197
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
3
Direct injuries
$10.2M
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Washington County, Wisconsin: 197 recorded events between 1965 and 2026. The strongest on record measured 91. That places the county #1,065 nationally and #22 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Washington County, Wisconsin: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Washington County is the 2000s, when 49 of the county's 197 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 Washington County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 47.1% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #1,065 for this hazard and #22 within Wisconsin, putting it in the 66.2 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jul is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Washington County with 57 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 31, 1998 | COUNTYWIDE | 91 | 1 | 2 | $8.6M |
| Jun 24, 1997 | KEWASKUM | 0 | 0 | 1 | $4K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 14, 2026 | MEEKER | 50 | $0 |
| Apr 14, 2026 | HOLY HILL | 61 | $20K |
| Aug 27, 2024 | ST KILIAN | 50 | $8K |
| Jul 14, 2024 | KEWASKUM | 50 | $1K |
| Jun 18, 2024 | PLAT | 50 | $1K |
| Jul 29, 2023 | HUBERTUS | 50 | $1K |
| Jul 29, 2023 | HARTFORD | 56 | $8K |
| Nov 5, 2022 | HARTFORD | 50 | $10K |
| Oct 12, 2022 | HARTFORD | 52 | $0 |
| Sep 25, 2022 | ST KILIAN | 52 | $15K |
Other hazards here
More from Washington County
- Hail 139
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A gustnado on the leading gust front of a line of severe thunderstorms damaged a shed, a garage, a roof, trees, and two road signs. In addition, a barn imploded, and a storage shed was destroyed. Gustnadoes, a shallow ground-based vortex, are classified as thunderstorm wind events.
Part of a line of severe thunderstorms with damaging wind gusts estimated up to 64 mph (56 knots) that blew down numerous trees and power lines moved through southern Washington County during the middle afternoon of June 21st. The powerful wind gusts blew a tree down on a house and knocked down a barn near Holy Hill.
Widespread tree and power line damage, including uprooted and snapped trees, starting at Druid Lake and extending to the south side of Hartford. A large tree fell on a house causing minor damage. Several corn fields suffered damage, with bent over stalks, some small areas flattened. The corn was in relatively poor condition due to a poor growing season. Then sporadic reports of trees and power lines down from Hartford to Slinger.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Washington County, Wisconsin?
197 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Washington County between 1965 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Washington County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Washington County measured 91.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Washington 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 Washington County, Wisconsin.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/wisconsin/washington-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.