Pepin County, Wisconsin severe weather history spans 135 recorded events between 1951 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 45.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,759 nationally and #69 in Wisconsin.
135
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
6
Direct injuries
$8.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Pepin County, Wisconsin severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Pepin County, Wisconsin severe weather history averages 1.8 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 49 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 18 events fall before 1990 and 117 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is thunderstorm wind, with $5.5M in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Pepin County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 61 | 0 | $5.5M | 75 | 1960–2025 |
| Hail | 44 | 0 | $200K | 2.75 | 1975–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 9 | 0 | $1.2M | 0 | 2002–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 8 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2009–2025 |
| Tornado | 7 | 0 | $1.1M | F3 | 1951–2022 |
| Funnel Cloud | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2001–2023 |
| Flood | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2010–2019 |
Decade by decade
Pepin County, Wisconsin severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
10 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998-05-15 | EF3 | 0 | 6 | 8.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1958-05-24 | EF3 | 0 | 12 | 59.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 1951-09-12 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 24.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2016-07-05 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-05-15 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 18.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1987-06-28 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-06-07 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1964-06-20 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2022-05-09 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1983-06-30 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Pepin County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 15, 1998 | Tornado | DURAND | 0 | 6 | $100K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A team of NWS employees and local law enforcement officials surveyed an area northwest of Arkansaw, Wisconsin that had flood damage. The storm survey determined that from County Road XX, southeast along County Road Z, several mud slides were confirmed along with a washed out roadway along Arkansas Creek. There were also reports of basement flooding in the town of Arkansaw, Wisconsin. Also, a local observer in Pepin County reported several minor mud slides near Durand. Local law enforcement officials in Pepin County also reported several roads washed out in Frankfort Township, south of Arkansaw, Wisconsin.||Highway crews repaired the highway along Arkansas Creek which rose more than 15 feet and spread about 100' wide during the height of the storm.
Significant straight line wind damage occurred west and northwest of Durand, in the Towns of Waterville and Waubeek. Trees were downed from several miles west of Arkansaw to north-northwest of Durand, near Highway 25. Some of the worst damage was near County Road D and Highway 25. Damage occurred to a roof which came off of a storage shed, as well as damage to Eau Galle Cheese Factory, plus a few campers in Dick's RV lot.
A tornado was embedded within a broader mesocyclone that was sometimes three miles wide (see separate entry for the wind damage from the mesocyclone). The tornado itself moved east, hitting two farmsteads where barns and sheds were destroyed. The tornado also produced a narrow corridor of uprooted and snapped trees. It dissipated just as it was exiting Pepin County.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
7,431
Population (ACS)
$215K
Median home value
13
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 4, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Sep 13, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
| May 11, 2001 | Flood | FLOODING, SEVERE STORMS AND TORNADOES | DR |
| Jul 24, 1998 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS,STRAIGH LINE WINDS, TORNADOES,RAIN,AND FLOODI | DR |
| Jul 2, 1993 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES & FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Pepin County, Wisconsin?
135 events are on record between 1951 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $8.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Pepin County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 61 recorded events — 45.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Pepin County?
10 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 8 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Pepin County?
13 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Pepin County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Pepin County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Pepin County as very low risk, placing it in the 7 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Pepin 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
- Ozaukee County 225
- Pierce County 335
- Outagamie County 475
- Polk County 367
- Oneida County 357
- Portage County 331
Cite this page
“Pepin County, Wisconsin.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/wisconsin/pepin-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.