NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Ashland, 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
No tropical storm or hurricane has passed within 75 miles of Ashland, Wisconsin since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 10 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 10
- EF3 or stronger
- 0
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Ashland
The strongest of the 10 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F2 on June 30, 1968; its path came within 11 miles. Of the 10, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 2 have come since 2000. July and August have had the most tornadoes, 3 each. The most recent tornado was on July 18, 2020. Of the 416 Wisconsin cities on this site, 99% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Ashland. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 33 times since 1971, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Of the 416 Wisconsin cities, 79% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Ashland.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Ashland
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2010s1
- 1990s1
- 1980s6
- 1960s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 30, 1968 | F2 | 11 mi | 39 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jul 18, 2020 | EF1 | 9 mi | 0.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 13, 1988 | F1 | 12 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 11, 2014 | EF0 | 1 mi | 0.05 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 16, 1992 | F0 | 19 mi | 6.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 3, 1988 | F0 | 16 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 27, 1984 | F0 | 8 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 3, 1983 | F0 | in town | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 3, 1983 | F0 | 22 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 30, 1983 | F0 | 13 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 10 of 10, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Ashland
The Storm Prediction Center has 33 hail reports within 10 miles of Ashland since 1971, made on 22 separate days. Of these, 14 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on July 26, 2019. The most recent report is from March 28, 2025. March has the most reports, 9.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Ashland
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Ashland Kennedy Mem Airport, WI, 2 miles southwest of Ashland at 826 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 79°F and low of 55°F; January is the coolest, at 22°F and 6°F. June and July are the wettest at 3.9 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 0.6 inches; the year adds up to 27.8 inches over 58 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 5 days a year, almost all from July. Lows fall below freezing on about 185 nights a year. That 27.8 inches is more than at 1 of the 165 Wisconsin stations used on this site (1%). Bayfield, 19 miles north, has its own station (Bayfield 6 N, WI): 33.2 inches a year, 5.4 more than here, and a July average high of 77°F against 79°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 22 | 6 | 0.6 | 2 |
| Feb | 27 | 8 | 0.7 | 2 |
| Mar | 38 | 18 | 1.1 | 3 |
| Apr | 51 | 29 | 2.3 | 5 |
| May | 64 | 39 | 3.5 | 7 |
| Jun | 73 | 49 | 3.9 | 8 |
| Jul | 79 | 55 | 3.9 | 7 |
| Aug | 77 | 53 | 3.4 | 6 |
| Sep | 69 | 46 | 3.0 | 7 |
| Oct | 55 | 35 | 2.8 | 6 |
| Nov | 40 | 25 | 1.6 | 4 |
| Dec | 28 | 13 | 1.0 | 3 |
| Year | 52 | 31 | 27.8 | 58 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Ashland Kennedy Mem Airport, WI (826 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 Ashland
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 60 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Ashland: 44 thunderstorm wind reports, 11 flash floods, 4 floods and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $96,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on July 21, 2016. July has had the most flash floods, 6 of 11. Of the 374 Wisconsin cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 293 have had fewer than Ashland.
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
Ashland County, which includes Ashland, has been named in 14 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 11 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 floods, 4 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 1 drought). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 4, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Ashland County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for strong wind and lightning; Very Low for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, coastal flooding and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $8.6 million a year, the 67th highest of 72 Wisconsin counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $2.8 million (32%), 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 Ashland
- Washburn, WI8 mi
- Bayfield, WI19 mi
- Iron River, WI23 mi
- Hurley, WI34 mi
- Ironwood, MI36 mi
- Bessemer, MI41 mi
- Solon Springs, WI42 mi
- Hayward, WI45 mi
- Wakefield, MI47 mi
- South Range, WI50 mi
- Two Harbors, MN50 mi
- Park Falls, WI52 mi
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