NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Colfax, 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 Colfax, Wisconsin since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 65 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 8 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 65
- EF3 or stronger
- 8
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
29 deaths in all
What the records show for Colfax
The strongest of the 65 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on June 4, 1958; its path came within 2 miles, and it killed 21 people. Of the 65, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 19 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 23. The most recent tornado was on August 29, 2024. Of the 416 Wisconsin cities on this site, 60% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Colfax. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 33 times since 1968, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 416 Wisconsin cities, 79% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Colfax.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Colfax
By decade
- 2020s6
- 2010s11(2 EF3+)
- 2000s2
- 1990s8(1 EF3+)
- 1980s16(1 EF3+)
- 1970s11(1 EF3+)
- 1960s5
- 1950s6(3 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 4, 1958 | F5 | 2 mi | 33.7 mi | 21 / 74 |
| Jun 4, 1958 | F4 | 14 mi | 11.1 mi | 3 / 50 |
| Jul 30, 1977 | F4 | 12 mi | 19 mi | 0 / 20 |
| May 16, 2017 | EF3 | 19 mi | 82.53 mi | 1 / 25 |
| Jul 15, 1980 | F3 | 16 mi | 1 mi | 1 / 10 |
| Sep 24, 2019 | EF3 | 10 mi | 6.97 mi | 0 / 3 |
| May 15, 1998 | F3 | 24 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Sep 12, 1951 | F3 | 6 mi | 24.4 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jul 15, 1980 | F2 | 20 mi | 0.1 mi | 1 / 12 |
| Jul 15, 1980 | F2 | 16 mi | 0.2 mi | 1 / 5 |
| Jul 18, 1971 | F2 | 7 mi | 38.5 mi | 1 / 2 |
| May 30, 1998 | F2 | 9 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 8 |
The strongest 12 of 65, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Colfax
The Storm Prediction Center has 33 hail reports within 10 miles of Colfax since 1968, made on 23 separate days. Of these, 24 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on May 25, 2008. The most recent report is from May 15, 2025. May has the most reports, 14.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Colfax
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Bloomer, WI, 13 miles northeast of Colfax at 990 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 81°F and low of 60°F; January is the coolest, at 21°F and 3°F. June is the wettest at 4.5 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 0.9 inches; the year adds up to 31.7 inches over 67 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 170 nights a year. Snowfall averages 41.8 inches a year, most of it in February. That 31.7 inches is more than at 24 of the 165 Wisconsin stations used on this site (15%). Elk Mound, 10 miles south, has its own station (Eau Claire Regional Airport, WI): 33.1 inches a year, 1.4 more than here, and a July average high of 83°F against 81°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 21 | 3 | 1.0 | 3 | 9.3 |
| Feb | 26 | 7 | 0.9 | 3 | 9.9 |
| Mar | 39 | 19 | 1.6 | 4 | 7.2 |
| Apr | 54 | 33 | 2.9 | 7 | 2.4 |
| May | 68 | 45 | 3.7 | 8 | 0.3 |
| Jun | 77 | 56 | 4.5 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 81 | 60 | 4.1 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 79 | 57 | 4.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 71 | 48 | 3.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 56 | 36 | 2.8 | 6 | 0.6 |
| Nov | 40 | 24 | 1.7 | 4 | 2.6 |
| Dec | 27 | 11 | 1.2 | 4 | 9.5 |
| Year | 53 | 33 | 31.7 | 67 | 41.8 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Bloomer, WI (990 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 Colfax
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 32 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Colfax: 26 thunderstorm wind reports, 4 flash floods, 1 flood and 1 heavy rain event. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $902,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on May 15, 2025.
September 21, 2016: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Colfax — $882,000 damage.
NWS: “Widespread flash flooding occurred across southern Chippewa County due to extreme rainfall rates, and amounts of 5 to 8 inches fell in less than 6 hours. A 50 foot section of railroad was damaged near Stanley, and there was minor damage to 12 businesses and homes, and 3 more with major 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
Dunn County, which includes Colfax, has been named in 13 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 10 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 floods, 3 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 tornadoes). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 4, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Dunn 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 $22.2 million a year, the 39th highest of 72 Wisconsin counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $9.6 million (43%), 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 Colfax
- Elk Mound, WI10 mi
- Bloomer, WI14 mi
- Menomonie, WI14 mi
- Boyceville, WI15 mi
- Chippewa Falls, WI18 mi
- Eau Claire, WI18 mi
- New Auburn, WI18 mi
- Altoona, WI20 mi
- Chetek, WI21 mi
- Glenwood City, WI23 mi
- Cameron, WI27 mi
- Woodville, WI27 mi
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