Wisconsin natural disasters

The state's storm and disaster record · population 5,888,183 · 72 counties and county equivalents

NOAA's Storm Events Database records 46,400 storm events in Wisconsin since 1950, 41,103 of them since 1996 when every event type began to be recorded, and the Storm Prediction Center counts 1,618 tornadoes in the state since 1950. The most frequent records are severe thunderstorm wind events (13,005). In NOAA's storm record since 1950, the deadliest tornado day in Wisconsin was June 4, 1958: tornadoes and the storms that came with them killed 28 people in the state; the deadliest of them in Wisconsin, the Menomonie tornado, killed 21 (SPC). FEMA has made 56 declarations for Wisconsin since 1965, 54 for natural hazards; 47 were major disasters.

The record, 1950 to 2026

Storm events recorded in Wisconsin 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 $1 million
$1 million or more
$10 million or more
$100 million or more, or 10 deaths
$1 billion or more, or 100 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 events recorded: 46,4001950 to June 30, 2026
Deaths recorded: 5503,354 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars: $9.6Bas filed (scale steps before 1993)
Tornadoes (SPC): 1,6181950 to 2025
FEMA declarations: 5647 major disasters

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026 (file revision 20260918); tornado count: NOAA Storm Prediction Center, 1950-2025; damage in 2025 dollars (BLS CPI-U). Search the record at NCEI.

What natural disasters happen in Wisconsin?

By NOAA's records, Wisconsin's most frequent hazards are severe thunderstorm wind events (13,005), winter storm records (10,237), hail reports (9,265); the deadliest are winter storm records (138 deaths). Each hazard is counted over the years NOAA has recorded it everywhere: tornadoes since 1950, hail and thunderstorm wind since 1955, everything else since 1996. Open a hazard for its years, months, counties and worst events.

Wisconsin: records by hazard to June 30, 2026
Hazard	Records	Last 10 years	Killed	Injured	Damage	Counties
Severe thunderstorm wind	13,005	3,135	20	254	$574M	72 of 72
Winter storms	10,237	3,908	138	717	$36M	72 of 72
Hail	9,265	2,533	1	43	$1.6B	72 of 72
Floods	2,580	1,053	30	30	$3.3B	72 of 72
Fog, smoke and funnel clouds	2,053	58	29	63	$302K	69 of 72
Tornadoes	1,820	360	98	1,646	$3.9B	72 of 72
High wind and dust storms	1,739	281	22	39	$42M	72 of 72
Extreme cold	1,736	580	99	44	$597K	72 of 72
Drought	1,433	380	0	1	$8.9M	63 of 72
Heat	1,241	347	59	374	$100K	72 of 72
Lightning	662	59	23	128	$106M	63 of 72
Heavy rain	570	153	7	7	$2.8M	62 of 72
Wildfires	31	10	4	6	$3.1M	11 of 72
Rip currents and high surf	27	22	20	2	$7K	10 of 72
Landslides and avalanches	1	1	0	0	$941	1 of 72

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: every record counted once in the state; "last 10 years" is 2017-2026 (2026 to June 30, 2026).

What were the deadliest disasters in Wisconsin?

The storms with the most deaths since 1950, from the National Weather Service's own entries. NOAA files one storm as several records when it crosses forecast zones and counties or changes type, and groups them under one episode; each row here is an episode, with its totals and the narrative of its deadliest record. Before 1996 tornado records carry no episode and stand alone. The narrative says what happened: some deaths the National Weather Service files under a weather type had another cause beside the weather.

