Chippewa County, Wisconsin severe weather history spans 444 recorded events between 1953 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 50.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,085 nationally and #18 in Wisconsin.
444
Recorded events
6
Direct deaths
119
Direct injuries
$45.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Chippewa County, Wisconsin severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Chippewa County, Wisconsin severe weather history averages 6.1 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 100 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 121 events fall before 1990 and 323 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Chippewa County, Wisconsin record is tornado, responsible for 5 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $39.9M in reported property damage. In total, 8 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Chippewa County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 224 | 1 | $4.3M | 80 | 1955–2025 |
| Hail | 144 | 0 | $25K | 3 | 1956–2026 |
| Tornado | 35 | 5 | $39.9M | F4 | 1953–2021 |
| Flash Flood | 18 | 0 | $1.1M | 0 | 2000–2022 |
| Lightning | 10 | 0 | $275K | 0 | 1997–2017 |
| Heavy Rain | 7 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2013–2020 |
| Funnel Cloud | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2010 |
| Flood | 2 | 0 | $10K | 0 | 1999–2019 |
Decade by decade
Chippewa County, Wisconsin severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
38 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 31 touched down inside it and 7 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1958-06-04 | EF4 | 3 | 50 | 11.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1953-05-10 | EF4 | 2 | 24 | 162.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1977-07-30 | EF4 | 0 | 20 | 19.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-09-24 | EF3 | 0 | 3 | 7.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1971-09-28 | EF3 | 0 | 5 | 49.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1958-06-04 | EF3 | 0 | 3 | 4.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1980-07-15 | EF2 | 1 | 5 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1977-07-30 | EF2 | 1 | 8 | 34.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-07-18 | EF2 | 1 | 2 | 38.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2021-12-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 7.4 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Chippewa County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 5, 1958 | Tornado | 3 | 50 | $250K | |
| Jul 31, 1977 | Tornado | 1 | 8 | $2.5M | |
| Jul 16, 1980 | Tornado | 1 | 5 | $2.5M | |
| Jun 7, 1987 | Thunderstorm Wind | 1 | 2 | $0 | |
| Jul 31, 1977 | Tornado | 0 | 20 | $25.0M | |
| Jul 15, 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cadot | 0 | 10 | $0 |
| Jul 15, 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Cadot | 0 | 10 | $0 |
| Sep 24, 2019 | Tornado | ALBERTVILLE | 0 | 3 | $3.0M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
This is the continuation track of the tornado in Dunn County that crossed 10th Street, south of 560th Avenue. As the tornado tracked northeast, the tornado intensified to an EF3 where considerable damage occurred near County Road X, or Highway 29, and 30th Street, or County Road M. The tornado crossed Highway 29, and move northeast until dissipating east of 50th Street, north of County Road X. ||Based on the NWS Storm Survey, the most significant damage occurred in Wheaton Township, or east of Elk Mound around the intersection of County Road M, and Highway 29. This area saw entire groves of trees leveled, some stripping of bark, and the destruction of several structures. The destruction of a metal building and two nearby homes were consistent with expected damage from winds of EF3 in strength.||The path length in Chippewa County was 4.7 miles, with a maximum width of 725 yards, or nearly a half mile wide. The maximum wind speed was near 150 mph.||There were three injuries with this tornado, but no fatalities.
Widespread flash flooding occurred across southern Chippewa County due to extreme rainfall rates, and amounts of 5 to 8 inches fell in less than 6 hours. A 50 foot section of railroad was damaged near Stanley, and there was minor damage to 12 businesses and homes, and 3 more with major damage. Total damages were estimated at $400,000 in the private section, $100,000 in railroad expenses, and $382,000 in roads, bridges and trails infrastructure.
Several barns and silos down, few garages and sheds destroyed, minor house damage, many hundreds of trees down in a swath several miles wide. About 80 roads were blocked by fallen trees. Damage figure includes totals from all storms in Chippewa County from 1735 to 1850.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
66,799
Population (ACS)
$258K
Median home value
11
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 4, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Oct 20, 2016 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| Sep 13, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
| Jun 18, 2004 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Sep 10, 2002 | Tornado | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES AND FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Chippewa County, Wisconsin?
444 events are on record between 1953 and 2026, causing 6 direct deaths and $45.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Chippewa County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 224 recorded events — 50.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Chippewa County?
38 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 31 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Chippewa County?
11 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Chippewa County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Chippewa County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Chippewa County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 67 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Chippewa 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
- Calumet County 279
- Clark County 486
- Burnett County 325
- Columbia County 503
- Buffalo County 345
- Crawford County 381
Cite this page
“Chippewa County, Wisconsin.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/wisconsin/chippewa-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.