 2006: 1 · 2007: 1 · 2008: 26 · 2010: 2 · 2013: 1 · 2014: 1 · 2017: 1 · 2018: 3 · 2019: 3 · 2025: 8 · 2026: 3; 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 Washington County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Washington County Relatively Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $48.4 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 | $13M | 5.4 a year (modeled) |
| Hail | Relatively Moderate | $2.4M | 3.2 a year (modeled) |
| Tornado | Relatively Moderate | $8.8M | once in about 4 years (modeled) |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Moderate | $183K | 16 a year (modeled) |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | $577K | 34 a year (modeled) |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Moderate | $1.2M | 3.4 a year (modeled) |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Low | $1.8M | 2.7 modeled event-days a year |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Low | $20M | once in about 2 years (modeled) |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
Counties that share a border with Washington 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 Washington CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Washington County's FEMA declarations (CSV)14 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis