Juneau County, Wisconsin severe weather history spans 390 recorded events between 1955 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 41.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,294 nationally and #28 in Wisconsin.
390
Recorded events
3
Direct deaths
42
Direct injuries
$52.2M
Property damage
The record
What the Juneau County, Wisconsin severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Juneau County, Wisconsin severe weather history averages 5.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 114 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 61 events fall before 1990 and 329 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Juneau County, Wisconsin record is tornado, responsible for 3 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $29.7M 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 Juneau County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 160 | 0 | $1.2M | 87 | 1955–2025 |
| Hail | 141 | 0 | $1.4M | 3 | 1959–2026 |
| Flood | 39 | 0 | $7.5M | 0 | 2008–2026 |
| Tornado | 27 | 3 | $12.3M | F4 | 1957–2026 |
| Heavy Rain | 10 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2010–2023 |
| Lightning | 6 | 0 | $177K | 0 | 1996–2017 |
| Flash Flood | 6 | 0 | $29.7M | 0 | 2008–2020 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2004–2004 |
Decade by decade
Juneau County, Wisconsin severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
34 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 24 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957-04-19 | EF4 | 1 | 0 | 21.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1983-07-03 | EF3 | 0 | 8 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1957-04-19 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 9.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1985-08-12 | EF2 | 2 | 22 | 22.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2022-06-15 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 22.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 2011-05-22 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 64.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1984-10-16 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 17.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1984-07-10 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1979-08-09 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 1967-03-31 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.9 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Juneau County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 13, 1985 | Tornado | 2 | 22 | $2.5M | |
| Apr 19, 1957 | Tornado | 1 | 0 | $25K | |
| Jul 4, 1983 | Tornado | 0 | 8 | $250K | |
| Oct 17, 1984 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $250K | |
| Jun 7, 2008 | Lightning | NECEDAH HORNSBURG AR | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Jun 7, 1996 | Lightning | HUSTLER | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Mar 30, 1982 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| May 8, 1988 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $3K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
This tornado entered into Juneau County southwest of Mather and then tracked northeast across the Necedah Wildlife Refuge between Mather and Finley damaging numerous trees. As the tornado approached Finley, it grew in size and was nearly a half mile wide as it crossed County Road F east of Finley. In this area, numerous trees were snapped or blown down with some of them landing on nearby homes. At a cranberry business east of Finley, all of the outbuildings and sheds were demolished and tossed into nearby fields and a loading deck platform and trucks were heavily damaged. Thick wooden power poles in this area were snapped or sheared off over a half mile long stretch. The tornado then weakened as it moved northeast toward the Wood-Juneau County line with damage to trees and some minor roof and siding damage. Total damages across Juneau county from this tornado were estimated to be $4.4 million.
High water caused problems in Elroy due to flooding along the Baraboo River and there were several mudslides. Homes along Lincoln, Lake, South Brooklyn, and Franklin streets were evacuated after the river broke its banks early Sundy afternoon, June 8th. About 16 families were displaced in Wonewoc as well. Mudslides began to occur along Highways 82 and 80.||Sections of the Elroy-Sparta State bicycle trail were also damaged and caused a closure. ||There was concern about high water in Mauston as well, especially along the Lemonweir River.
This tornado moved into Juneau County from Vernon County where it intensified quickly and hit a residence at EF-3 intensity, destroying the home's above ground level. As the tornado moved east, it produced significant tree damage before weakening in intensity as it approached State Road 80, where it damaged a few more homes and several outbuildings. The tornado continued northeast, dealing intermittent tree and structural damage at EF-1 intensity along its path until it dissipated just west of Overgaard Road.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
26,689
Population (ACS)
$178K
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 18, 2018 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, AND LANDSLIDES | DR |
| Oct 20, 2016 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| Oct 21, 2010 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Necedah 167
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Juneau County, Wisconsin?
390 events are on record between 1955 and 2026, causing 3 direct deaths and $52.2M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Juneau County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 160 recorded events — 41.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Juneau County?
34 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 24 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Juneau County?
16 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Juneau County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Juneau County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Juneau County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 71 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Juneau 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
- Jefferson County 628
- Kenosha County 340
- Jackson County 415
- Kewaunee County 152
- Iron County 114
- La Crosse County 667
Cite this page
“Juneau County, Wisconsin.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/wisconsin/juneau-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.