NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Amherst, WI
Every tropical system within 75 miles since 1851 and every tornado within 25 miles since 1950.
Data: NOAA NHC HURDAT2 and NOAA SPC tornado and hail reports, through 2025 · Updated
1 tropical system has passed within 75 miles of Amherst, Wisconsin since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Cristobal in 2020. Since 1950, 60 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 60
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
9 deaths in all
What the records show for Amherst
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Amherst; the strongest was Cristobal in 2020, a tropical storm with 39 mph winds when its centre passed 16 miles away. Amherst is tied for the most tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles among the 416 Wisconsin cities on this site. The strongest of the 60 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on September 26, 1951; its path came within 6 miles, and it killed 6 people. Of the 60, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 21 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 15. The most recent tornado was on July 23, 2025. Of the 416 Wisconsin cities, 66% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Amherst. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 27 times since 1964, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 416 Wisconsin cities, 88% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Amherst.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Amherst
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | CristobalJun 10 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Amherst: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Amherst
By decade
- 2020s4
- 2010s14
- 2000s3
- 1990s9(1 EF3+)
- 1980s9(1 EF3+)
- 1970s11
- 1960s5
- 1950s5(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 26, 1951 | F4 | 6 mi | 26.4 mi | 6 / 3 |
| Aug 29, 1992 | F3 | 22 mi | 28 mi | 1 / 30 |
| Apr 27, 1984 | F3 | 21 mi | 32 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 3, 1956 | F2 | 3 mi | 18.2 mi | 2 / 2 |
| May 22, 2011 | EF2 | 3 mi | 64.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 23, 2004 | F2 | 10 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 16, 1992 | F2 | 4 mi | 11 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 27, 1984 | F2 | 7 mi | 5.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 13, 1976 | F2 | 11 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 12, 1976 | F2 | 2 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 1, 1970 | F2 | 9 mi | 31.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 7, 1970 | F2 | 13 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 60, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Amherst
The Storm Prediction Center has 27 hail reports within 10 miles of Amherst since 1964, made on 20 separate days. Of these, 15 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on July 26, 2007. The most recent report is from May 15, 2025. May and July have the most reports, 7 each.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Amherst
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Waupaca, WI, 13 miles east of Amherst at 837 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 82°F and low of 59°F; January is the coolest, at 25°F and 8°F. June is the wettest at 4.5 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.1 inches; the year adds up to 33.8 inches over 68 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 8 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 162 nights a year. Snowfall averages 49.3 inches a year, most of it in December. That 33.8 inches is more than at 58 of the 165 Wisconsin stations used on this site (35%). Almond, 10 miles south, has its own station (Hancock Exp Farm, WI): 34.4 inches a year, 0.6 more than here, and the same July average high, 82°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 25 | 8 | 1.4 | 4 | 10.9 |
| Feb | 29 | 10 | 1.1 | 3 | 11.9 |
| Mar | 41 | 21 | 1.9 | 5 | 7.0 |
| Apr | 55 | 33 | 3.4 | 7 | 4.7 |
| May | 68 | 45 | 4.1 | 8 | 0.1 |
| Jun | 77 | 55 | 4.5 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 82 | 59 | 3.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 80 | 57 | 3.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 72 | 49 | 3.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 58 | 37 | 2.6 | 5 | 0.3 |
| Nov | 43 | 26 | 2.1 | 4 | 2.1 |
| Dec | 30 | 15 | 1.7 | 5 | 12.3 |
| Year | 55 | 34 | 33.8 | 68 | 49.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Waupaca, WI (837 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. Normals describe the station; the farther a place is from it, and the bigger the difference in height, the more its weather can differ.
Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Amherst
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 36 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Amherst: 30 thunderstorm wind reports, 5 heavy rain events and 1 flash flood. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $258,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 96 mph, on August 28, 2009.
July 20, 2019: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Amherst — 1 injured, $150,000 damage.
July 20, 2019: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Amherst — $100,000 damage.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, events whose starting point is on record, 1996 to June 30, 2026. Damage is the NWS estimate in the dollars of the year, not insured losses, and NWS notes that some reports are unverified.
Flood insurance claims, disaster declarations and FEMA risk ratings
Portage County, which includes Amherst, has been named in 12 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 9 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 severe storms, 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 1 drought). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 4, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Portage County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for inland flooding and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $35.9 million a year, the 22nd highest of 72 Wisconsin counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $18.1 million (50%), is from inland flooding.
Claims: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset FIMA NFIP Redacted Claims – v3, summed over ZIP codes; payments in the dollars of each year, not adjusted for inflation. Declarations: Disaster Declarations Summaries – v2, by county. Retrieved October 25, 2026. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
Risk ratings: FEMA, National Risk Index county table, December 2025 (v1.20), retrieved October 26, 2026; ratings compare counties nationwide, are meant for planning and are no substitute for a local risk assessment. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset API or downloadable datasets but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.
Cities near Amherst
- Almond, WI10 mi
- Waupaca, WI11 mi
- Plover, WI12 mi
- Custer, WI13 mi
- Iola, WI13 mi
- Stevens Point, WI14 mi
- Rosholt, WI15 mi
- Wild Rose, WI17 mi
- Plainfield, WI17 mi
- Weyauwega, WI19 mi
- Manawa, WI20 mi
- Hancock, WI25 mi
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