Wisconsin: the 10 storm episodes with the most deaths
Date	Record	Character	Killed	Injured	Damage
1958-06-04	Tornadoes of the day; the deadliest, Menomonie, killed 21 (SPC) · TornadoDunn County Every tornado record filed in the state that day (8, in 6 places; before 1996 NOAA filed no storm episodes); the totals are the day's.	F5 11.4 mi x 880 yd	28	130	$25M step
2002-10-11	Dense FogSheboygan County · forecast zone Sheboygan One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. Shallow dense fog developed over parts of Sheboygan and Ozaukee counties during the overnight hours, and persisted to about 0830CST. The dense fog, reducing visibilities to zero to 1/4 mile, was a factor in three closely-spaced, but separate multi-vehicle accidents in Sheboygan County (total of 50 vehicles), and one ...		11	0	–
1984-06-07	Tornadoes of the day; the deadliest, Barneveld, killed 9 (SPC) · TornadoIowa County Every tornado record filed in the state that day (7, in 6 places; before 1996 NOAA filed no storm episodes); the totals are the day's.	F5 10 mi x 450 yd	9	200	$250K step
1956-04-03	Tornadoes of the day; the deadliest, Berlin to Omro, killed 7 (SPC) · TornadoGreen Lake County Every tornado record filed in the state that day (4, in 4 places; before 1996 NOAA filed no storm episodes); the totals are the day's.	F4 1.9 mi x 440 yd	9	52	$2.5M step
2012-07-02	Excessive HeatRock County · forecast zone Rock One storm episode: 5 records in 5 places, 2012-07-02 to 2012-07-03; the totals are the episode's. A hot air mass settled over southern Wisconsin to start the month of July, bringing 100-degree heat to many locations for multiple days between July 2nd and July 6th. While humidity levels were relatively low considering the temperatures, maximum heat indices still climbed to between 100 and 115 during the hot spell. ...		9	0	–
1999-07-29	HeatMilwaukee County · forecast zone Milwaukee One storm episode: 5 records in 5 places; the totals are the episode's. The most intense heat wave since the killer heat wave of July 13-14, 1995, struck southcentral and southeast Wisconsin at the end of July, 1999. This most recent heat wave was responsible for directly killing 8 people (heat was the major cause of death), and indirectly killing (heat was a contributing factor) an ...		8	0	–
1951-09-26	Tornadoes of the day; the deadliest, Waupaca, killed 6 (SPC) · TornadoWaupaca County Every tornado record filed in the state that day (3, in 3 places; before 1996 NOAA filed no storm episodes); the totals are the day's.	F4 22.3 mi x 100 yd	7	12	$250K step
2009-03-28	Winter StormWashington County · forecast zone Washington One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. 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 ...		6	4	–
2017-12-25	Cold/Wind ChillDane County · forecast zone Dane One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. Bitterly cold air and wind chill temperatures prevailed over southern WI from Christmas Day through January 6th. Wind chill temperatures of 20 below to 34 below zero occurred at times with low temperatures below zero for most nights. There are eight known deaths related to hypothermia. Water main breaks and frozen ...		6	0	–
2012-07-02	HeatLa Crosse County · forecast zone La Crosse One storm episode: 4 records in 4 places; the totals are the episode's. Five people died from the effects of a long duration heatwave that gripped western Wisconsin from July 2nd through July 7th. Two of the deaths occurred in La Crosse County with one each in Juneau, Richland and Vernon Counties. Numerous people were also treated for heat related illnesses. The highest apparent ...		5	50	–

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 direct and indirect, as filed in this state, summed over the records of each episode (EPISODE_ID); a forecast-zone record counts the zone's deaths once. A tornado's whole-track deaths (SPC), on the state's tornado page, can be higher when the track crossed a state line. Storm names from the titles of FEMA declarations that name the storm's counties.

The costliest records in Wisconsin

Wisconsin: the 8 records with the most damage since 1993, 2025 dollars
Date	Record	Character	Injured	Damage
2006-06-25	HailDekorra, Columbia County	1.00 in hail	0	$734M
2008-06-08	Flash FloodLake Mills, Jefferson County		0	$188M
1997-06-21	Flash FloodFox Pt, Milwaukee County		0	$145M
2008-06-12	Flash FloodCamp Randall Stadium, Dane County		0	$107M
2008-06-08	Flash FloodBrown Deer, Milwaukee County		0	$107M
2004-06-01	FloodFond du Lac County · forecast zone Fond Du Lac		0	$105M
2025-08-09	Flash FloodMenomonee Falls, Waukesha County		1	$89M
2008-06-08	Flash FloodNorth Prairie, Waukesha County		0	$88M

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: June 4, 1958 (tornado, Dunn County, 20 killed); April 4, 1981 (tornado, Washington County, 3 killed); June 8, 1985 (tornado, Oneida County, 2 killed); August 29, 1992 (tornado, Waushara County, 1 killed); June 4, 1958 (tornado, St. Croix County, 1 killed).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, converted to 2025 dollars with the BLS CPI-U. BLS consumer price index.

Which counties in Wisconsin have the most records?

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1950 attributed to each county (forecast-zone records count on every county the zone covers).

Every county in Wisconsin

Billion-dollar disasters in Wisconsin

NOAA counted 63 weather or climate disasters from 1980-2024 that cost at least $1 billion (adjusted for inflation) and affected Wisconsin, led by severe storm (44). The most recent: Central and Eastern Tornado Outbreak and Severe Weather (2024); Upper Midwest Flooding (2024); Central, Southern, Eastern Severe Weather (2024).

