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Storms That Hit

NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database

Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Florence, 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 Florence, Wisconsin since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Cristobal in 2020. Since 1950, 21 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.

Hurricanes
0

within 75 mi, since 1851

Tropical storms
1

below hurricane strength

Tornadoes
21

within 25 mi, since 1950

EF3 or stronger
2

no recorded deaths

What the records show for Florence

None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Florence; the strongest was Cristobal in 2020, a tropical storm with 40 mph winds when its centre passed 15 miles away. Florence is tied for the most tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles among the 416 Wisconsin cities on this site. The highest rating among the 21 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on July 11, 1987, came within 21 miles. Of the 21, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 10 have come since 2000. June and July have had the most tornadoes, 6 each. The most recent tornado was on August 9, 2020. Of the 416 Wisconsin cities, 96% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Florence. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 23 times since 1985, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 416 Wisconsin cities, 94% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Florence.

Compare Florence's storm record with another city →

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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Florence

Tropical systems that passed within 75 miles of Florence, Wisconsin, newest first
YearStormClosestStrength when closestPeak
2020CristobalJun 1015 miTropical storm (40 mph)Tropical storm

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

By decade

  • 2020s2
  • 2010s5
  • 2000s3
  • 1990s1
  • 1980s3(2 EF3+)
  • 1970s3
  • 1960s2
  • 1950s2
Strongest tornadoes near Florence, Wisconsin
DateRatingDistancePathKilled / injured
Jul 11, 1987F321 mi71 mi0 / 0
Jul 4, 1986F317 mi24.3 mi0 / 12
Apr 10, 2011EF219 mi11.97 mi0 / 0
Jun 14, 1981F215 mi2.6 mi0 / 0
Jun 30, 1968F225 mi1 mi0 / 0
Jul 8, 1959F215 mi1 mi0 / 3
Aug 9, 2020EF111 mi3.8 mi0 / 0
Aug 9, 2020EF120 mi4.59 mi0 / 0
Apr 10, 2011EF117 mi3.29 mi0 / 0
Sep 30, 2002F110 mi5.2 mi0 / 0
Jun 20, 1979F117 mi0.1 mi0 / 1
Aug 15, 1978F124 mi0.5 mi0 / 2

The strongest 12 of 21, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.

Hail in Florence

The Storm Prediction Center has 23 hail reports within 10 miles of Florence since 1985, made on 18 separate days. Of these, 11 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on May 10, 2022. The most recent report is from May 18, 2024. July has the most reports, 5.

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

Weather by month in Florence

The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Florence, WI, 4 miles north of Florence at 1,300 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 78°F and low of 55°F; January is the coolest, at 22°F and 3°F. June is the wettest at 4.1 inches of precipitation on average and January and February the driest at 1.0 inches; the year adds up to 30.5 inches over 70 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 3 days a year, almost all from July. Lows fall below freezing on about 190 nights a year. Snowfall averages 65.6 inches a year, most of it in January. That 30.5 inches is more than at 9 of the 165 Wisconsin stations used on this site (5%). Kingsford, MI, 10 miles southeast, has its own station (Iron Mountain-Kingsford Wwtp, MI): 31.7 inches a year, 1.2 more than here, and a July average high of 80°F against 78°F.

Monthly climate normals 1991–2020 at Florence, WI
MonthHigh °FLow °FPrecip. inDays ≥ 0.1"Snow in
Jan2231.0414.3
Feb2641.0413.9
Mar37141.549.4
Apr50272.678.6
May64403.370.3
Jun73504.170.0
Jul78553.770.0
Aug76533.170.0
Sep68453.570.0
Oct54343.471.3
Nov39231.945.6
Dec27111.4412.2
Year513030.57065.6

Averages for 1991–2020 at Florence, WI (1,300 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 Florence

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 43 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Florence: 35 thunderstorm wind reports, 4 heavy rain events, 2 flash floods and 2 lightning strikes. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $448,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on July 26, 2021.

  • July 18, 2013: lightning strike 6 miles from the centre of Florence — $162,000 damage.

    NWS: “Lightning stuck a gas line, causing a fire that destroyed the adjacent house.”

  • April 18, 2004: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Florence — $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

Florence County, which includes Florence, has been named in 6 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1976, 3 of them major disasters (by incident: 2 biological emergencies, 1 drought, 1 flood, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 4, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Florence County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for hail; Very Low for tornadoes, inland flooding, strong wind, lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $17.6 million a year, the 49th highest of 72 Wisconsin counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $1.4 million (8%), 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 Florence

All Wisconsin cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Florence with another place →

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