NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Medford, 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 Medford, Wisconsin since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Cristobal in 2020. Since 1950, 50 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 50
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
8 deaths in all
What the records show for Medford
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Medford; the strongest was Cristobal in 2020, a tropical storm with 40 mph winds when its centre passed 54 miles away. Medford 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 50 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on June 4, 1958, came within 21 miles. Of the 50, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 24 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 20. The most recent tornado was on May 15, 2025. Of the 416 Wisconsin cities, 81% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Medford. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 39 times since 1973, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Of the 416 Wisconsin cities, 71% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Medford.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Medford
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | CristobalJun 10 | 54 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 Medford: 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 Medford
By decade
- 2020s8
- 2010s6(1 EF3+)
- 2000s10
- 1990s8
- 1980s2
- 1970s3(1 EF3+)
- 1960s9
- 1950s4(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 4, 1958 | F4 | 21 mi | 59.2 mi | 4 / 3 |
| May 10, 1953 | F4 | 13 mi | 162 mi | 2 / 24 |
| May 16, 2017 | EF3 | 16 mi | 82.53 mi | 1 / 25 |
| Sep 28, 1971 | F3 | 12 mi | 49.6 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Jun 25, 1950 | F2 | 15 mi | 7.8 mi | 1 / 0 |
| May 15, 2025 | EF2 | 19 mi | 4.63 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 2, 2002 | F2 | 5 mi | 17 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 7, 1996 | F2 | 18 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 26, 1994 | F2 | 16 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 7, 1984 | F2 | 19 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 3, 1983 | F2 | 21 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 12, 1974 | F2 | 14 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 50, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Medford
The Storm Prediction Center has 39 hail reports within 10 miles of Medford since 1973, made on 26 separate days. Of these, 23 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on July 14, 1995. The most recent report is from October 5, 2024. July has the most reports, 8.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Medford
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Medford, WI, 4 miles southeast of Medford at 1,470 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 79°F and low of 57°F; January is the coolest, at 21°F and 2°F. June is the wettest at 4.8 inches of precipitation on average and January and February the driest at 1.1 inches; the year adds up to 34.2 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 177 nights a year. Snowfall averages 57.0 inches a year, most of it in December. That 34.2 inches is more than at 75 of the 165 Wisconsin stations used on this site (45%). Withee, 14 miles southwest, has its own station (Owen 1E, WI): 34.4 inches a year, 0.2 more than here, and the same July average high, 79°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 21 | 2 | 1.1 | 4 | 12.8 |
| Feb | 26 | 6 | 1.1 | 3 | 13.9 |
| Mar | 38 | 18 | 1.7 | 5 | 6.0 |
| Apr | 52 | 31 | 3.0 | 7 | 4.0 |
| May | 66 | 43 | 3.7 | 8 | 0.1 |
| Jun | 75 | 53 | 4.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 79 | 57 | 4.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 77 | 55 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 69 | 47 | 3.9 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 55 | 35 | 3.3 | 7 | 0.5 |
| Nov | 39 | 23 | 1.9 | 4 | 4.5 |
| Dec | 26 | 10 | 1.4 | 4 | 15.2 |
| Year | 52 | 32 | 34.2 | 71 | 57.0 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Medford, WI (1,470 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 Medford
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 64 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Medford: 57 thunderstorm wind reports, 4 heavy rain events, 2 floods and 1 flash flood. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $341,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 82 mph, on June 5, 2005.
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
Taylor County, which includes Medford, has been named in 8 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1976, 5 of them major disasters (by incident: 2 biological emergencies, 2 severe storms, 1 drought, 1 flood). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 4, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Taylor County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for lightning; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding and strong wind; Very Low for heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $11.2 million a year, the 61st highest of 72 Wisconsin counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $5.1 million (45%), 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 Medford
- Withee, WI14 mi
- Rib Lake, WI15 mi
- Abbotsford, WI16 mi
- Owen, WI17 mi
- Colby, WI19 mi
- Athens, WI21 mi
- Thorp, WI24 mi
- Edgar, WI28 mi
- Spencer, WI28 mi
- Loyal, WI29 mi
- Stanley, WI29 mi
- Greenwood, WI29 mi
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