NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Cleveland, 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 Cleveland, Wisconsin since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 36 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 36
- EF3 or stronger
- 1
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
3 deaths in all
What the records show for Cleveland
The strongest of the 36 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F3 on April 21, 1974; its path came within 2 miles, and it killed 2 people. Of the 36, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 11 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 14. The most recent tornado was on July 19, 2025. Of the 416 Wisconsin cities on this site, 89% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Cleveland. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 27 times since 1967, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Of the 416 Wisconsin cities, 88% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Cleveland.
Compare Cleveland's storm record with another city →
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Cleveland
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2010s4
- 2000s6
- 1990s3
- 1980s8
- 1970s6(1 EF3+)
- 1960s7
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 21, 1974 | F3 | 2 mi | 58.6 mi | 2 / 18 |
| Jul 18, 1996 | F2 | 20 mi | 6.4 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Apr 4, 1981 | F2 | 16 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Jun 7, 1980 | F2 | 12 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 30, 1967 | F2 | 15 mi | 5.9 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Sep 22, 1961 | F2 | 18 mi | 12.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 28, 2018 | EF1 | 20 mi | 5.33 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 28, 2018 | EF1 | 13 mi | 0.98 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 16, 2008 | EF1 | 11 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 18, 2005 | F1 | 6 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 13, 2004 | F1 | 10 mi | 4.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 3, 2003 | F1 | 22 mi | 0.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 36, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Cleveland
The Storm Prediction Center has 27 hail reports within 10 miles of Cleveland since 1967, made on 22 separate days. Of these, 16 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on July 26, 1967. The most recent report is from May 28, 2024. July has the most reports, 9.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Cleveland
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Sheboygan Co Mem Airport, WI, 11 miles southwest of Cleveland at 746 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 80°F and low of 58°F; January is the coolest, at 27°F and 12°F. June is the wettest at 3.8 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.0 inches; the year adds up to 29.7 inches over 64 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 6 days a year, almost all from July to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 151 nights a year. That 29.7 inches is more than at 4 of the 165 Wisconsin stations used on this site (2%). Valders, 11 miles northwest, has its own station (Chilton, WI): 33.9 inches a year, 4.2 more than here, and a July average high of 82°F against 80°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 27 | 12 | 1.1 | 3 |
| Feb | 30 | 14 | 1.0 | 3 |
| Mar | 41 | 24 | 1.7 | 5 |
| Apr | 53 | 34 | 3.3 | 7 |
| May | 65 | 44 | 3.4 | 8 |
| Jun | 75 | 54 | 3.8 | 7 |
| Jul | 80 | 58 | 3.4 | 7 |
| Aug | 78 | 57 | 3.1 | 6 |
| Sep | 71 | 50 | 2.7 | 5 |
| Oct | 58 | 39 | 2.8 | 6 |
| Nov | 44 | 28 | 2.0 | 4 |
| Dec | 33 | 18 | 1.4 | 4 |
| Year | 55 | 36 | 29.7 | 64 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Sheboygan Co Mem Airport, WI (746 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 Cleveland
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 29 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Cleveland: 23 thunderstorm wind reports, 4 flash floods and 2 floods. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $450,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 86 mph, on April 12, 2014.
August 14, 2015: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Cleveland — 1 injured, $1,000 damage.
NWS: “A flag pole fell on an individual, who suffered a broken arm, at the Whistling Straits golf course during the PGA Championship. The leaderboard was also blown over.”
July 16, 1997: thunderstorm wind in Cleveland — $150,000 damage.
April 12, 2014: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Cleveland — $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
Manitowoc County, which includes Cleveland, has been named in 9 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 6 of them major disasters (by incident: 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 severe storms, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on June 30, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Manitowoc County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for hail; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Low for inland flooding; Very Low for hurricanes and coastal flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $32.4 million a year, the 26th highest of 72 Wisconsin counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $15.0 million (46%), 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 Cleveland
- Valders, WI11 mi
- Sheboygan, WI11 mi
- Kiel, WI12 mi
- Kohler, WI12 mi
- Elkhart Lake, WI13 mi
- Sheboygan Falls, WI13 mi
- Manitowoc, WI13 mi
- Plymouth, WI15 mi
- New Holstein, WI17 mi
- Reedsville, WI17 mi
- Whitelaw, WI19 mi
- Waldo, WI19 mi
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