349
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
2
Direct injuries
$11.8M
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Waukesha County, Wisconsin: 349 recorded events between 1955 and 2026. The strongest on record measured 96. That places the county #306 nationally and #3 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Waukesha County, Wisconsin: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Waukesha County is the 2010s, when 93 of the county's 349 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 Waukesha County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 44.3% of all recorded severe weather across 10 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #306 for this hazard and #3 within Wisconsin, putting it in the 90.3 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jun is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Waukesha County with 99 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.
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 21, 2011 | EAGLE | 96 | 0 | 1 | $276K |
| Jun 15, 1997 | CHENEQUA | 0 | 0 | 1 | $3K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 14, 2026 | OCONOMOWOC LAKE | 70 | $60K |
| Sep 23, 2025 | DELAFIELD | 50 | $3K |
| Aug 12, 2025 | DELAFIELD | 56 | $2K |
| May 16, 2025 | OCONOMOWOC LAKE | 50 | $2K |
| May 16, 2025 | SUMMIT CORNERS | 57 | $0 |
| Mar 15, 2025 | PHANTOM LAKE | 53 | $0 |
| Mar 15, 2025 | SUMMIT CORNERS | 58 | $0 |
| Mar 15, 2025 | OCONOMOWOC | 52 | $0 |
| Aug 27, 2024 | MARCY | 50 | $1K |
| Aug 27, 2024 | FUSSVILLE | 50 | $1K |
Other hazards here
More from Waukesha County
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A 2-mile wide swath of damage was caused by a microburst associated with a bowing line of severe thunderstorms that tracked from southwest to northeast across a large portion of Waukesha County. Wind gusts estimated up to between 100 to 110 mph (87 to 96 knots) dropped thousands of trees, damaged homes and barns and blew down power lines that left 10,000 customers without power in Waukesha County. One person was injured by airborne tree debris near the Pewaukee and Delafield town borders. A semi-trailer truck was blown over on Interstate-94 in Waukesha County, while two other high-profile vehicles were nearly blown over by the strong winds, but concrete construction barriers saved the vehicles from being completely blown over.
Numerous reports of a number of large trees snapped and uprooted trees across Waukesha County. Winds were estimated to be upward of 60 mph, with locally higher gusts across the southern portion of the county. Wind measurements near Eagle, WI of 68 to 77 mph were observed. A large tree fell on a house causing significant damage near Eagle, WI. A business marquee sign was knocked over in Waukesha. Hail of three-quarters of an inch was also observed.
A swath of scattered tree and powerline damage across the county, but with heavier concentrations of damage in some areas. There was widespread tree damage on the west side of Lake Okauchee, and also a concentration of uprooted and snapped trees, including some felled on homes, near North Prairie. Another concentration of many snapped pine trees near the intersection of Waterville Rd. and Robinhood Dr. Another concentration of trees and powerlines down near Big Bend and yet another in the Sussex area.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Waukesha County, Wisconsin?
349 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Waukesha County between 1955 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Waukesha County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Waukesha County measured 96.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Waukesha 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
“Thunderstorm Wind in Waukesha County, Wisconsin.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/wisconsin/waukesha-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.