NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Dresser, 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 Dresser, Wisconsin since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 86 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 6 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 86
- EF3 or stronger
- 6
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
8 deaths in all
What the records show for Dresser
The strongest of the 86 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on May 21, 1957; its path came within 20 miles. The deadliest, an F2 on May 10, 1953, killed 4 people. Of the 86, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 46 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 38. The most recent tornado was on May 15, 2025. Dresser has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 59% of the 416 Wisconsin cities on this site. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 46 times since 1962, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 416 Wisconsin cities, 60% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Dresser.
Compare Dresser's storm record with another city →
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Dresser
By decade
- 2020s6
- 2010s20(1 EF3+)
- 2000s20(1 EF3+)
- 1990s13
- 1980s6
- 1970s3(1 EF3+)
- 1960s10
- 1950s8(3 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 21, 1957 | F4 | 20 mi | 9.2 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jun 23, 1952 | F3 | 5 mi | 18.2 mi | 2 / 6 |
| May 16, 2017 | EF3 | 22 mi | 82.53 mi | 1 / 25 |
| May 25, 2008 | EF3 | 20 mi | 5.96 mi | 1 / 17 |
| Jul 30, 1977 | F3 | 22 mi | 9.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 24, 1958 | F3 | 21 mi | 59.4 mi | 0 / 12 |
| May 10, 1953 | F2 | 12 mi | 105.7 mi | 4 / 27 |
| May 15, 2025 | EF2 | 20 mi | 3.94 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 26, 1994 | F2 | 22 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jul 22, 1967 | F2 | 25 mi | 49.1 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Jun 12, 1967 | F2 | 6 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 10, 1966 | F2 | 13 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 2 |
The strongest 12 of 86, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Dresser
The Storm Prediction Center has 46 hail reports within 10 miles of Dresser since 1962, made on 34 separate days. Of these, 21 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on August 3, 1981. The most recent report is from June 19, 2025. July has the most reports, 11.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Dresser
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is St Croix Falls, WI, 5 miles northwest of Dresser at 750 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 82°F and low of 61°F; January is the coolest, at 23°F and 3°F. July is the wettest at 4.2 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 0.6 inches; the year adds up to 30.5 inches over 59 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 11 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 169 nights a year. Snowfall averages 42.6 inches a year, most of it in December. That 30.5 inches is more than at 10 of the 165 Wisconsin stations used on this site (6%). Star Prairie, 10 miles south, has its own station (Amery, WI): 34.6 inches a year, 4.1 more than here, and a July average high of 81°F against 82°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 23 | 3 | 0.6 | 2 | 7.7 |
| Feb | 28 | 5 | 0.8 | 3 | 9.6 |
| Mar | 41 | 19 | 1.3 | 4 | 5.7 |
| Apr | 55 | 33 | 2.7 | 6 | 1.2 |
| May | 68 | 46 | 4.1 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 78 | 56 | 4.1 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 82 | 61 | 4.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 80 | 59 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 72 | 50 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 58 | 38 | 2.9 | 6 | 0.8 |
| Nov | 42 | 25 | 1.4 | 3 | 6.7 |
| Dec | 28 | 11 | 1.1 | 3 | 10.9 |
| Year | 55 | 34 | 30.5 | 59 | 42.6 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at St Croix Falls, WI (750 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 Dresser
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 72 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Dresser: 68 thunderstorm wind reports, 2 flash floods, 1 flood and 1 heavy rain event. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $363,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 74 mph, on May 9, 2022.
June 11, 2017: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Dresser — $100,000 damage.
July 12, 2017: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Dresser — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “Numerous trees were blown down east of St. Croix Falls, to Balsam Lake.”
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
Polk County, which includes Dresser, has been named in 10 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 6 of them major disasters (by incident: 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods, 2 severe storms, 2 tornadoes). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 4, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Polk County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail and lightning; Relatively Low for inland flooding and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $23.0 million a year, the 37th highest of 72 Wisconsin counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $7.7 million (33%), 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 Dresser
- Osceola, WI4 mi
- Shafer, MN6 mi
- Centuria, WI8 mi
- Saint Croix Falls, WI8 mi
- Star Prairie, WI10 mi
- Amery, WI11 mi
- Lindstrom, MN12 mi
- Balsam Lake, WI12 mi
- Scandia, MN12 mi
- Chisago City, MN14 mi
- Somerset, WI15 mi
- Marine On Saint Croix, MN15 mi
All Wisconsin cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Dresser with another place →