168
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
10
Direct injuries
$4.9M
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Kenosha County, Wisconsin: 168 recorded events between 1960 and 2026. The strongest on record measured 87. That places the county #1,340 nationally and #36 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Kenosha County, Wisconsin: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Kenosha County is the 2000s, when 48 of the county's 168 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Kenosha County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 49.4% of all recorded severe weather across 9 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #1,340 for this hazard and #36 within Wisconsin, putting it in the 57.4 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jul is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Kenosha County with 54 recorded events, while Jan is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 1, 2011 | SOMERS | 65 | 1 | 1 | $100K |
| Jul 18, 1997 | TWIN LAKES | 0 | 0 | 9 | $1.0M |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 14, 2026 | NEW MUNSTER | 50 | $6K |
| Apr 2, 2026 | DOWNTOWN KENOSHA | 78 | $70K |
| Jun 4, 2025 | KENOSHA AIRPORT | 51 | $0 |
| May 16, 2025 | PARIS | 50 | $2K |
| May 15, 2025 | BRIGHTON | 50 | $3K |
| Jun 23, 2024 | TWIN LAKES | 65 | $30K |
| Nov 5, 2022 | SALEM | 50 | $10K |
| Sep 26, 2022 | DOWNTOWN KENOSHA | 50 | $4K |
| Sep 25, 2022 | SALEM | 50 | $3K |
| Aug 20, 2022 | TREVOR | 50 | $3K |
Other hazards here
More from Kenosha County
- Hail 74
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.
Nine thousand people were evacuated moments before wet-micorburst winds estimated to 80 mph blew down a stage at the Country Thunder Music Festival. The stage was lifted up and twisted by the winds. Fying debis damaged parked vehicles, and many chairs were scrambled. Interestingly, the stage was anchored with steel cable. However, the local terrain aided in funneling the powerful winds toward the stage. A boat in a nearby yard was lifted up by the same winds and the cover torn off. 9 people were injured, 3 needed to go to the hospital.
A powerful macroburst moved northeast through central Kenosha County and tore up dozens of trees, and damaged a number of powerlines. The width of the damage path was on the order of 5 to 6 miles. Estimated peak wind gusts were probably on the order of 74 knots (85 mph). A large tree in Bristol fell on a church, resulting in appreciable damage. In the civil town of Paris, on CTH D, a 10' by 50' part of a home's roof was ripped off.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Kenosha County, Wisconsin?
168 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Kenosha County between 1960 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Kenosha County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Kenosha County measured 87.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Kenosha County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Thunderstorm Wind in Kenosha County, Wisconsin.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/wisconsin/kenosha-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.