Kenosha County, Wisconsin severe weather history spans 340 recorded events between 1959 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 49.4% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,555 nationally and #40 in Wisconsin.
340
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
31
Direct injuries
$68.6M
Property damage
The record
What the Kenosha County, Wisconsin severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Kenosha County, Wisconsin severe weather history averages 5.1 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 118 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 37 events fall before 1990 and 303 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Kenosha County, Wisconsin record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $22.5M 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 Kenosha County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 168 | 1 | $4.9M | 87 | 1960–2026 |
| Hail | 74 | 0 | $212K | 2.9 | 1959–2026 |
| Flood | 33 | 0 | $4.1M | 0 | 1997–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 22 | 0 | $21.6M | 0 | 2000–2024 |
| Lightning | 17 | 1 | $15.4M | 0 | 1996–2018 |
| Tornado | 12 | 0 | $22.5M | F1 | 1963–2026 |
| Heavy Rain | 9 | 0 | $11K | 0 | 1997–2020 |
| Funnel Cloud | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–2011 |
| Strong Wind | 1 | 0 | $500 | 0 | 1997–1997 |
Decade by decade
Kenosha County, Wisconsin severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
12 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 9 touched down inside it and 3 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008-01-07 | EF3 | 0 | 15 | 10.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 1963-07-19 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 10.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1966-03-21 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 33.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 2020-08-10 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 6.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 2010-10-26 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-01-07 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-06-09 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-06-22 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-11-22 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2009-06-19 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.2 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Kenosha County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 1, 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | SOMERS | 1 | 1 | $100K |
| Jun 21, 1997 | Lightning | KENOSHA | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jan 7, 2008 | Tornado | POWERS LAKE | 0 | 15 | $13.7M |
| Jul 18, 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | TWIN LAKES | 0 | 9 | $1.0M |
| Jul 22, 2001 | Lightning | TWIN LAKES | 0 | 4 | $0 |
| Jul 20, 2018 | Lightning | TWIN LAKES | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Apr 15, 1996 | Lightning | TWIN LAKES | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Law enforcement officials reported numerous trees and power lines down across far eastern Kenosha County from severe thunderstorm winds that gusted up to 75 mph (65 knots) as estimated by a trained spotter. A 31-year-old man riding a motorcycle was killed when a tree blew over on him in the 7600 block of 25th Avenue. A Pleasant Prairie woman injured her hip when she was struck by debris form a shed. Two other residents of the City of Kenosha were injured when they touched live wires brought down by the strong winds. Many large branches were also broken off by the powerful winds, which also damaged several homes. Officials estimate 500 to 800 trees were destroyed or badly damaged by the winds.
Several lightning strikes to several buildings caused structural fires and power outages. A large apartment building, known as St. Catherine Commons, was struck by lightning. The resultant fire severely damaged the building, displacing about 125 residents.
This tornado was the 2nd of two tornadoes to affect southeastern Wisconsin on January 7th. It spun up near the intersection of CTH L (18th St.) and 47th Ave. and moved east/northeast through the northern reaches of the city of Kenosha, and dissipated just north of Carthage College and just short of Lake Michigan. In the Civil Town of Somers it resulted in minor damage to 2 homes, and major damage to one home. In the City of Kenosha, it affected one home, inflicted minor damage to 21 homes, inflicted major damage to 6 homes, and destroyed 5 homes. Additionally, it destroyed one church in the City of Kenosha. Several power-lines were toppled and there were transformer explosions. Dozens of trees were damaged or uprooted. Average path width was about 50 yards. The maximum winds were estimated at around 95 mph (DI 27 – TH, DOD 3). This tornado was photographed and video taped. The specific starting location was 42.62399,-87.86591, and the ending location was 42.63127,-87.81820.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
168,438
Population (ACS)
$266K
Median home value
16
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 30, 2026 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Apr 4, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Mar 11, 2020 | Flood | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND FLOODING | DR |
| Apr 5, 2011 | Snowstorm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | DR |
| Jun 14, 2008 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Kenosha County, Wisconsin?
340 events are on record between 1959 and 2026, causing 2 direct deaths and $68.6M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Kenosha County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 168 recorded events — 49.4% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Kenosha County?
12 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 9 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Kenosha County?
16 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Kenosha County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Kenosha County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Kenosha County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 85 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Kenosha 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
- Juneau County 390
- Kewaunee County 152
- Jefferson County 628
- La Crosse County 667
- Jackson County 415
- Lafayette County 348
Cite this page
“Kenosha County, Wisconsin.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/wisconsin/kenosha-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.