NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Oconto Falls, 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 Oconto Falls, Wisconsin since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Cristobal in 2020. Since 1950, 41 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 41
- 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 Oconto Falls
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Oconto Falls; the strongest was Cristobal in 2020, a tropical storm with 40 mph winds when its centre passed 53 miles away. Oconto Falls is tied for the most tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles among the 416 Wisconsin cities on this site. The strongest of the 41 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on August 19, 1968; its path came within 15 miles, and it killed 2 people. Of the 41, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 19 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 20. The most recent tornado was on July 23, 2025. Of the 416 Wisconsin cities, 87% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Oconto Falls. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 40 times since 1980, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Of the 416 Wisconsin cities, 69% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Oconto Falls.
Compare Oconto Falls's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Oconto Falls
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | CristobalJun 10 | 53 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 Oconto Falls: 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 Oconto Falls
By decade
- 2020s7
- 2010s8
- 2000s4
- 1990s2
- 1980s2
- 1970s8(1 EF3+)
- 1960s10(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 19, 1968 | F4 | 15 mi | 21.8 mi | 2 / 3 |
| Sep 28, 1971 | F3 | 25 mi | 78.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 26, 1969 | F3 | 13 mi | 15.3 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 16, 1979 | F2 | 4 mi | 15.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 22, 1970 | F2 | 24 mi | 7.2 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Aug 16, 1968 | F2 | 19 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 4, 1966 | F2 | 4 mi | 4.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 4, 1966 | F2 | 8 mi | 4.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 4, 1966 | F2 | 14 mi | 5.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 9, 1964 | F2 | 17 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 23, 2025 | EF1 | 5 mi | 2.33 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 23, 2025 | EF1 | 17 mi | 7.43 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 41, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Oconto Falls
The Storm Prediction Center has 40 hail reports within 10 miles of Oconto Falls since 1980, made on 29 separate days. Of these, 24 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4 inches (softball size), fell on August 2, 2015. The most recent report is from October 24, 2023. August has the most reports, 8.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Oconto Falls
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Oconto 4 W, WI, 10 miles east of Oconto Falls at 660 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 81°F and low of 59°F; January is the coolest, at 26°F and 9°F. July is the wettest at 4.1 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.3 inches; the year adds up to 33.8 inches over 69 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 4 days a year, almost all from July. Lows fall below freezing on about 169 nights a year. Snowfall averages 51.5 inches a year, most of it in December. That 33.8 inches is more than at 56 of the 165 Wisconsin stations used on this site (34%). Gillett, 11 miles west, has its own station (Suring, WI): 32.0 inches a year, 1.8 less than here, and a July average high of 79°F against 81°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 26 | 9 | 1.5 | 5 | 10.5 |
| Feb | 30 | 10 | 1.3 | 3 | 11.1 |
| Mar | 40 | 21 | 2.1 | 5 | 7.9 |
| Apr | 53 | 32 | 3.1 | 7 | 4.9 |
| May | 66 | 44 | 3.5 | 7 | 0.1 |
| Jun | 76 | 55 | 4.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 81 | 59 | 4.1 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 79 | 57 | 3.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 72 | 49 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 58 | 38 | 3.2 | 6 | 0.2 |
| Nov | 44 | 27 | 2.2 | 5 | 2.3 |
| Dec | 31 | 16 | 2.0 | 5 | 14.5 |
| Year | 55 | 35 | 33.8 | 69 | 51.5 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Oconto 4 W, WI (660 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 Oconto Falls
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 23 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Oconto Falls: 20 thunderstorm wind reports, 1 flash flood, 1 heavy rain event and 1 lightning strike. They killed 2 people and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $33,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on June 11, 2017.
August 3, 2014: lightning strike 5 miles from the centre of Oconto Falls — 2 killed.
NWS: “Lightning from a thunderstorm that quickly developed west of Abrams killed two men working on a tree house at a home on County Road E in the Town of Morgan. The men were struck by lightning from the storm as it passed about two miles to their south.”
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
Oconto County, which includes Oconto Falls, has been named in 6 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 3 of them major disasters (by incident: 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods, 1 drought, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 4, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Oconto County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Moderate for hail and strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes and inland flooding; Very Low for coastal flooding and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $22.4 million a year, the 38th highest of 72 Wisconsin counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $12.5 million (56%), 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 Oconto Falls
- Lena, WI7 mi
- Abrams, WI8 mi
- Gillett, WI11 mi
- Sobieski, WI11 mi
- Cecil, WI12 mi
- Little Suamico, WI12 mi
- Oconto, WI13 mi
- Coleman, WI14 mi
- Pulaski, WI15 mi
- Suring, WI16 mi
- Suamico, WI17 mi
- Pound, WI17 mi
All Wisconsin cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Oconto Falls with another place →