Oconto County, Wisconsin severe weather history spans 245 recorded events between 1965 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 46.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,137 nationally and #60 in Wisconsin.
245
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
10
Direct injuries
$15.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Oconto County, Wisconsin severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Oconto County, Wisconsin severe weather history averages 4.1 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 70 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 39 events fall before 1990 and 206 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Oconto County, Wisconsin record is lightning, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $11.4M 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 Oconto County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 115 | 0 | $1.1M | 78 | 1966–2025 |
| Hail | 85 | 0 | $2.3M | 4 | 1965–2025 |
| Flood | 18 | 0 | $480K | 0 | 1996–2020 |
| Tornado | 15 | 0 | $11.4M | F3 | 1966–2025 |
| Lightning | 5 | 2 | $146K | 0 | 1998–2024 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2005–2012 |
| Flash Flood | 2 | 0 | $335K | 0 | 2000–2022 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2006–2015 |
| Dust Devil | 1 | 0 | $500 | 0 | 2010–2010 |
Decade by decade
Oconto County, Wisconsin severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
17 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 12 touched down inside it and 5 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007-06-07 | EF3 | 0 | 3 | 40.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1971-09-28 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 78.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 1969-06-26 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 15.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 1979-06-16 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 15.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1966-06-04 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1966-06-04 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1966-06-04 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-07-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-06-25 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 9.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2015-07-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.3 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Oconto County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 3, 2014 | Lightning | MORGAN | 2 | 0 | $0 |
| Sep 28, 1971 | Tornado | 0 | 4 | $250K | |
| Jun 7, 2007 | Tornado | MOUNTAIN | 0 | 2 | $10.5M |
| Sep 13, 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Brazeau | 0 | 2 | $200K |
| Mar 29, 1998 | Hail | OCONTO | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Aug 2, 1987 | 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
Lightning from a thunderstorm that quickly developed west of Abrams killed two men working on a tree house at a home on County Road E in the Town of Morgan. The men were struck by lightning from the storm as it passed about two miles to their south. One of the men, a 27-year-old, was killed instantly. The other, a 31-year-old, was taken to a Green Bay hospital and died of his injuries on August 6th.
The long-track tornado moved from Langlade Co. into Oconto Co. about 8 miles west of Mountain at 4:58 PM CDT. The tornado reached a width of three-quarters of a mile wide as it flattened over 7000 acres of trees in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest (DI 27, DOD4). The tornado destroyed or heavily damaged 12 homes (DI 4, DOD 11), with 14 others sustaining damage of varying degrees. Nearly all of the damaged homes were either manufactured homes or vacation cottages. Two people sustained minor injuries as they sought shelter in a bedroom of their home. The tornado dissipated about 10 miles east-northeast of Lakewood, near the Marinette County line, at 5:18 PM CDT. The tornado was rated EF2 in Langlade Co., with estimated winds of 125 to 135 mph, and an average path length of 1000 yards.
An ice jam and high river stages produced flooding in the city of Oconto. The high water mainly affected Pecor, McDonald, Water, Turner, Ontario, Bridge, First and Second streets. The mobile home park on Farnsworth Avenue also Flooded. Washington Street by the Oconto County Courthouse also flooded as storm sewers overflowed.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
39,589
Population (ACS)
$231K
Median home value
6
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 |
| Sep 13, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
| Jun 17, 1976 | Drought | DROUGHT | EM |
| Apr 27, 1973 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS & FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Oconto County, Wisconsin?
245 events are on record between 1965 and 2025, causing 2 direct deaths and $15.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Oconto County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 115 recorded events — 46.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Oconto County?
17 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 12 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Oconto County?
6 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Oconto County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Oconto County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Oconto County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 61 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Oconto 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
- Monroe County 511
- Oneida County 357
- Milwaukee County 596
- Outagamie County 475
- Menominee County 71
- Marquette County 237
Cite this page
“Oconto County, Wisconsin.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/wisconsin/oconto-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.