Outagamie County, Wisconsin severe weather history spans 475 recorded events between 1959 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 45.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #964 nationally and #17 in Wisconsin.
475
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
18
Direct injuries
$59.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Outagamie County, Wisconsin severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Outagamie County, Wisconsin severe weather history averages 7.1 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 183 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 72 events fall before 1990 and 403 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Outagamie County, Wisconsin record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $37.7M 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 Outagamie County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 218 | 1 | $10.2M | 76 | 1959–2025 |
| Hail | 181 | 0 | $6.2M | 4.5 | 1960–2026 |
| Tornado | 34 | 0 | $37.7M | F4 | 1959–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 10 | 0 | $767K | 0 | 1998–2024 |
| Funnel Cloud | 9 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2002–2013 |
| Heavy Rain | 9 | 0 | $99K | 0 | 2008–2015 |
| Lightning | 8 | 0 | $116K | 0 | 1996–2020 |
| Flood | 6 | 0 | $4.6M | 0 | 1999–2026 |
Decade by decade
Outagamie County, Wisconsin severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
37 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 29 touched down inside it and 8 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984-04-27 | EF4 | 1 | 19 | 27.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1970-12-01 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 13.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1969-06-26 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 15.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2013-08-06 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 13.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 2011-04-10 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1982-05-06 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 9.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1968-08-16 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1964-05-08 | EF2 | 0 | 5 | 30.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 1959-05-06 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 7.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 1959-05-06 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Outagamie County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 25, 1989 | Thunderstorm Wind | 1 | 5 | $0 | |
| Apr 27, 1984 | Tornado | 0 | 9 | $2.5M | |
| Apr 3, 1999 | Lightning | KIMBERLY | 0 | 1 | $750 |
| Jul 18, 1996 | Lightning | NEW LONDON | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Aug 29, 1984 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 1 | $0 | |
| Jun 26, 1969 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $2.5M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A tornado formed near Highway 41 northwest of Appleton and moved east across northern portions of Appleton, Kimberly and Kaukauna. The tornado caused some roof damage to the Northland Mall (DI 11, DOD 2) and caused roof and window damage to two small retail buildings (DI 8, DOD 3 and 4). The storm then knocked over four wood electrical poles (DI 24, DOD 2 and 3) and uprooted or heavily damaged hundreds of trees in a nearby neighborhood (DI 27, DOD 2 and 3; DI 28, DOD 2 and 3). Although the houses in the area sustained relatively minor wind damage directly, fallen trees caused considerable collateral damage to roofs, siding and vehicles. The tornado exited Outagamie County about four miles east-southeast of Kaukauna at 12:49 am CDT and continued east into far southwest Brown County, then into northern Calumet County. The average path width in Outagamie County was 125 yards.
A fast moving tornado touched down in the southwest side of Kaukauna near County Road CE at 8:43 pm CDT (1743 CST). The tornado cut through the center of a subdivision as it moved north-northeast to near the Fox River before lifting off the ground. Seven homes were destroyed, 24 homes and four businesses sustained major damage, and 160 other homes sustained minor damage. Several houses lost large sections of their roofs (DI 2, DOD 6) in the hardest hit area of the city. The average path width was 125 yards.
Thunderstorm winds, with gusts estimated to 80 mph, downed thousands of trees and knocked out power to 20,000 customers in Appleton alone. Around 200 homes sustained at least minor damage, including one that was destroyed. More than 60 businesses also sustained damage. A semi-trailer was blown over near US-41 and US-10.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
192,826
Population (ACS)
$267K
Median home value
11
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 |
| Aug 27, 2019 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, 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
- Appleton 117
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Outagamie County, Wisconsin?
475 events are on record between 1959 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $59.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Outagamie County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 218 recorded events — 45.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Outagamie County?
37 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 29 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Outagamie County?
11 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Outagamie County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Outagamie County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Outagamie County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 80 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Outagamie 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
- Oneida County 357
- Ozaukee County 225
- Oconto County 245
- Pepin County 135
- Monroe County 511
- Pierce County 335
Cite this page
“Outagamie County, Wisconsin.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/wisconsin/outagamie-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.