98
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$1.4M
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Rusk County, Wisconsin: 98 recorded events between 1960 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 87. That places the county #2,239 nationally and #64 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Rusk County, Wisconsin: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Rusk County is the 2000s, when 30 of the county's 98 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 Rusk County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 48.5% of all recorded severe weather across 6 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #2,239 for this hazard and #64 within Wisconsin, putting it in the 28.9 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jul is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Rusk County with 33 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.
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 15, 2025 | LADYSMTH RUSK CO ARP | 61 | $0 |
| May 15, 2025 | LADYSMITH | 87 | $0 |
| Jun 5, 2024 | SHELDON | 50 | $0 |
| Jul 27, 2023 | HAWKINS | 50 | $0 |
| Jul 29, 2021 | BRUCE | 56 | $25K |
| Jun 9, 2021 | CONRATH | 56 | $1K |
| May 25, 2021 | SHELDON | 56 | $0 |
| May 25, 2021 | CONRATH | 56 | $0 |
| Jul 19, 2019 | WEYERHAEUSER | 56 | $0 |
| Jul 19, 2019 | HAWKINS | 61 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Rusk County
- Hail 77
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Measured at the DNR Forestry Station. Scattered damage to houses and outbuildings. Numerous trees and power lines down. Memorial Park in Ladysmith lost about 100 trees. One home lost part of its roof. Damage figure is the total from all storms in Rusk County from 1770 to 1815.
Roof ripped off apartment building and restaurant. Flying debris from apartment building damaged nearby motel. 3,000 pound pontoon boat on Lake Flambeau blown a distance of 125 feet and destroyed. Many trees blown over. Numerous garages and sheds destroyed.
A NWS Storm Survey indicated wind damage occurred north of Bruce, and tracked eastward for several miles. The wind downed numerous trees, damaged a barn and outbuilding northwest of Ladysmith. Winds were estimated up to 75 mph as most of the barn roof was damaged or lifted off.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Rusk County, Wisconsin?
98 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Rusk County between 1960 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Rusk County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Rusk County measured 87.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Rusk 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 Rusk County, Wisconsin.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/wisconsin/rusk-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.