Brown County, Wisconsin severe weather history spans 392 recorded events between 1956 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 48.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,288 nationally and #27 in Wisconsin.
392
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
8
Direct injuries
$10.2M
Property damage
The record
What the Brown County, Wisconsin severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Brown County, Wisconsin severe weather history averages 5.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 127 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 64 events fall before 1990 and 328 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Brown County, Wisconsin record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $6.7M in reported property damage. In total, 9 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Brown County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 189 | 1 | $1.3M | 78 | 1961–2025 |
| Hail | 121 | 0 | $25K | 3 | 1956–2026 |
| Tornado | 30 | 0 | $6.7M | F2 | 1957–2021 |
| Lightning | 16 | 0 | $291K | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 14 | 0 | $564K | 0 | 1998–2026 |
| Flood | 9 | 0 | $1.1M | 0 | 2000–2020 |
| Funnel Cloud | 6 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2017 |
| Heavy Rain | 6 | 0 | $175K | 0 | 2008–2015 |
| Dust Devil | 1 | 0 | $2K | 0 | 1998–1998 |
Decade by decade
Brown County, Wisconsin severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
30 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 22 touched down inside it and 8 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969-06-26 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 15.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 1970-04-22 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 3.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1970-04-22 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 7.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1964-05-08 | EF2 | 0 | 5 | 30.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 1959-05-10 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 4.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2013-08-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 33.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 2013-08-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 10.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2013-08-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 19.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 2013-08-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 20.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 2011-04-10 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.2 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Brown County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 23, 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | CORMIER | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| May 11, 1959 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $2.5M | |
| Apr 23, 1970 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| Aug 25, 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | SUAMICO | 0 | 1 | $10K |
| Apr 23, 1970 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $250K | |
| Aug 17, 1968 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $25K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Thunderstorm winds downed a tree onto a 9-year-old child on the west side of Green Bay. The person was taken to the hospital and passed away from the injuries. The time of this report is an estimate based on radar data.
The tornado that developed 2.7 miles east-northeast of Mackville in Outagamie County at 12:40 am CDT moved into Brown County, entering near Highway 41, 1.8 miles northwest of Wrightstown, at 12:48 am CDT. The tornado first hit the Apple Creek Campground, snapping 50 trees and knocking over two camping trailers. As the tornado moved across the southern part of the county, at least 70 homes sustained at least minor damage, many from fallen trees (DI 27, DOD 3 and 4; DI 28, DOD 3 and 4). A large, free-standing garage was heavily damaged when the tornadic winds blew in two garage doors, causing the roof to be ripped off (DI 1, DOD 5). The tornado entered Manitowoc County 4.1 miles northwest of Rosecrans at 1:01 am CDT. Average path width of the tornado in Brown County was 175 yards.
Runoff from rainfall and snow melt combined with clogged storm drains and ice jams to cause flooding on rivers, streams, roads and low-lying areas throughout Brown County. The hardest hit area in Green Bay was along the East River, where first responders evacuated about 80 to 100 residents from their homes. Residents near Duck Creek in Howard were also evacuated due to flooding. The county EOC moved assets away from its site in Allouez on the evening of March 15th due to flooding in the vicinity. Some roads were damaged by the flooding and required repairs after flood waters receded. Twelve homes sustained major flood damage and twenty-four suffered minor damage. Pamperin Park in Howard remained closed for a month due to damage caused by the flooding. A county-wide state of emergency was declared on March 15th, and the City of Green Bay, Town of Ledgeview, and Village of Suamico also declared a states of emergency that same day. The Village of Bellevue declared a state of emergency on March 14th.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
270,892
Population (ACS)
$266K
Median home value
9
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 30, 2026 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Apr 4, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Sep 13, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
| Jun 18, 2004 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jul 2, 1993 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES & FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Brown County, Wisconsin?
392 events are on record between 1956 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $10.2M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Brown County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 189 recorded events — 48.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Brown County?
30 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 22 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Brown County?
9 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Brown County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Brown County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Brown County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 90 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Brown County, Wisconsin severe weather history data come from?
Every figure is drawn from United States federal public-domain records: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events for the event archive, NOAA SPC SVRGIS for mapped tornado paths, FEMA for disaster declarations and risk ratings, and the U.S. Census for population context. Dates are shown in UTC and recent entries may still be revised by NOAA.
Nearby
Neighbouring counties
- Bayfield County 322
- Buffalo County 345
- Barron County 421
- Burnett County 325
- Ashland County 205
- Calumet County 279
Cite this page
“Brown County, Wisconsin.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/wisconsin/brown-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.