Columbia County, Wisconsin severe weather history spans 503 recorded events between 1951 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 46.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #863 nationally and #14 in Wisconsin.
503
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
59
Direct injuries
$548.2M
Property damage
The record
What the Columbia County, Wisconsin severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Columbia County, Wisconsin severe weather history averages 6.7 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 175 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 77 events fall before 1990 and 426 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Columbia County, Wisconsin record is tornado, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is hail, with $506.0M 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 Columbia County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 236 | 0 | $9.6M | 87 | 1973–2026 |
| Hail | 138 | 0 | $506.0M | 3 | 1970–2025 |
| Flood | 43 | 0 | $1.5M | 0 | 1997–2026 |
| Tornado | 39 | 1 | $12.3M | F5 | 1951–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 24 | 0 | $18.3M | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Lightning | 11 | 0 | $488K | 0 | 1996–2018 |
| Funnel Cloud | 8 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2002–2008 |
| Heavy Rain | 4 | 0 | $11K | 0 | 2003–2022 |
Decade by decade
Columbia County, Wisconsin severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
41 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 36 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1951-09-26 | EF4 | 1 | 9 | 9.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1984-06-08 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 29.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1963-08-16 | EF3 | 0 | 13 | 9.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1963-08-16 | EF3 | 0 | 13 | 9.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1963-08-16 | EF3 | 0 | 13 | 9.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-06-07 | EF2 | 0 | 6 | 8.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2005-08-18 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 14.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1994-07-04 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 8.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1984-06-08 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 16.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1984-06-08 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 18.0 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Columbia County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 26, 1951 | Tornado | 1 | 9 | $250K | |
| Aug 17, 1963 | Tornado | 0 | 13 | $250K | |
| Aug 17, 1963 | Tornado | 0 | 13 | $250K | |
| Aug 17, 1963 | Tornado | 0 | 13 | $250K | |
| Jun 7, 2008 | Tornado | PARDEEVILLE | 0 | 6 | $2.5M |
| Jun 7, 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | RIO | 0 | 1 | $25K |
| May 31, 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | COUNTYWIDE | 0 | 1 | $3.6M |
| Jun 19, 1996 | Lightning | WYOCENA | 0 | 1 | $2K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A slow-moving thunderstorm moved from the Dekorra area southeast through the Poynette area to the North Leeds area, leaving in its wake a lot of crop damage due to hail. A roughly 40 to 45-minute hail shower (stones up to the size of quarters) fell in a band from about 3 miles south-southeast of Dekorra along Kent Rd. to the McKenzie Environmental Education Center just northeast of Poynette. Crop, vegetable, and fruit damage was noted, and in some cases, an entire year's crop was lost due to hail damage. Many residential homes and vehicles were damaged. Hail depth on some roads reached 8 inches and had to be plowed off the roads, especially along Kent Rd. and near the McKenzie Center. The crop damage estimate is based on a newspaper report which quoted a USDA report. The property damage is purely an estimate based on a variety of reports.
Heavy rains resulted in a flash flood event that washed out some raods and gravel shoulders in the western part of the county. This event was one of 3 flash flood events over parts of Columbia County on 3 separate days. Two started on June 7th, and one on June 8th. In all 3 flash flood events, home and business damage was reported, and there was crop damage. Some farm fields remained flooded into early July. It was nearly impossible to break down the damages by flash flood. Therefore, the collective damage breakdown for these events is provided in this June 8th flash flood StormData entry for Columbia County.||The breakdown for residential home losses were: over 1500 minimally affected, 45 with minor damage, 26 with major damage, and 5 destroyed (total of $10 million for home losses). Total business losses were about $2 million. Crop losses were estimated at about $40 million. Public sector damage was about $3.66 million. There were several roads and bridges that sustained damage.
Widespread tree damage in the city of Columbus with many of the roads blocked by debris. A State of Emergency was declared in the city. Numerous large tree branches and trunks snapped. Some large trees uprooted. A few trees downed on homes. Some power poles knocked down or leaning. The Red Cross opened a shelter at Columbus Middle School for those without power in order to seek relief from the heat and humidity.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
58,272
Population (ACS)
$283K
Median home value
11
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Aug 26, 2007 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Sep 13, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
| Jun 18, 2004 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Portage 156
- Dekorra 102
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Columbia County, Wisconsin?
503 events are on record between 1951 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $548.2M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Columbia County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 236 recorded events — 46.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Columbia County?
41 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 36 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Columbia County?
11 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Columbia County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Columbia County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Columbia County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 81 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Columbia 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
- Clark County 486
- Crawford County 381
- Chippewa County 444
- Dane County 1,306
- Calumet County 279
- Dodge County 621
Cite this page
“Columbia County, Wisconsin.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/wisconsin/columbia-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.