Clark County, Wisconsin severe weather history spans 486 recorded events between 1950 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 44.4% of all recorded events. It ranks #924 nationally and #16 in Wisconsin.
486
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
12
Direct injuries
$18.9M
Property damage
The record
What the Clark County, Wisconsin severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Clark County, Wisconsin severe weather history averages 6.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 161 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 54 events fall before 1990 and 432 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Clark County, Wisconsin record is tornado, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $12.0M 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 Clark County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 216 | 0 | $1.8M | 79 | 1964–2025 |
| Hail | 152 | 0 | $210K | 3.5 | 1957–2026 |
| Tornado | 44 | 1 | $12.0M | F4 | 1950–2025 |
| Flood | 23 | 0 | $1.4M | 0 | 2001–2023 |
| Heavy Rain | 19 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2010–2023 |
| Funnel Cloud | 16 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2023 |
| Flash Flood | 13 | 0 | $3.5M | 0 | 1998–2024 |
| Lightning | 3 | 0 | $81K | 0 | 1996–2008 |
Decade by decade
Clark County, Wisconsin severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
46 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 36 touched down inside it and 10 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 | 4 | 3 | 59.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 1953-05-10 | EF4 | 2 | 24 | 162.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1971-09-28 | EF3 | 0 | 5 | 49.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 1959-05-26 | EF3 | 0 | 2 | 34.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 1950-06-25 | EF2 | 1 | 0 | 7.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-05-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-12-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 7.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 2021-12-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 2021-12-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-12-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Clark County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 26, 1950 | Tornado | 1 | 0 | $25K | |
| Aug 23, 2011 | Tornado | SPOKEVILLE | 0 | 2 | $1.4M |
| Aug 17, 2002 | Lightning | WILLARD | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Jun 26, 2002 | Tornado | ABBOTSFORD | 0 | 2 | $100K |
| Jun 26, 1969 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $2.5M | |
| May 26, 1959 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| Jul 23, 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | HUMBIRD | 0 | 1 | $5K |
| Sep 28, 1971 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $250K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Flooding from the South Branch of O'Neill Creek covered County Highway Y south of Chili. Standing water covered State Highway 73 in Christie. The emergency manager reported around 65 locations across the county had water over the road or culverts washed out. Fifteen homes were damaged by the flooding. A state of emergency was declared for the entire county.
Two people were directly injured and there was an indirect loss of life from an EF2 tornado that tracked across the east central sections of Clark County near Chili. The death occurred when an oxygen machine stopped working due to a power outage caused by the tornado. The tornado was on the ground for just over 7 miles and destroyed four homes, damaged at least 19 others, destroyed four barns and 15 outbuildings with numerous other farm buildings damaged. One farmer lost several specialty birds including 12 peacocks and 16 guinea hens. Around 1500 residents across Clark County were without power after the storms moved through. Damages from the tornado are estimated to be around $1.5 million.
Flooding caused numerous county and township roads as well as some state roads to be closed across the southern half of the county, mainly south of Greenwood. Many low-lying township roads were closed, while some culverts were damaged and needed replacing. The hardest hit areas included the townships of Hewitt, Lynn, Sherwood, and Washburn. Water surged out of Mead Lake into the South Fork Eau Claire River, which then overflowed County Road M. The River Road just southwest of Greenwood was closed as the Black River flowed over the road. A pickup tried to cross this portion of the road and was swept into the ditch. In Abbotsford, Lindon Street and Pickard Road were closed as the sewer plant briefly overflowed. Many schools were closed on Thursday and Friday including Loyal, Greenwood, Granton and Neillsville. A State of Emergency was declared in many towns and villages across the county. There were 45 homes across the county with minor damage.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
34,739
Population (ACS)
$173K
Median home value
15
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 4, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Aug 27, 2019 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Aug 10, 2018 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Oct 20, 2016 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| Oct 21, 2010 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Clark County, Wisconsin?
486 events are on record between 1950 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $18.9M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Clark County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 216 recorded events — 44.4% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Clark County?
46 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 36 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Clark County?
15 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Clark County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Clark County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Clark County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 68 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Clark 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
- Chippewa County 444
- Columbia County 503
- Calumet County 279
- Crawford County 381
- Burnett County 325
- Dane County 1,306
Cite this page
“Clark County, Wisconsin.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/wisconsin/clark-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.