Burnett County, Wisconsin severe weather history spans 325 recorded events between 1953 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 46.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,638 nationally and #43 in Wisconsin.
325
Recorded events
4
Direct deaths
25
Direct injuries
$13.3M
Property damage
The record
What the Burnett County, Wisconsin severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Burnett County, Wisconsin severe weather history averages 4.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 96 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 35 events fall before 1990 and 290 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Burnett County, Wisconsin record is tornado, responsible for 3 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $12.6M in reported property damage. In total, 6 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Burnett County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 150 | 0 | $10K | 2.75 | 1956–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 147 | 0 | $726K | 104 | 1973–2025 |
| Tornado | 15 | 3 | $12.6M | F3 | 1953–2018 |
| Flash Flood | 7 | 0 | $30K | 0 | 2000–2025 |
| Lightning | 3 | 1 | $4K | 0 | 2006–2011 |
| Flood | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2018–2023 |
Decade by decade
Burnett County, Wisconsin severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
18 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 13 touched down inside it and 5 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957-05-21 | EF4 | 0 | 2 | 9.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 2001-06-18 | EF3 | 2 | 16 | 34.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1953-05-10 | EF2 | 4 | 27 | 105.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 2010-06-17 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 7.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 1965-05-05 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 14.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-06-28 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2005-06-11 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 6.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1964-08-28 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 1959-09-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2018-08-07 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Burnett County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 19, 2001 | Tornado | GRANTSBURG | 2 | 16 | $10.0M |
| May 11, 1953 | Tornado | 1 | 9 | $2.5M | |
| Jul 2, 2011 | Lightning | HERTEL | 1 | 0 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Twenty homes and four businesses received window and roof damage from strong thunderstorm winds and large hail. Two-by-fours were driven through the roof of a house. The hail was described as the size of "billiard balls". Some cars were damaged and many power lines were blown down.
An isolated severe thunderstorm produced a wicked wet microburst whose violent winds and large hail did considerable damage in Webster (about $250 thousand). Twenty homes and four businesses sustained window and roof damage from the winds and large hail. Two-by-fours were driven through a roof of a house, and many power lines were toppled. Some cars were damaged in Webster by hail three inches in diameter. The hail was described as the size of "billiard balls".
Photos and video were received of large trees downed on several properties and on the roadway on Ham Lake Road in Danbury. One house also had a tree fall into the side of the house. Two properties along this road also had docks on Ham Lake that were damaged and flipped.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
16,916
Population (ACS)
$231K
Median home value
10
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 4, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Aug 10, 2018 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Aug 9, 2016 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Sep 13, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
| Sep 10, 2002 | Tornado | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES AND FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Burnett County, Wisconsin?
325 events are on record between 1953 and 2025, causing 4 direct deaths and $13.3M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Burnett County?
Hail, with 150 recorded events — 46.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Burnett County?
18 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 13 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Burnett County?
10 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Burnett County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Burnett County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Burnett County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 49 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Burnett 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
- Buffalo County 345
- Calumet County 279
- Brown County 392
- Chippewa County 444
- Bayfield County 322
- Clark County 486
Cite this page
“Burnett County, Wisconsin.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/wisconsin/burnett-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.