63
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
19
Direct injuries
$25.1M
Property damage
Tornado in Marathon County, Wisconsin: 63 recorded events between 1950 and 2026. The strongest on record measured F3. That places the county #215 nationally and #3 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Marathon County, Wisconsin: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Marathon County is the 2000s, when 15 of the county's 63 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Marathon County archive, tornado makes up 9.9% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #215 for this hazard and #3 within Wisconsin, putting it in the 92.8 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jul is the peak month for tornado in Marathon County with 17 recorded events, while Jan is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
| Date | Scale | Path length | Max width | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1958-06-04 | EF4 | 59.2 mi | 880 yd | Crossed in |
| 1977-08-31 | EF4 | 31.8 mi | 1,000 yd | Touched down here |
| 2011-04-10 | EF3 | 21.2 mi | 1,050 yd | Touched down here |
| 1971-09-28 | EF3 | 49.6 mi | 300 yd | Crossed in |
| 1971-09-28 | EF3 | 78.4 mi | 200 yd | Touched down here |
| 1950-06-25 | EF2 | 7.8 mi | 17 yd | Crossed in |
| 2025-05-15 | EF2 | 4.6 mi | 230 yd | Crossed in |
| 2007-06-07 | EF2 | 7.3 mi | 225 yd | Touched down here |
| 1997-07-16 | EF2 | 3.4 mi | 100 yd | Crossed in |
| 1996-08-07 | EF2 | 2.5 mi | 200 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 1, 1977 | 0 | 0 | 10 | $2.5M | |
| Aug 19, 1968 | F2 | 0 | 5 | $2.5M | |
| May 8, 1988 | F2 | 0 | 2 | $2.5M | |
| Sep 2, 2002 | WAUSAU | F1 | 0 | 1 | $1.3M |
| Sep 28, 1971 | F3 | 0 | 1 | $250K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 17, 2026 | SCHOFIELD | EF3 | $8.2M |
| Apr 17, 2026 | KALINKE | EF1 | $0 |
| May 15, 2025 | RIB FALLS | EF0 | $0 |
| May 15, 2025 | COLBY | EF2 | $0 |
| Jun 17, 2024 | COLBY | EF0 | $0 |
| May 22, 2024 | STRATFORD | EF1 | $0 |
| May 22, 2024 | FENWOOD | EF1 | $0 |
| May 22, 2024 | COLBY | EF1 | $15K |
| Jul 29, 2021 | PEPLIN | EF0 | $0 |
| Jul 29, 2021 | GRANITE HGTS | EF1 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Marathon County
- Thunderstorm Wind 287
- Hail 221
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The first tornado of the outbreak formed 9.4 miles east of Mosinee at 4:01 PM CDT. The storm moved across eastern Marathon County where it heavily damaged 2 homes (DI 2, DOD 6), 1 mobile home (DI 4, DOD 9) and 10 barns; caused major damage to 1 home; did minor damage to 6 homes and 1 business; and snapped or uprooted many trees (DI 27, DOD 4). The tornado dissipated near Pike Lake at 4:14 PM CDT. The average path width of the tornado was 150 yards. The tornado was rated EF2 with estimated winds of 115 to 125 mph.
A tornado developed about 2 miles north of Hamburg at 6:08 pm CDT (1708 CST) and moved northeast into Lincoln County at 6:10 pm CDT (1710 CST). Pine trees were uprooted and large branches were broken in the path of the storm (DI 28, DOD 2-3). A house sustained damage to its siding (DI 2, DOD 2) and several barns were blown down or lost their roofs (DI 1, DOD 2-3). The average width of the tornado in Marathon County was 100 yards. The tornado reached EF3 intensity in Lincoln County.
A tornado formed a little over 5 miles east of Colby and quickly traveled east along Huckleberry Road. The tornado affected 16 homesteads and farms. One barn collapsed (DI 1, DOD 6) and three others sustained at least minor damage (DODs 1 and 2). Five homes sustained roof damage (DI 2, DOD 2) and several sheds were damaged or destroyed. A church steeple was damaged and several dozen trees were snapped or uprooted (DI 28, DODs 2-4). Average path width was 125 yards.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Marathon County, Wisconsin?
63 tornado events are recorded in Marathon County between 1950 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Marathon County?
The strongest tornado on record in Marathon County measured F3.
Where does the tornado data for Marathon County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Tornado in Marathon County, Wisconsin.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/wisconsin/marathon-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.