NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Bruce, 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 Bruce, Wisconsin since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 35 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 35
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
2 deaths in all
What the records show for Bruce
The strongest of the 35 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on July 30, 1977; its path came within 13 miles. The deadliest, an EF3 on May 16, 2017, killed 1 person. Of the 35, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 7 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 9. The most recent tornado was on June 24, 2021. Of the 416 Wisconsin cities on this site, 90% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Bruce. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 46 times since 1975, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 416 Wisconsin cities, 60% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Bruce.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Bruce
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2010s5(1 EF3+)
- 2000s1(1 EF3+)
- 1990s7
- 1980s4
- 1970s7(1 EF3+)
- 1960s5
- 1950s5
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 30, 1977 | F4 | 13 mi | 19 mi | 0 / 20 |
| May 16, 2017 | EF3 | 9 mi | 82.53 mi | 1 / 25 |
| Sep 2, 2002 | F3 | 8 mi | 16 mi | 0 / 27 |
| Jul 30, 1977 | F2 | 17 mi | 34.5 mi | 1 / 8 |
| Apr 26, 1994 | F2 | 14 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 11, 1990 | F2 | 14 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 3, 1986 | F2 | 17 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 12, 1982 | F2 | 6 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 24, 1975 | F2 | 6 mi | 34.2 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Jul 22, 1967 | F2 | 13 mi | 49.1 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Jun 18, 1964 | F2 | 16 mi | 4.1 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 26, 1959 | F2 | 9 mi | 2.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 35, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Bruce
The Storm Prediction Center has 46 hail reports within 10 miles of Bruce since 1975, made on 36 separate days. Of these, 20 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on August 8, 2000. The most recent report is from June 16, 2025. July has the most reports, 15.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Bruce
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Weyerhaeuser 1N, WI, 6 miles west of Bruce at 1,195 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 81°F and low of 58°F; January is the coolest, at 23°F and 5°F. June is the wettest at 4.4 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 0.9 inches; the year adds up to 34.2 inches over 68 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 4 days a year, almost all from July. Lows fall below freezing on about 176 nights a year. Snowfall averages 49.4 inches a year, most of it in January. That 34.2 inches is more than at 74 of the 165 Wisconsin stations used on this site (45%). Ladysmith, 9 miles east, has its own station (Ladysmith 3W, WI): 35.8 inches a year, 1.6 more than here, and a July average high of 79°F against 81°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 23 | 5 | 0.9 | 4 | 11.5 |
| Feb | 28 | 8 | 1.1 | 3 | 7.3 |
| Mar | 41 | 20 | 2.2 | 4 | 9.9 |
| Apr | 56 | 32 | 3.0 | 7 | 3.2 |
| May | 68 | 44 | 4.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 77 | 53 | 4.4 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 81 | 58 | 4.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 78 | 56 | 4.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 71 | 48 | 3.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 57 | 36 | 3.2 | 6 | 1.2 |
| Nov | 40 | 24 | 2.0 | 5 | 9.0 |
| Dec | 27 | 12 | 1.3 | 3 | 7.3 |
| Year | 54 | 33 | 34.2 | 68 | 49.4 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Weyerhaeuser 1N, WI (1,195 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 Bruce
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 39 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Bruce: 33 thunderstorm wind reports, 4 flash floods, 1 heavy rain event and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $415,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on May 15, 1998.
August 9, 2005: lightning strike 7 miles from the centre of Bruce — 1 injured.
NWS: “A 54-year-old man was struck by lightning on Menomonie Street while unhooking a chain from a truck at a business. He was transported to a local hospital for observation after "feeling hot", but was otherwise uninjured.”
May 15, 1998: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Bruce — $230,000 damage.
July 15, 2019: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Bruce — $150,000 damage.
NWS: “A NWS Storm Survey indicated wind damage occurred north of Bruce, and tracked eastward for several miles. The wind downed numerous trees, damaged a barn and outbuilding northwest of Ladysmith.”
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
Rusk County, which includes Bruce, has been named in 12 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 8 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 floods, 3 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 Rusk County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Very Low for heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $10.5 million a year, the 63rd highest of 72 Wisconsin counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $5.1 million (48%), 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 Bruce
- Ladysmith, WI9 mi
- Holcombe, WI15 mi
- New Auburn, WI19 mi
- Birchwood, WI19 mi
- Chetek, WI19 mi
- Cameron, WI21 mi
- Rice Lake, WI21 mi
- Cornell, WI21 mi
- Bloomer, WI26 mi
- Barron, WI28 mi
- Cadott, WI34 mi
- Chippewa Falls, WI36 mi
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