NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Birnamwood, 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 Birnamwood, Wisconsin since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Cristobal in 2020. Since 1950, 46 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 46
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Birnamwood
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Birnamwood; the strongest was Cristobal in 2020, a tropical storm with 40 mph winds when its centre passed 8 miles away. Birnamwood is tied for the most tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles among the 416 Wisconsin cities on this site. The strongest of the 46 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on August 31, 1977; its path came within 17 miles. Of the 46, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 18 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 18. The most recent tornado was on July 23, 2025. Of the 416 Wisconsin cities, 84% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Birnamwood. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 21 times since 1986, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 416 Wisconsin cities, 95% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Birnamwood.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Birnamwood
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | CristobalJun 10 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Birnamwood: 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 Birnamwood
By decade
- 2020s8
- 2010s5
- 2000s5(1 EF3+)
- 1990s9
- 1980s8(1 EF3+)
- 1970s8(2 EF3+)
- 1960s1
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 31, 1977 | F4 | 17 mi | 31.8 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Jun 7, 2007 | EF3 | 9 mi | 40.1 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Apr 27, 1984 | F3 | 17 mi | 32 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 28, 1971 | F3 | 10 mi | 78.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 7, 2007 | EF2 | 12 mi | 7.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 16, 1997 | F2 | 14 mi | 3.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 27, 1984 | F2 | 17 mi | 7.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 12, 1974 | F2 | 8 mi | 10.7 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Dec 1, 1970 | F2 | 23 mi | 31.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 8, 1964 | F2 | 15 mi | 12.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 20, 1954 | F2 | 22 mi | 6.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 23, 2025 | EF1 | 25 mi | 7.43 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 46, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Birnamwood
The Storm Prediction Center has 21 hail reports within 10 miles of Birnamwood since 1986, made on 18 separate days. Of these, 18 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 4 days, most recently July 19, 2025. The most recent report is from August 9, 2025. July has the most reports, 7.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Birnamwood
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Rosholt 9 NNE, WI, 15 miles south of Birnamwood at 1,183 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 81°F and low of 58°F; January is the coolest, at 24°F and 7°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 34.0 inches over 72 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 4 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 178 nights a year. That 34.0 inches is more than at 64 of the 165 Wisconsin stations used on this site (39%). Antigo, 12 miles north, has its own station (Antigo, WI): 29.3 inches a year, 4.7 less than here, and a July average high of 78°F against 81°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 24 | 7 | 1.2 | 4 |
| Feb | 28 | 9 | 1.1 | 3 |
| Mar | 40 | 21 | 1.7 | 5 |
| Apr | 54 | 33 | 3.2 | 7 |
| May | 67 | 45 | 4.0 | 9 |
| Jun | 77 | 55 | 4.5 | 8 |
| Jul | 81 | 58 | 3.8 | 7 |
| Aug | 79 | 57 | 4.0 | 7 |
| Sep | 71 | 49 | 3.8 | 7 |
| Oct | 57 | 37 | 3.0 | 6 |
| Nov | 42 | 26 | 2.1 | 5 |
| Dec | 29 | 15 | 1.6 | 5 |
| Year | 54 | 34 | 34.0 | 72 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Rosholt 9 NNE, WI (1,183 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 Birnamwood
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 55 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Birnamwood: 53 thunderstorm wind reports and 2 floods. They killed 0 people and injured 4, and the NWS estimated $1.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 96 mph, on July 14, 2010.
July 19, 2025: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Birnamwood — 3 injured.
NWS: “Thunderstorm winds downed numerous trees near Hogarty. The time of this report is an estimate based on radar data.”
July 16, 1997: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Birnamwood — 1 injured, $301,000 damage.
June 12, 1996: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Birnamwood — $500,000 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
Shawano County, which includes Birnamwood, has been named in 8 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1976, 5 of them major disasters (by incident: 2 biological emergencies, 2 severe storms, 1 drought, 1 flood). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 4, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Shawano 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 $26.3 million a year, the 29th highest of 72 Wisconsin counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $10.2 million (39%), 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 Birnamwood
- Wittenberg, WI11 mi
- Antigo, WI12 mi
- Hatley, WI13 mi
- Tigerton, WI16 mi
- Gresham, WI19 mi
- Weston, WI21 mi
- Rothschild, WI23 mi
- Rosholt, WI23 mi
- Wausau, WI23 mi
- Marion, WI23 mi
- Iola, WI27 mi
- Keshena, WI28 mi
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