43
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$78.2M
Property damage
Flash Flood in Vernon County, Wisconsin: 43 recorded events between 1996 and 2024. The strongest on record measured 0. That places the county #752 nationally and #3 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Flash Flood in Vernon County, Wisconsin: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for flash flood in Vernon County is the 2010s, when 22 of the county's 43 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 Vernon County archive, flash flood makes up 7.3% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #752 for this hazard and #3 within Wisconsin, putting it in the 75.1 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jun is the peak month for flash flood in Vernon County with 18 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 22, 2016 | VIROQUA MUNI ARPT | 0 | 1 | 0 | $8.9M |
| May 9, 2004 | SOUTHWEST PORTION | 0 | 1 | 0 | $15K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 23, 2024 | FOLSOM | 0 | $15K |
| Aug 28, 2021 | FOLSOM | 0 | $10K |
| Aug 7, 2021 | DELL | 0 | $25K |
| Sep 19, 2019 | ONTARIO | 0 | $5K |
| Jul 19, 2019 | MT TABOR | 0 | $345K |
| Sep 4, 2018 | COON VLY | 0 | $25K |
| Sep 4, 2018 | ESOFEA | 0 | $0 |
| Sep 4, 2018 | GENOA | 0 | $2K |
| Sep 4, 2018 | FOLSOM | 0 | $750K |
| Aug 28, 2018 | VICTORY | 0 | $28.3M |
Other hazards here
More from Vernon County
- Thunderstorm Wind 213
- Hail 150
- Flood 108
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Flash floods and mudslides were reported across the county, with numerous county roads closed and impassable. Areas significantly impacted were from around Stoddard to Viroqua. At least 79 people were evacuated below local dams. Mudslides were especially dangerous along Highway 35 on the west end of the county washing away some homes and closing the highway for quite sometime. Railroad tracks were also damaged knocking over one set of rail cars that had hazardous material stored.||Over 1,100 people applied for FEMA assistance including 33 businesses in the county.
The Vernon County sheriff department received numerous calls about water over roads and backed up drainage areas. In fact, law enforcement officials indicated flooding was worse than the flood of August 18-19 2007. Numerous earthen dams in the county had to be monitored for failure, including the Yttri-Primmer Dam that was heavily damaged. Highway 162 had mudslides over it and was closed in sections. At peak, 113 roads were closed across the county.
At least 30 roads throughout the county were closed due to high water and washouts. Some of the major roads closed included State Highways 131 and 33 around Ontario, as well as State Highway 162 near Chaseburg. Also, the West Fork Kickapoo River was over the intersection of State Highway 56 and County Road S.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many flash flood events are on record in Vernon County, Wisconsin?
43 flash flood events are recorded in Vernon County between 1996 and 2024, causing 2 direct deaths.
What is the strongest flash flood recorded in Vernon County?
The strongest flash flood on record in Vernon County measured 0.
Where does the flash flood data for Vernon 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
“Flash Flood in Vernon County, Wisconsin.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/wisconsin/vernon-county/flash-flood/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.