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Storms That Hit

NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database

Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Fall River, 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 Fall River, Wisconsin since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1900. Since 1950, 141 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 13 of them rated EF3 or stronger.

Hurricanes
0

within 75 mi, since 1851

Tropical storms
1

below hurricane strength

Tornadoes
141

within 25 mi, since 1950

EF3 or stronger
13

16 deaths in all

What the records show for Fall River

None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Fall River; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 60 miles away. Fall River is tied for the most tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles among the 416 Wisconsin cities on this site. The strongest of the 141 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on June 7, 1984; its path came within 25 miles, and it killed 9 people. Of the 141, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 62 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 47. The most recent tornado was on July 16, 2025. Fall River has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 98% of the 416 Wisconsin cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 45 times since 1956, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Of the 416 Wisconsin cities, 63% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Fall River.

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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Fall River

Tropical systems that passed within 75 miles of Fall River, Wisconsin, newest first
YearStormClosestStrength when closestPeak
1900Unnamed 1900 stormSep 1160 miTropical storm (58 mph)Category 4

Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Fall River: 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 Fall River

By decade

  • 2020s13
  • 2010s16
  • 2000s33(2 EF3+)
  • 1990s10
  • 1980s32(4 EF3+)
  • 1970s17(3 EF3+)
  • 1960s14(3 EF3+)
  • 1950s6(1 EF3+)
Strongest tornadoes near Fall River, Wisconsin
DateRatingDistancePathKilled / injured
Jun 7, 1984F525 mi36 mi9 / 200
Sep 26, 1951F48 mi9 mi1 / 9
Apr 21, 1974F317 mi58.6 mi2 / 18
Jun 23, 2004F319 mi7.6 mi1 / 1
Jun 23, 2004F321 mi33.3 mi0 / 0
Jun 8, 1984F39 mi29 mi0 / 1
Jun 5, 1980F324 mi10.7 mi0 / 0
Apr 7, 1980F37 mi1.2 mi0 / 4
Jun 4, 1975F313 mi2.3 mi0 / 0
Apr 21, 1974F318 mi22.2 mi0 / 0
Aug 16, 1963F324 mi9.6 mi0 / 13
Aug 16, 1963F324 mi9.6 mi0 / 13

The strongest 12 of 141, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.

Hail in Fall River

The Storm Prediction Center has 45 hail reports within 10 miles of Fall River since 1956, made on 37 separate days. Of these, 32 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on August 3, 2004. The most recent report is from September 22, 2025. May has the most reports, 10.

Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.

Weather by month in Fall River

The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Town Of Westford, WI, 10 miles northeast of Fall River at 879 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 81°F and low of 60°F; January is the coolest, at 25°F and 8°F. June is the wettest at 5.0 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 1.6 inches; the year adds up to 37.8 inches over 74 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 5 days a year, almost all from July. Lows fall below freezing on about 157 nights a year. That 37.8 inches is more than at 140 of the 165 Wisconsin stations used on this site (85%). Columbus, 5 miles south, has its own station (Waterloo Wwtp, WI): 38.3 inches a year, 0.5 more than here, and a July average high of 82°F against 81°F.

Monthly climate normals 1991–2020 at Town Of Westford, WI
MonthHigh °FLow °FPrecip. inDays ≥ 0.1"
Jan2581.65
Feb29111.75
Mar41222.46
Apr55343.88
May68474.48
Jun78565.08
Jul81604.16
Aug79583.86
Sep72503.66
Oct59393.17
Nov44272.35
Dec31152.06
Year553637.874

Averages for 1991–2020 at Town Of Westford, WI (879 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.

Wisconsin weather by month, station by station →

Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Fall River

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 70 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Fall River: 63 thunderstorm wind reports, 3 flash floods, 3 floods and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $4.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on July 13, 2015.

  • August 3, 2004: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Fall River — $3.0 million damage.

  • July 13, 2015: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Fall River — $1.0 million damage.

  • July 13, 2015: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Fall River — $120,000 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

Columbia County, which includes Fall River, has been named in 11 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1976, 7 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 1 drought, 1 flood). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 4, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Columbia County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for hail; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, inland flooding, strong wind and heat waves; Relatively Low for lightning; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $51.4 million a year, the 12th highest of 72 Wisconsin counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $20.5 million (40%), is from hail.

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 Fall River

All Wisconsin cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Fall River with another place →

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