What was the deadliest tornado to hit Wisconsin? Here are the biggest twisters since 1950.
It's officially summer, which also means it is the season for severe weather. Wisconsin has already experienced severe air quality from wildfires, but tornadoes and severe thunderstorms are still in the forecast.
Wisconsinites certainly aren't strangers to tornadoes. Though less common in this part of the Midwest than the famed "Tornado Alley", with only an average of about 23 tornadoes per year, the majority of twisters that hit Wisconsin tend to churn out in open fields and fizzle out before causing any real damage.
But that's not to say a big one has never happened and certainly does not rule out the possibility of one in the future. Here are some of the biggest tornadoes that have hit Wisconsin since 1950.
What was the worst tornado to hit Wisconsin?
The state of Wisconsin started keeping official track of tornadoes in 1950. According to those records, the deadliest tornado was an EF-5 that hit Colfax on June 4, 1958. The twister was part of an intense outbreak that affected a large part of the upper Midwest from June 3-5, 1958. It spawned four severe tornadoes across the Eau Claire–Chippewa Falls metropolitan area, primarily along and near the Chippewa and Eau Claire rivers. The 90-mile tornado left 29 dead and injured more than 200.
In 2005, 62 tornadoes hit Wisconsin, which remains the record for the most tornadoes in a single year from the last 30 years. In comparison, 1952 only saw one tornado the whole year. According to the National Weather Service, the average Wisconsin tornado is an EF-1, lasts about 9.8 minutes, has a path length of 5.5 miles and a maximum width of 121 yards. On average, June sees the most tornadoes, but the season lasts from April to September.
Tornadoes are classified using what's known as the EF scale.
- EF-0: wind speeds 65 to 85 mph
- EF-1: wind speeds 86 to 110 mph
- EF-2: wind speeds 111 to 135 mph
- EF-3: wind speeds 136 to 165 mph
- EF-4: wind speeds 166 to 200 mph
- EF-5: wind speeds greater than 200 mph
What was the most costly tornado to hit Wisconsin?
Two tornadoes since 1950 are considered the most costly. The first occurred in 1984 in Barneveld, WI (Iowa County), classified as an EF-5, killed 9 and injured 200 with $40 million in property damage. The second occurred in 1996 in Oakfield (Fond du Lac County) where an EF-5 tornado injured 12 and caused $40.4 million in property damage.
What part of Wisconsin has the highest likelihood of getting hit by a tornado?
Dodge, Grant and Dane counties hold the highest number of tornado events in the state, with Dane County holding the record for most at 81 tornadoes from 1950-2014.
Southwest Wisconsin near the Mississippi River averages about 1 day per year with a tornado. This average decreases to 0.7 days per year for the Madison area, 0.6 days per year for the Milwaukee area, 0.4 days per year for the Green Bay area, and 0.2 days per year for northern Wisconsin.
When severe weather hits, these best practices will help you survive a tornado strike