NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Glendale, 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 Glendale, Wisconsin since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1900. Since 1950, 52 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 52
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
4 deaths in all
What the records show for Glendale
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Glendale; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 59 mph winds when its centre passed 28 miles away. Glendale 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 52 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on April 27, 1984, came within 15 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on April 4, 1981, killed 3 people. Of the 52, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 15 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 17. The most recent tornado was on October 12, 2022. Of the 416 Wisconsin cities, 79% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Glendale. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 113 times since 1956, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Glendale has more hail reports within 10 miles than 84% of the 416 Wisconsin cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Glendale
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Glendale: 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 Glendale
By decade
- 2020s4
- 2010s5
- 2000s6
- 1990s4
- 1980s11(2 EF3+)
- 1970s8(1 EF3+)
- 1960s11(1 EF3+)
- 1950s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 4, 1981 | F4 | 25 mi | 1.8 mi | 3 / 53 |
| Apr 27, 1984 | F4 | 15 mi | 6.5 mi | 1 / 14 |
| Aug 22, 1964 | F4 | 16 mi | 2.2 mi | 0 / 30 |
| Jun 5, 1977 | F3 | 16 mi | 69.5 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Jul 22, 2010 | EF2 | 24 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 4, 1980 | F2 | 6 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 2, 1977 | F2 | 7 mi | 9.3 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Aug 25, 1975 | F2 | 12 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 29, 1969 | F2 | 17 mi | 13.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 3, 1964 | F2 | 6 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 22, 1962 | F2 | 10 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 26, 1959 | F2 | 14 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 3 |
The strongest 12 of 52, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Glendale
The Storm Prediction Center has 113 hail reports within 10 miles of Glendale since 1956, made on 72 separate days. Of these, 54 were 1 inch across or larger, and 9 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on June 23, 2004. The most recent report is from April 18, 2025. June has the most reports, 30.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Glendale
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Mt Mary College, WI, 8 miles southwest of Glendale at 715 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 30°F and 14°F. June is the wettest at 4.8 inches of precipitation on average and January and February the driest at 1.5 inches; the year adds up to 33.8 inches over 65 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 16 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 134 nights a year. Snowfall averages 39.5 inches a year, most of it in January. That 33.8 inches is more than at 58 of the 165 Wisconsin stations used on this site (35%). Milwaukee, 6 miles southwest, has its own station (West Allis, WI): 39.3 inches a year, 5.5 more than here, and a July average high of 85°F against 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 30 | 14 | 1.5 | 4 | 11.0 |
| Feb | 34 | 17 | 1.5 | 4 | 9.9 |
| Mar | 44 | 26 | 1.8 | 4 | 5.3 |
| Apr | 56 | 36 | 3.7 | 7 | 1.5 |
| May | 68 | 48 | 3.7 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 78 | 58 | 4.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 83 | 63 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 81 | 62 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 74 | 53 | 3.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 61 | 42 | 2.7 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 47 | 30 | 2.1 | 5 | 2.0 |
| Dec | 35 | 21 | 1.7 | 5 | 9.8 |
| Year | 57 | 39 | 33.8 | 65 | 39.5 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Mt Mary College, WI (715 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 Glendale
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 166 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Glendale: 103 thunderstorm wind reports, 25 flash floods, 19 floods, 11 lightning strikes and 8 heavy rain events. They killed 1 person and injured 8, and the NWS estimated $243.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on May 31, 1998. August has had the most flash floods, 7 of 25. Of the 374 Wisconsin cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 365 have had fewer than Glendale.
July 22, 2010: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Glendale — 1 killed, $24.1 million damage.
February 11, 1999: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Glendale — 3 injured, $25,000 damage.
July 22, 2010: lightning strike 9 miles from the centre of Glendale — 2 injured.
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
Flood insurance policyholders in Glendale's ZIP code 53217 have filed 260 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $2.0 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1997: 60 claims (23% of all) and $258,000, then 2025-08-MilwaukeeMetro-Flood in 2025 with 56 and Storm in 2008 with 24. The year with the most claims was 2025, with 57. 55% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 128 Wisconsin cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 123 have fewer than Glendale.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1997 | 60 | $258,000 |
| 2025-08-MilwaukeeMetro-Flood2025 | 56 | $1.1 million |
| Storm2008 | 24 | $112,000 |
Milwaukee County, which includes Glendale, has been named in 22 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 17 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 floods, 7 severe storms, 4 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on June 30, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Milwaukee County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for tornadoes; Relatively High for inland flooding, strong wind and heat waves; Relatively Moderate for hail and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes and coastal flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $342.1 million a year, the highest of 72 Wisconsin counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $101.4 million (30%), 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 Glendale
- Milwaukee, WI6 mi
- Mequon, WI6 mi
- Wauwatosa, WI8 mi
- Butler, WI8 mi
- Menomonee Falls, WI10 mi
- West Allis, WI11 mi
- Elm Grove, WI11 mi
- Germantown, WI12 mi
- St Francis, WI12 mi
- Cedarburg, WI12 mi
- Brookfield, WI12 mi
- Grafton, WI13 mi
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