250
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
8
Direct injuries
$25.9M
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin: 250 recorded events between 1960 and 2026. The strongest on record measured 87. That places the county #688 nationally and #10 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Milwaukee County is the 2000s, when 54 of the county's 250 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 Milwaukee County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 41.9% of all recorded severe weather across 9 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #688 for this hazard and #10 within Wisconsin, putting it in the 78.0 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jun is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Milwaukee County with 71 recorded events, while Dec 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 11, 1999 | MILWAUKEE | 61 | 0 | 3 | $25K |
| Jun 24, 1997 | WEST ALLIS | 52 | 0 | 2 | $5K |
| Aug 8, 2009 | STATE FAIR PARK | 39 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Aug 9, 2001 | WEST ALLIS | 52 | 0 | 1 | $75K |
| Jul 21, 1998 | MILWAUKEE | 0 | 0 | 1 | $1K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 14, 2026 | MILWAUKEE TIMMERMAN AIRPORT | 53 | $0 |
| Apr 14, 2026 | WEST ALLIS | 50 | $10K |
| Apr 14, 2026 | BUTLER | 43 | $15K |
| Apr 14, 2026 | WEST MILWAUKEE | 50 | $30K |
| Jun 30, 2025 | MILWAUKEE TIMMERMAN AIRPORT | 71 | $5K |
| May 16, 2025 | (MKE)MITCHELL APT MI | 53 | $0 |
| May 15, 2025 | MILWAUKEE COUNTY ZOO | 50 | $4K |
| Mar 15, 2025 | (MKE)MITCHELL APT MI | 54 | $0 |
| Jul 7, 2024 | MILWAUKEE COUNTY ZOO | 50 | $500 |
| Aug 12, 2023 | CUDAHY | 50 | $5K |
Other hazards here
More from Milwaukee County
- Hail 209
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A swath of snapped and uprooted trees and downed power lines from southwest Milwaukee County to Mitchell Field and nearby St. Francis. The ASOS at Mitchell Field measured a wind gust of 79 mph. A power pole was snapped near the airport. Some roofing material of a hangar was removed. Sliding doors to the main entrance of an airport building were blown in. Several cars in an employee parking lot at the airport had windows blown in.
A trained spotter reported numerous trees and power lines downed by thunderstorm wind gusts estimated up to 70 mph (61 knots) along a path from 2 miles west of Wauwatosa to just east of Cudahy. A downed power line sparked a house fire 3 miles southwest of downtown Milwaukee.
Powerful wind gusts to an estimated 61 knots (70 mph) took the roof of a lumberyard off, which took down nearby power-lines. Around 45 customers were without power for a time as a result. Large trees and powerlines were toppled.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin?
250 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Milwaukee County between 1960 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Milwaukee County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Milwaukee County measured 87.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Milwaukee 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 Milwaukee County, Wisconsin.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/wisconsin/milwaukee-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.