NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Junction City, 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 Junction City, Wisconsin since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Cristobal in 2020. Since 1950, 56 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 56
- EF3 or stronger
- 1
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
2 deaths in all
What the records show for Junction City
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Junction City; the strongest was Cristobal in 2020, a tropical storm with 39 mph winds when its centre passed 9 miles away. Junction City is tied for the most tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles among the 416 Wisconsin cities on this site. The strongest of the 56 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on August 31, 1977; its path came within 18 miles. The deadliest, an F2 on April 3, 1956, killed 2 people. Of the 56, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 19 have come since 2000. May and June have had the most tornadoes, 13 each. The most recent tornado was on May 15, 2025. Of the 416 Wisconsin cities, 75% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Junction City. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 20 times since 1978, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Of the 416 Wisconsin cities, 96% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Junction City.
Compare Junction City's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Junction City
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | CristobalJun 10 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Junction City: 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 Junction City
By decade
- 2020s3
- 2010s5
- 2000s11
- 1990s6
- 1980s9
- 1970s10(1 EF3+)
- 1960s8
- 1950s4
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 31, 1977 | F4 | 18 mi | 31.8 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Apr 3, 1956 | F2 | 22 mi | 18.2 mi | 2 / 2 |
| May 22, 2011 | EF2 | 21 mi | 64.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 7, 2007 | EF2 | 17 mi | 7.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 7, 1996 | F2 | 24 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 16, 1992 | F2 | 19 mi | 11 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 8, 1988 | F2 | 13 mi | 13 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Aug 12, 1985 | F2 | 13 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 14 |
| Sep 24, 1984 | F2 | 21 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 27, 1984 | F2 | 20 mi | 5.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 13, 1976 | F2 | 16 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 1, 1970 | F2 | 14 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 56, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Junction City
The Storm Prediction Center has 20 hail reports within 10 miles of Junction City since 1978, made on 17 separate days. Of these, 5 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on August 2, 2015. The most recent report is from July 30, 2024. July has the most reports, 7.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Junction City
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Stevens Pt, WI, 10 miles southeast of Junction City at 1,079 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 80°F and low of 60°F; January is the coolest, at 24°F and 7°F. June is the wettest at 5.0 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.1 inches; the year adds up to 33.9 inches over 72 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 4 days a year, almost all from June to July. Lows fall below freezing on about 164 nights a year. Snowfall averages 48.7 inches a year, most of it in December. That 33.9 inches is more than at 63 of the 165 Wisconsin stations used on this site (38%). Mosinee, 12 miles north, has its own station (Wausau Dwtn Airport, WI): 34.0 inches a year, the same as here, and the same July average high, 80°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 24 | 7 | 1.2 | 4 | 11.6 |
| Feb | 28 | 9 | 1.1 | 3 | 11.5 |
| Mar | 40 | 21 | 1.8 | 5 | 6.9 |
| Apr | 54 | 33 | 3.4 | 7 | 4.2 |
| May | 67 | 45 | 4.1 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 76 | 56 | 5.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 80 | 60 | 3.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 78 | 58 | 3.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 70 | 50 | 3.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 57 | 37 | 2.7 | 6 | 0.3 |
| Nov | 42 | 26 | 1.9 | 4 | 1.9 |
| Dec | 29 | 14 | 1.5 | 4 | 12.3 |
| Year | 54 | 35 | 33.9 | 72 | 48.7 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Stevens Pt, WI (1,079 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 Junction City
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 41 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Junction City: 35 thunderstorm wind reports, 2 flash floods, 2 heavy rain events, 1 flood and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $2.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on May 31, 1998.
May 31, 1998: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Junction City — 1 injured, $350,000 damage.
September 23, 2010: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Junction City — $700,000 damage.
NWS: “Heavy rain fell across Portage County, causing rivers and streams to overflow their banks, washing out roads and damaging homes and businesses. Much of the county had in excess of 4 inches of rain.”
July 19, 2011: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Junction City — $530,000 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
Portage County, which includes Junction City, has been named in 12 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 9 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 severe storms, 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 1 drought). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 4, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Portage County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for inland flooding and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $35.9 million a year, the 22nd highest of 72 Wisconsin counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $18.1 million (50%), 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 Junction City
- Stevens Point, WI11 mi
- Mosinee, WI12 mi
- Auburndale, WI13 mi
- Plover, WI15 mi
- Arpin, WI16 mi
- Custer, WI16 mi
- Wisconsin Rapids, WI17 mi
- Rothschild, WI20 mi
- Stratford, WI20 mi
- Rosholt, WI20 mi
- Weston, WI22 mi
- Marshfield, WI22 mi
All Wisconsin cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Junction City with another place →