NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Minocqua, 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 Minocqua, Wisconsin since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Cristobal in 2020. Since 1950, 38 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 38
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
5 deaths in all
What the records show for Minocqua
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Minocqua; the strongest was Cristobal in 2020, a tropical storm with 40 mph winds when its centre passed 49 miles away. Minocqua is tied for the most tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles among the 416 Wisconsin cities on this site. The strongest of the 38 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on June 25, 1950; its path came within 23 miles, and it killed 2 people. The deadliest, an F3 on June 8, 1985, killed 2 people. Of the 38, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 12 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 11. The most recent tornado was on August 9, 2020. Of the 416 Wisconsin cities, 88% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Minocqua. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 54 times since 1985, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 416 Wisconsin cities, 50% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Minocqua.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Minocqua
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | CristobalJun 10 | 49 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 Minocqua: 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 Minocqua
By decade
- 2020s2
- 2010s4
- 2000s6
- 1990s5
- 1980s12(2 EF3+)
- 1970s3(1 EF3+)
- 1960s4
- 1950s2(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 25, 1950 | F4 | 23 mi | 13.1 mi | 2 / 12 |
| Jun 8, 1985 | F3 | 8 mi | 68 mi | 2 / 42 |
| Apr 27, 1984 | F3 | 6 mi | 29 mi | 1 / 8 |
| Jul 7, 1970 | F3 | 22 mi | 37.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 27, 1991 | F2 | 3 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 4, 1986 | F2 | 12 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 20, 1972 | F2 | 21 mi | 13.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 26, 1969 | F2 | 7 mi | 28.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 14, 1958 | F2 | 25 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 9, 2020 | EF1 | 19 mi | 5.89 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 9, 2020 | EF1 | 19 mi | 6.18 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 27, 2010 | EF1 | 21 mi | 4.79 mi | 0 / 3 |
The strongest 12 of 38, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Minocqua
The Storm Prediction Center has 54 hail reports within 10 miles of Minocqua since 1985, made on 39 separate days. Of these, 36 were 1 inch across or larger, and 6 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on July 16, 1997. The most recent report is from June 24, 2024. May has the most reports, 17.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Minocqua
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Minocqua, WI, 3 miles east of Minocqua at 1,601 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 77°F and low of 54°F; January is the coolest, at 20°F and 1°F. June is the wettest at 4.4 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.1 inches; the year adds up to 34.1 inches over 76 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 2 days a year, almost all from July. Lows fall below freezing on about 199 nights a year. Snowfall averages 98.7 inches a year, most of it in January. That 34.1 inches is more than at 71 of the 165 Wisconsin stations used on this site (43%). Saint Germain, 15 miles east, has its own station (St Germain, WI): 33.6 inches a year, 0.5 less than here, and a July average high of 75°F against 77°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 20 | 1 | 1.3 | 4 | 20.4 |
| Feb | 25 | 3 | 1.1 | 3 | 16.5 |
| Mar | 37 | 13 | 1.7 | 5 | 16.9 |
| Apr | 49 | 26 | 2.9 | 8 | 8.8 |
| May | 64 | 39 | 3.8 | 8 | 0.7 |
| Jun | 73 | 51 | 4.4 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 77 | 54 | 4.1 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 75 | 52 | 3.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 67 | 45 | 3.6 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 52 | 34 | 3.7 | 8 | 2.9 |
| Nov | 37 | 22 | 2.1 | 5 | 12.8 |
| Dec | 25 | 9 | 1.7 | 5 | 19.7 |
| Year | 50 | 29 | 34.1 | 76 | 98.7 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Minocqua, WI (1,601 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 Minocqua
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 65 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Minocqua: 61 thunderstorm wind reports, 2 lightning strikes, 1 flood and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $1.5 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on July 2, 2012.
September 6, 2016: lightning strike 5 miles from the centre of Minocqua — 1 killed.
July 30, 1999: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Minocqua — $500,000 damage.
July 25, 2020: lightning strike 5 miles from the centre of Minocqua — $306,000 damage.
NWS: “Lightning struck a house on Nixon Road in Minocqua during the early morning hours, causing it to burn to the ground.”
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
Oneida County, which includes Minocqua, has been named in 9 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1976, 4 of them major disasters (by incident: 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 severe storms, 1 drought). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 4, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Oneida County a Relatively 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 $23.9 million a year, the 34th highest of 72 Wisconsin counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $9.8 million (41%), 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 Minocqua
- Woodruff, WI6 mi
- Lac Du Flambeau, WI9 mi
- Saint Germain, WI15 mi
- Rhinelander, WI25 mi
- Tomahawk, WI25 mi
- Eagle River, WI26 mi
- Park Falls, WI27 mi
- Phillips, WI31 mi
- Wakefield, MI42 mi
- Hurley, WI42 mi
- Rib Lake, WI43 mi
- Bessemer, MI44 mi
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