Manitowoc County, Wisconsin severe weather history spans 275 recorded events between 1957 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 56.4% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,933 nationally and #54 in Wisconsin.
275
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
33
Direct injuries
$63.9M
Property damage
The record
What the Manitowoc County, Wisconsin severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Manitowoc County, Wisconsin severe weather history averages 4.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 94 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 47 events fall before 1990 and 228 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is hail, with $53.5M 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 Manitowoc County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 155 | 0 | $687K | 75 | 1960–2025 |
| Hail | 69 | 0 | $53.5M | 3 | 1967–2024 |
| Tornado | 22 | 0 | $8.6M | F4 | 1957–2025 |
| Funnel Cloud | 8 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2017 |
| Flash Flood | 8 | 0 | $278K | 0 | 2000–2026 |
| Flood | 7 | 0 | $372K | 0 | 1999–2019 |
| Lightning | 5 | 0 | $423K | 0 | 1998–2020 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2015–2015 |
Decade by decade
Manitowoc County, Wisconsin severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
24 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 20 touched down inside it and 4 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994-07-05 | EF4 | 0 | 2 | 3.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-04-21 | EF3 | 2 | 18 | 58.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 1994-07-05 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1980-06-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1967-06-30 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 5.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 2018-08-28 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2013-08-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 33.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 2005-08-18 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-07-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1988-08-04 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Manitowoc County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 12, 2000 | Hail | ST NAZIANZ | 0 | 30 | $46.0M |
| Jul 5, 1994 | Tornado | Maribel to | 0 | 2 | $5.0M |
| Aug 26, 1990 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Torrential rain, including 5.10 inches in Valders, caused the Manitowoc River to rise three feet in four hours. Resultant flooding washed out part of State Highway 57 near Kiel and created a large pothole on Clarks Mills Road.
Runoff from rainfall and snow melt combined with ice jams to cause flooding on rivers, streams and roads in the vicinity of Manitowoc and Two Rivers. Some residents living near the West Twin River had to be evacuated while county emergency crews worked to contain the overflowing Shoto Dam. The runoff also caused flooding of other low-lying and poor drainage areas. Two homes sustained major flood damage, and four homes and one business sustained minor damage. Some roads were also damaged by the flooding and required repairs after the water receded. The Manitowoc River reached major flood stage just west of Manitowoc, reaching a (preliminary) record stage of 13.58 feet. A county-wide state of emergency was declared on March 15th.
Thunderstorm winds downed numerous trees and power lines between Keil and Cleveland. Winds from the storms also tore the roof from an elementary school in Cleveland and knocked a garage from its foundation just west of Cleveland.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
81,406
Population (ACS)
$187K
Median home value
9
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 |
| Jun 14, 2008 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Sep 13, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
| Jan 24, 2001 | Snowstorm | SNOW | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Manitowoc County, Wisconsin?
275 events are on record between 1957 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $63.9M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Manitowoc County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 155 recorded events — 56.4% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Manitowoc County?
24 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 20 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Manitowoc County?
9 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Manitowoc County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Manitowoc County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Manitowoc County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 69 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Manitowoc 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
- Lincoln County 287
- Marathon County 634
- Langlade County 208
- Marinette County 271
- Lafayette County 348
- Marquette County 237
Cite this page
“Manitowoc County, Wisconsin.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/wisconsin/manitowoc-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.