Monroe County, Wisconsin severe weather history spans 511 recorded events between 1955 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 45.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #839 nationally and #13 in Wisconsin.
511
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
7
Direct injuries
$54.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Monroe County, Wisconsin severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Monroe County, Wisconsin severe weather history averages 7.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 164 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 66 events fall before 1990 and 445 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is flash flood, with $31.9M in reported property damage. In total, 9 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Monroe County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 231 | 0 | $4.7M | 88 | 1955–2026 |
| Hail | 196 | 0 | $7.9M | 4.5 | 1963–2026 |
| Tornado | 26 | 0 | $6.2M | F3 | 1957–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 18 | 0 | $31.9M | 0 | 1998–2024 |
| Flood | 15 | 0 | $3.3M | 0 | 2008–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 14 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2010–2020 |
| Lightning | 8 | 0 | $120K | 0 | 2006–2022 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2011–2017 |
| Wildfire | 1 | 0 | $25K | 0 | 2000–2000 |
Decade by decade
Monroe County, Wisconsin severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
27 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 25 touched down inside it and 2 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 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 9.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1985-08-12 | EF2 | 2 | 22 | 22.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2022-06-15 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 22.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-05-22 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 64.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1988-05-08 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 27.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1986-06-26 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1979-05-10 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1964-05-04 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 9.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1960-08-28 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-08-11 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.9 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Monroe County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 24, 2004 | Tornado | WARRENS | 0 | 3 | $75K |
| Jun 15, 2022 | Tornado | RIDGEVILLE | 0 | 2 | $700K |
| Aug 12, 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | WARRENS | 0 | 1 | $4K |
| Sep 7, 2001 | Tornado | ANGELO | 0 | 1 | $20K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Heavy rains, with totals of 6 to 8 inches, produced flash flooding across the western and central sections of Monroe County. A mudslide occurred between Sparta and Tomah in the Jackson Pass area that blocked State Highway 16. In Sparta, water spilled over the dam at Perch Lake prompting officials to advise people who lived downstream along the La Crosse River to evacuate, including a trailer park and water went over several roads. Around 10 roads across the county were closed because of the flooding.
After the initial round of flash flooding, the lingering flood waters continued to cause problems across Monroe County into Friday, July 21st. Thirty-nine families across the county had to be evacuated and another 56 were affected by the flooding. State Highway 131 in the far southern part of the county was closed because of flooding along the Kickapoo River and State Highway 27 between Leon and Sparta was also closed. Several township roads were flooded along the La Crosse and Baraboo Rivers. A total of 10 state or county highways were closed because of the flooding. One home sustained major damage and another eight suffered minor damage.
This tornado passed into Monroe county just east of Rockland (La Crosse County) and continued to the east-northeast before dissipating in the southeast portion of Sparta. Along its path, the tornado destroyed one home east of Rockland, demolished 4 mobile homes and created damage to at least 50 homes in Sparta. At a car dealership on the south side of Sparta, a car was tossed 40 feet and flipped upside down and a billboard sign was knocked over on to a truck. Total damages from this tornado are estimated to be around $900 thousand. An estimated 200 customers lost power in Sparta as a result of this tornado.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
46,208
Population (ACS)
$210K
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 |
| Oct 18, 2018 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, AND LANDSLIDES | DR |
| Oct 7, 2017 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUD | DR |
| Oct 20, 2016 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Sparta 114
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Monroe County, Wisconsin?
511 events are on record between 1955 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $54.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Monroe County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 231 recorded events — 45.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Monroe County?
27 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 25 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Monroe County?
15 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Monroe County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Monroe County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Monroe County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 79 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Monroe 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
- Milwaukee County 596
- Oconto County 245
- Menominee County 71
- Marquette County 237
- Oneida County 357
- Marinette County 271
Cite this page
“Monroe County, Wisconsin.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/wisconsin/monroe-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.