NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Gillett, 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 Gillett, Wisconsin since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Cristobal in 2020. Since 1950, 41 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 5 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 41
- EF3 or stronger
- 5
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
2 deaths in all
What the records show for Gillett
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Gillett; the strongest was Cristobal in 2020, a tropical storm with 40 mph winds when its centre passed 43 miles away. Gillett is tied for the most tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles among the 416 Wisconsin cities on this site. The strongest of the 41 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on August 19, 1968; its path came within 19 miles, and it killed 2 people. Of the 41, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 20 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 21. The most recent tornado was on July 23, 2025. Of the 416 Wisconsin cities, 87% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Gillett. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 27 times since 1980, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Of the 416 Wisconsin cities, 88% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Gillett.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Gillett
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | CristobalJun 10 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Gillett: 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 Gillett
By decade
- 2020s7
- 2010s11
- 2000s2(1 EF3+)
- 1990s2
- 1980s4(1 EF3+)
- 1970s6(1 EF3+)
- 1960s9(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 19, 1968 | F4 | 19 mi | 21.8 mi | 2 / 3 |
| Jun 7, 2007 | EF3 | 23 mi | 40.1 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Apr 27, 1984 | F3 | 21 mi | 32 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 28, 1971 | F3 | 20 mi | 78.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 26, 1969 | F3 | 18 mi | 15.3 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 16, 1979 | F2 | 4 mi | 15.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 1, 1970 | F2 | 17 mi | 31.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 16, 1968 | F2 | 22 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 4, 1966 | F2 | 4 mi | 4.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 4, 1966 | F2 | 4 mi | 4.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 4, 1966 | F2 | 8 mi | 5.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 9, 1964 | F2 | 21 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 41, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Gillett
The Storm Prediction Center has 27 hail reports within 10 miles of Gillett since 1980, made on 23 separate days. Of these, 19 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4 inches (softball size), fell on July 1, 2006. The most recent report is from July 8, 2025. June has the most reports, 7.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Gillett
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Suring, WI, 6 miles north of Gillett at 792 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 79°F and low of 56°F; January is the coolest, at 24°F and 5°F. June is the wettest at 4.2 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.1 inches; the year adds up to 32.0 inches over 71 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 5 days a year, almost all from July to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 177 nights a year. Snowfall averages 56.6 inches a year, most of it in December. That 32.0 inches is more than at 27 of the 165 Wisconsin stations used on this site (16%). Cecil, 6 miles south, has its own station (Shawano 2SSW, WI): 33.1 inches a year, 1.1 more than here, and a July average high of 81°F against 79°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 24 | 5 | 1.3 | 4 | 11.6 |
| Feb | 28 | 7 | 1.1 | 4 | 13.3 |
| Mar | 40 | 18 | 1.8 | 5 | 8.8 |
| Apr | 53 | 30 | 2.9 | 7 | 6.3 |
| May | 66 | 42 | 3.4 | 8 | 0.1 |
| Jun | 75 | 52 | 4.2 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 79 | 56 | 4.1 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 77 | 55 | 3.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 70 | 47 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 56 | 35 | 2.8 | 6 | 0.6 |
| Nov | 42 | 24 | 2.0 | 5 | 2.3 |
| Dec | 29 | 13 | 1.7 | 5 | 13.6 |
| Year | 53 | 32 | 32.0 | 71 | 56.6 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Suring, WI (792 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 Gillett
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 24 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Gillett: 23 thunderstorm wind reports and 1 flash flood. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $179,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on May 17, 2017.
May 17, 2017: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Gillett — $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
Oconto County, which includes Gillett, has been named in 6 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 3 of them major disasters (by incident: 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods, 1 drought, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 4, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Oconto County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Moderate for hail and strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes and inland flooding; Very Low for coastal flooding and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $22.4 million a year, the 38th highest of 72 Wisconsin counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $12.5 million (56%), 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 Gillett
- Cecil, WI6 mi
- Suring, WI10 mi
- Keshena, WI11 mi
- Oconto Falls, WI11 mi
- Bonduel, WI14 mi
- Shawano, WI14 mi
- Lena, WI15 mi
- Pound, WI18 mi
- Abrams, WI18 mi
- Pulaski, WI18 mi
- Sobieski, WI19 mi
- Coleman, WI19 mi
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