Walworth County, Wisconsin severe weather history spans 573 recorded events between 1955 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 56.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #657 nationally and #11 in Wisconsin.
573
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
41
Direct injuries
$28.3M
Property damage
The record
What the Walworth County, Wisconsin severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Walworth County, Wisconsin severe weather history averages 8.1 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 153 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 78 events fall before 1990 and 495 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is flash flood, with $12.7M in reported property damage. In total, 9 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Walworth County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 325 | 0 | $7.2M | 87 | 1955–2026 |
| Hail | 135 | 0 | $1K | 2.5 | 1967–2026 |
| Tornado | 45 | 0 | $7.7M | F2 | 1955–2026 |
| Lightning | 22 | 0 | $487K | 0 | 1997–2008 |
| Flash Flood | 18 | 0 | $12.7M | 0 | 1998–2026 |
| Flood | 12 | 0 | $80K | 0 | 1998–2026 |
| Funnel Cloud | 8 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–2026 |
| Heavy Rain | 6 | 0 | $4K | 0 | 1997–2014 |
| Strong Wind | 2 | 0 | $30K | 43 | 1997–2021 |
Decade by decade
Walworth County, Wisconsin severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
42 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 35 touched down inside it and 7 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008-01-07 | EF3 | 0 | 15 | 10.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1963-07-19 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 10.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 1980-06-06 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1972-09-28 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1966-03-21 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 33.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1961-09-22 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 6.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 1957-04-19 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 2.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1955-04-18 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 3.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-05-07 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-06-22 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.3 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Walworth County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 21, 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | ELKHORN | 0 | 12 | $1.9M |
| Jul 6, 2003 | Lightning | EAST TROY | 0 | 8 | $0 |
| Jun 13, 2000 | Flash Flood | LAKE GENEVA | 0 | 4 | $350K |
| Jun 10, 1999 | Lightning | ELKHORN | 0 | 3 | $0 |
| Jun 26, 1989 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 3 | $0 | |
| Jul 31, 2003 | Lightning | EAST TROY | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Jul 21, 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | LAKE GENEVA | 0 | 2 | $1.5M |
| Sep 13, 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | WHITEWATER | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Various road closures over the eastern half of Walworth County due to the flash flooding of creeks or the pooling of water in low spots after 3.50-8.00 inches of rain. Walworth County declared an emergency. Road closures near Springfield, Abells Corners, south and east of East Troy. Also, widespread flooding and road closures in and around Elkhorn after 3.26 inches of rain in an hour. The water flowed into some businesses and the Huber Dorm. Some cars were stranded in deep water. Residents of the Bud Motors Trailer Park in the Town of Lyons evacuated due to flooding from the White River. Also in Lyons, the Ore Creek flooded and destroyed a portion of the foundation of a home. Ten additional homes were flooded and there were extensive roadway washouts in the area.
Law enforcement officials reported trees and power lines down in a 5-mile wide swath from northeast of Tibbets to east of Elkhorn due to damaging thunderstorm wind gusts estimated at 60 knots (69 mph). Corn crops were also blown down by the damaging winds. Two county salt storage sheds off of County Highway NN in Elkhorn were also severely damaged by the thunderstorm gusts.Winds caused the paneling of one shed to collapse into the structure. The roof of the other shed was lifted from it's foundation, damaging electrical utilities attached to it and adjacent buildings before settling back down. Officials estimate it will cost $800,000 to repair the sheds. Trees also toppled over onto the Lauderdale Lakes Management district's community center on the corner of Sterlingworth Drive and U.S. Highway 12.
Heavy rains resulted in flash flooding across mostly the northeast part of Walworth County. Water depths on road surfaces reached 3 feet or more and there were gravel washouts. Soem roads were closed. Some farm fields remained flooded into early July. The breakdown for residential home losses were: 23 with minor damage (total of $183 thousand for home losses). There were no business losses. Crop losses were estimated at $4.254 million. Public sector damage was about $342.6 thousand. Some roads and bridges sustained damage.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
105,657
Population (ACS)
$303K
Median home value
13
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 4, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Apr 5, 2011 | Snowstorm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | DR |
| Jun 14, 2008 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Mar 19, 2008 | Snowstorm | RECORD SNOW AND NEAR RECORD SNOW | EM |
| Sep 13, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Walworth County, Wisconsin?
573 events are on record between 1955 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $28.3M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Walworth County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 325 recorded events — 56.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Walworth County?
42 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 35 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Walworth County?
13 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Walworth County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Walworth County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Walworth County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 75 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Walworth 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
- Vilas County 316
- Washburn County 261
- Vernon County 586
- Washington County 418
- Trempealeau County 573
- Waukesha County 787
Cite this page
“Walworth County, Wisconsin.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/wisconsin/walworth-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.