Iron County, Wisconsin severe weather history spans 114 recorded events between 1958 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 51.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,837 nationally and #70 in Wisconsin.
114
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
6
Direct injuries
$1.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Iron County, Wisconsin severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Iron County, Wisconsin severe weather history averages 1.7 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 45 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 11 events fall before 1990 and 103 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Iron County, Wisconsin record is flash flood, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is lightning, with $1.0M 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 Iron County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 59 | 0 | $42K | 70 | 1968–2025 |
| Hail | 40 | 0 | $0 | 1.75 | 1980–2024 |
| Tornado | 6 | 0 | $413K | F2 | 1958–2020 |
| Flash Flood | 4 | 1 | $1K | 0 | 2005–2018 |
| Lightning | 3 | 0 | $1.0M | 0 | 2000–2013 |
| Flood | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2013–2013 |
Decade by decade
Iron County, Wisconsin severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
7 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 6 touched down inside it and 1 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970-07-07 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 37.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1958-07-14 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2016-07-11 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-07-27 | EF1 | 0 | 3 | 4.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1984-04-27 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1969-06-26 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 33.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 2020-09-25 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.8 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Iron County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 12, 2016 | Flash Flood | CEDAR | 1 | 0 | $1K |
| Jul 28, 2010 | Tornado | SPRINGSTEAD | 0 | 3 | $160K |
| Jul 8, 2000 | Lightning | HURLEY | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Aug 15, 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | SPRINGSTEAD | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Part of a roof was ripped off a house along with part of a wall attached to a screen porch blown down. Approximately 10 trees as large as a foot and a half to two feet in diameter were down along with a pine tree that was snapped.
There was enough evidence to indicate a quasi-linear convective tornado developed over rural east-central Iron County, south of Van Buskirk, during the late evening. It heavily damaged a barn structure and a car, and it also damaged some homes and mangled some trees.
A tree was blown down on an automobile, causing quite a bit of damage. Downed trees were also reported in other parts of the Mercer area and northeastern Iron County. Heavy rain also flooded sections of state highway 77 in the northern part of the county. Wind speed is estimated.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
6,210
Population (ACS)
$166K
Median home value
12
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 4, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Oct 18, 2018 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, AND LANDSLIDES | DR |
| 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 |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Iron County, Wisconsin?
114 events are on record between 1958 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths and $1.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Iron County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 59 recorded events — 51.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Iron County?
7 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 6 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Iron County?
12 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Iron County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Iron County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Iron County as very low risk, placing it in the 11 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Iron 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
- Iowa County 371
- Jackson County 415
- Green Lake County 223
- Jefferson County 628
- Juneau County 390
- Green County 412
Cite this page
“Iron County, Wisconsin.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/wisconsin/iron-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.