Buffalo County, Wisconsin severe weather history spans 345 recorded events between 1953 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 39.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,520 nationally and #39 in Wisconsin.
345
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
9
Direct injuries
$22.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Buffalo County, Wisconsin severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Buffalo County, Wisconsin severe weather history averages 4.7 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 101 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 33 events fall before 1990 and 312 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $10.7M in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Buffalo County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 137 | 0 | $1.9M | 4 | 1972–2026 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 131 | 0 | $982K | 78 | 1963–2025 |
| Tornado | 21 | 0 | $10.7M | F4 | 1953–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 21 | 0 | $7.2M | 0 | 1997–2020 |
| Heavy Rain | 18 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2009–2023 |
| Flood | 15 | 0 | $1.3M | 0 | 2007–2023 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2013–2023 |
Decade by decade
Buffalo County, Wisconsin severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
21 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 18 touched down inside it and 3 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953-05-10 | EF4 | 2 | 24 | 162.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1998-05-15 | EF3 | 0 | 6 | 8.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1982-05-17 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 26.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1960-06-28 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 12.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-04-28 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-05-21 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 19.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 2024-05-21 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-05-21 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2016-07-05 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2016-07-05 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Buffalo County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 8, 1999 | Tornado | MONDOVI | 0 | 3 | $1.0M |
| May 17, 1982 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $2.5M | |
| May 19, 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | NELSON | 0 | 2 | $85K |
| Sep 10, 1990 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $2.5M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Various roads were closed across the county including County Road EE, which had buckled. Also, 31 mudslides were reported, while multiple homes in Cream had water in their basements. Therefore, significant damage occurred to some roads, homes and businesses. The areas most affected by flooding, mudslides and road closures were along Waumandee Creek from Gilmanton to south of Waumandee.
This intense EF-3 tornado began near Blank Hill Road where it quickly intensified before damaging three homesteads near highway 88 south of Cream. The most significant damage was to one home where much of the exterior walls were collapsed onto the foundation forming the basis for the EF-3 rating. Other homes and outbuildings sustained significant damage near highway 88 as well. The tornado continued northeast and weakened slightly where additional homes and outbuildings sustained damage before the tornado lifted near County Road X just northeast of Montana.
Numerous roads across the county were closed due to flooding. Specific roads included State Highways 35 and 95 near Fountain City, State Highway 88, State Highway 37 north of Alma, Sand Road, Oak Valley Road, and Rose Valley Road. Also, all creeks and drainage areas were flooding in and around Nelson. Eight homes around the county had minor damage, while one business incurred major damage from flood waters. The rain began around 3:30 p.m. CST on the 22nd, and the majority of the rain fell by 7 a.m. CST on the 23rd. At this point, 5.50 inches had fallen at Nelson, while 5.14 inches was measured at Alma.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
13,393
Population (ACS)
$213K
Median home value
16
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 |
| Oct 7, 2017 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUD | DR |
| Oct 21, 2010 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Sep 13, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Buffalo County, Wisconsin?
345 events are on record between 1953 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $22.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Buffalo County?
Hail, with 137 recorded events — 39.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Buffalo County?
21 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 18 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Buffalo County?
16 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Buffalo County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Buffalo County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Buffalo County as very low risk, placing it in the 15 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Buffalo 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
- Brown County 392
- Burnett County 325
- Bayfield County 322
- Calumet County 279
- Barron County 421
- Chippewa County 444
Cite this page
“Buffalo County, Wisconsin.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/wisconsin/buffalo-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.