Ashland County, Wisconsin severe weather history spans 205 recorded events between 1961 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 49.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,419 nationally and #65 in Wisconsin.
205
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
3
Direct injuries
$601K
Property damage
The record
What the Ashland County, Wisconsin severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Ashland County, Wisconsin severe weather history averages 3.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 81 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 29 events fall before 1990 and 176 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Ashland County, Wisconsin record is flash flood, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $300K 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 Ashland County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 101 | 0 | $216K | 90 | 1969–2026 |
| Hail | 70 | 0 | $2K | 3 | 1962–2023 |
| Flash Flood | 13 | 1 | $4K | 0 | 2005–2019 |
| Tornado | 11 | 0 | $300K | F2 | 1961–2020 |
| Flood | 7 | 1 | $0 | 0 | 2012–2023 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $80K | 0 | 2011–2018 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2010–2010 |
Decade by decade
Ashland County, Wisconsin severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
11 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 10 touched down inside it and 1 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-07-27 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1961-08-14 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-07-18 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1980-07-19 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2014-08-11 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 2010-07-27 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-05-12 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1992-09-16 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 6.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1988-08-03 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1983-07-03 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Ashland County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 17, 2018 | Flash Flood | SANDBORN | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 14, 2016 | Flood | MARENGO | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 30, 2018 | Lightning | LA POINTE MADELINE I | 0 | 3 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A truck went into a ditch on County Truck E just south of County Trunk C in the Township of White River. The roadway was completely underwater and the water in the ditch was 6 to 8 feet in depth. The truck was found unoccupied with the driver side door open. The 75 year old male driver was found deceased 60 feet from the vehicle.
An 82-year-old man from Marengo was found dead in his pickup truck in the flooded waters along the Marengo River near the Riemer Road Bridge west of Marengo. The exact circumstances of how, when, and where he died are not known, only that he was found a few days after the heavy rains some time early Thursday.
There was minor siding damage to a home, a metal barn collapsed, and some trees were blown down along Balsam Lane to the east-southeast of Butternut. The metal barn probably collapsed at a lower wind speed than would normally be expected, given a lack of damage to nearby pine trees. Estimated wind gusts in this area were around 80 mph.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
16,080
Population (ACS)
$170K
Median home value
14
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 4, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Aug 10, 2018 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Aug 9, 2016 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Aug 8, 2013 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| Aug 2, 2012 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Ashland County, Wisconsin?
205 events are on record between 1961 and 2026, causing 2 direct deaths and $601K in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Ashland County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 101 recorded events — 49.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Ashland County?
11 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 10 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Ashland County?
14 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Ashland County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Ashland County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Ashland County as very low risk, placing it in the 32 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Ashland 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
- Adams County 324
- Barron County 421
- Bayfield County 322
- Brown County 392
- Buffalo County 345
- Burnett County 325
Cite this page
“Ashland County, Wisconsin.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/wisconsin/ashland-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.