NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Ladysmith, 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
No tropical storm or hurricane has passed within 75 miles of Ladysmith, Wisconsin since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 28 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 28
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
2 deaths in all
What the records show for Ladysmith
The strongest of the 28 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on July 30, 1977; its path came within 15 miles. The deadliest, an EF3 on May 16, 2017, killed 1 person. Of the 28, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 6 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 8. The most recent tornado was on June 24, 2021. Of the 416 Wisconsin cities on this site, 94% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Ladysmith. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 34 times since 1980, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 416 Wisconsin cities, 76% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Ladysmith.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Ladysmith
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2010s3(1 EF3+)
- 2000s2(1 EF3+)
- 1990s7
- 1980s4
- 1970s5(1 EF3+)
- 1960s3
- 1950s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 30, 1977 | F4 | 15 mi | 19 mi | 0 / 20 |
| May 16, 2017 | EF3 | 9 mi | 82.53 mi | 1 / 25 |
| Sep 2, 2002 | F3 | in town | 16 mi | 0 / 27 |
| Jul 30, 1977 | F2 | 12 mi | 34.5 mi | 1 / 8 |
| Sep 2, 2002 | F2 | 25 mi | 17 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 26, 1994 | F2 | 23 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 11, 1990 | F2 | 23 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 12, 1982 | F2 | 2 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 24, 1975 | F2 | 2 mi | 34.2 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Jul 22, 1967 | F2 | 17 mi | 49.1 mi | 0 / 6 |
| May 26, 1959 | F2 | 14 mi | 2.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 4, 1958 | F2 | 7 mi | 13.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 28, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Ladysmith
The Storm Prediction Center has 34 hail reports within 10 miles of Ladysmith since 1980, made on 28 separate days. Of these, 14 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on August 8, 2000. The most recent report is from June 16, 2025. July has the most reports, 10.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Ladysmith
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Ladysmith 3W, WI, 1 mile southwest of Ladysmith at 1,130 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 79°F and low of 53°F; January is the coolest, at 25°F and 2°F. June is the wettest at 5.1 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.0 inches; the year adds up to 35.8 inches over 71 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 192 nights a year. Snowfall averages 52.1 inches a year, most of it in December. That 35.8 inches is more than at 112 of the 165 Wisconsin stations used on this site (68%). Bruce, 9 miles west, has its own station (Weyerhaeuser 1N, WI): 34.2 inches a year, 1.6 less 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 | 25 | 2 | 1.1 | 3 | 9.2 |
| Feb | 30 | 4 | 1.0 | 3 | 11.7 |
| Mar | 41 | 16 | 1.7 | 4 | 6.7 |
| Apr | 54 | 28 | 3.1 | 7 | 5.5 |
| May | 67 | 40 | 4.2 | 8 | 1.3 |
| Jun | 75 | 49 | 5.1 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 79 | 53 | 4.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 77 | 52 | 4.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 69 | 44 | 3.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 56 | 33 | 3.8 | 8 | 0.7 |
| Nov | 40 | 23 | 2.0 | 4 | 4.8 |
| Dec | 29 | 10 | 1.6 | 5 | 12.2 |
| Year | 53 | 29 | 35.8 | 71 | 52.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Ladysmith 3W, WI (1,130 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 Ladysmith
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 39 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Ladysmith: 34 thunderstorm wind reports, 4 flash floods and 1 heavy rain event. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $416,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on May 15, 2025.
May 15, 1998: thunderstorm wind in Ladysmith — $230,000 damage.
NWS: “Roof ripped off apartment building and restaurant. Flying debris from apartment building damaged nearby motel.”
July 15, 2019: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Ladysmith — $150,000 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
Rusk County, which includes Ladysmith, has been named in 12 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 8 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 floods, 3 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 1 drought). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 4, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Rusk County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Very Low for heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $10.5 million a year, the 63rd highest of 72 Wisconsin counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $5.1 million (48%), 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 Ladysmith
- Bruce, WI9 mi
- Holcombe, WI16 mi
- Cornell, WI22 mi
- Birchwood, WI25 mi
- New Auburn, WI26 mi
- Chetek, WI28 mi
- Rice Lake, WI30 mi
- Cameron, WI31 mi
- Bloomer, WI32 mi
- Cadott, WI36 mi
- Stanley, WI37 mi
- Barron, WI37 mi
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