Florence County, Wisconsin severe weather history spans 82 recorded events between 1957 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 57.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,947 nationally and #71 in Wisconsin.
82
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$2.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Florence County, Wisconsin severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Florence County, Wisconsin severe weather history averages 1.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 26 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 7 events fall before 1990 and 75 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 $1.6M in reported property damage. In total, 5 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Florence County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 47 | 0 | $251K | 65 | 1986–2025 |
| Hail | 26 | 0 | $0 | 2 | 1985–2024 |
| Tornado | 5 | 0 | $90K | F1 | 1957–2023 |
| Flash Flood | 3 | 0 | $1.6M | 0 | 1999–2010 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $162K | 0 | 2013–2013 |
Decade by decade
Florence County, Wisconsin severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
3 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 1 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-04-10 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 12.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2020-08-09 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 1957-06-14 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 7.8 mi | Touched down here |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The tornado that formed near Argonne (Forest County) entered southwest Florence County at 7:46 pm CDT (1846 CST). Several large tree branches were broken (DI 28, DOD 2) before the tornado dissipated at 7:51 pm CDT (1851 CST). The average path width of the tornado in Florence County was 75 yards.
A brief tornado formed at 7:22 pm CDT in the Hiles area in Forest County and continued southeast before dissipating at 7:26 pm CDT. Total path length is estimated to be 1.68 miles long, with a width of 90 yards. Peak wind estimated to be around 76 mph.
The tornado that formed at 9:12 PM CDT in extreme northeast Forest County crossed the county line at 9:18 PM CDT. The tornado continued east, producing a path of tree damage (DI 27,28, DOD 3,4) in a remote forested area in extreme northwest Florence County, before crossing the Brule River into Upper Michigan at 9:20 PM CDT. Peak winds were estimated at 105 mph.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
4,646
Population (ACS)
$173K
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 9, 2016 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Sep 13, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
| Aug 16, 1999 | Flood | WI-FLOOD-07/20/99 | DR |
| Jun 17, 1976 | Drought | DROUGHT | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Florence County, Wisconsin?
82 events are on record between 1957 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $2.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Florence County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 47 recorded events — 57.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Florence County?
3 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 1 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Florence County?
6 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Florence County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Florence County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Florence County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 54 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Florence 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
- Eau Claire County 317
- Fond du Lac County 440
- Dunn County 353
- Forest County 165
- Douglas County 307
- Grant County 825
Cite this page
“Florence County, Wisconsin.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/wisconsin/florence-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.