Wisconsin: billion-dollar disasters by type, 1980-2024
Type	Events	Total cost (NOAA's range)
Severe Storm	44	$5.0B-$10.0B
Drought	9	$5.0B-$10.0B
Flooding	5	$5.0B-$10.0B
Winter Storm	4	$250M-$500M
Freeze	1	$5M-$100M

Every one of the 63, newest first

Central and Eastern Tornado Outbreak and Severe Weather2024
Upper Midwest Flooding2024
Central, Southern, Eastern Severe Weather2024
Central, Southern, Southeastern Tornado Outbreak2024
Central, Southern, Northeastern Winter Storm and Cold Wave2024
North Central and Eastern Severe Weather2023
North Central and Southeastern Severe Weather2023
Northeastern Flooding and North Central Severe Weather2023
Central Severe Weather2023
Central and Eastern Severe Weather2023
Southern/Midwestern Drought and Heatwave2023
Central and Eastern Winter Storm and Cold Wave2022
North Central and Eastern Severe Weather2022
Central Derecho2022
North Central Hail Storms2022
North Central Severe Weather2022
North Central Hail Storms2022
Southern Severe Weather2022
Midwest Derecho and Tornado Outbreak2021
North Central Severe Weather2021
Central Severe Storms2021
Ohio Valley Hail Storms2021
Central Severe Weather - Derecho2020
North Central and Ohio Valley Hail Storms and Severe Weather2020
Southeast Tornadoes and Northern Storms and Flooding2020
Missouri River and North Central Flooding2019
Central and Northeast Severe Weather2018
Minnesota Hail Storm and Upper Midwest Severe Weather2017
North Central Severe Weather and Tornadoes2017
Midwest Tornado Outbreak2017
Central and Northeast Severe Weather2015
Midwest/Ohio Valley Severe Weather2015
Central Severe Weather2014
Midwest Severe Weather2013
Western/Plains Drought/Heat Wave2013
U.S. Drought/Heat Wave2012
North Central Severe Weather2011
Midwest/Southeast Tornadoes2011
Southeast/Midwest Tornadoes2011
Midwest/Southeast Tornadoes and Derecho2011
Midwest/Northeast Severe Storms and Flooding2010
Midwest/Mid-Atlantic Severe Weather2008
Midwest Flooding2008
Western, Central and Northeast Severe Weather2008
U.S. Drought2008
Western/Eastern Drought/Heat Wave2007
Central Severe Weather2006
North Central Severe Weather and Tornadoes2006
Midwest Tornadoes2006
Midwest Drought2005
Severe Storms, Hail, Tornadoes2004
Western/Central Drought/Heat Wave2003
North Central Severe Weather2001
Midwest/Ohio Valley Hail and Tornadoes2001
Central and Eastern Severe Storms and Flooding1998
Northern Plains and Great Lakes Derecho, Tornadoes1998
Central, Southern and Northeast Drought/Heat Wave1995
Midwest Flooding1993
U.S. Drought/Heat Wave1988
Winter Storm, Cold Wave1985
Freeze/Cold Wave1983
Midwest/Plains/Southeast Tornadoes1982
Midwest/Southeast/Northeast Winter Storm, Cold Wave1982

Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters, state summary for Wisconsin, 1980-2024 (NCEI's last update; the product is archived). A disaster that affected several states counts in each. NCEI billion-dollar disasters.

Federal disaster declarations in Wisconsin

FEMA has made 56 declarations for Wisconsin since 1965: 47 major disasters, 8 emergencies and one fire management assistance declaration. The most common incident types are flood (21), severe storm (20), tornado (6).

1960s 3
1970s 9
1980s 6
1990s 12
2000s 10
2010s 11
2020s 5

The 15 most recent declarations in Wisconsin
Declared	Number	Type	Title	Areas named
2026-06-30	DR-4923	Flood	Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding	22
2025-09-11	DR-4892	Flood	Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, and Mudslides	3
2020-04-04	DR-4520	Biological	Covid-19 Pandemic	84
2020-03-13	EM-3454	Biological	Covid-19	83
2020-03-11	DR-4477	Flood	Severe Winter Storm and Flooding	3
2019-08-27	DR-4459	Flood	Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding	20
2018-10-18	DR-4402	Flood	Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, and Landslides	14
2018-08-10	DR-4383	Flood	Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding	6
2017-10-07	DR-4343	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mud	11
2016-10-20	DR-4288	Flood	Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides	10
2016-08-09	DR-4276	Severe Storm	Severe Storms and Flooding	9
2013-08-08	DR-4141	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Flooding, and Mudslides	8
2012-08-02	DR-4076	Severe Storm	Severe Storms and Flooding	4
2011-04-05	DR-1966	Snowstorm	Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm	11
2010-10-21	DR-1944	Severe Storm	Severe Storms and Flooding	9

Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), through October 2, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.

Flood insurance claims in Wisconsin

The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $142 million on 9,395 claims in 69 Wisconsin counties. Claims count insured losses only.

Source: FEMA OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims, as of September 8, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.

FEMA's modeled risk across Wisconsin's counties

How FEMA's National Risk Index rates Wisconsin's counties overall: a model of expected future loss from 18 hazards, not a count of events.

Relatively High 1
Relatively Moderate 9
Relatively Low 47
Very Low 15

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