NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Oshkosh, 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 Oshkosh, Wisconsin since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Cristobal in 2020. Since 1950, 122 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 8 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 122
- EF3 or stronger
- 8
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
11 deaths in all
What the records show for Oshkosh
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Oshkosh; the strongest was Cristobal in 2020, a tropical storm with 39 mph winds when its centre passed 61 miles away. Oshkosh is tied for the most tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles among the 416 Wisconsin cities on this site. The strongest of the 122 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on July 18, 1996; its path came within 22 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on April 3, 1956, killed 7 people. Of the 122, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 57 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 40. The most recent tornado was on May 21, 2024. Oshkosh has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 88% of the 416 Wisconsin cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 66 times since 1964, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Oshkosh has more hail reports within 10 miles than 61% of the 416 Wisconsin cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Oshkosh
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | CristobalJun 10 | 61 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 Oshkosh: 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 Oshkosh
By decade
- 2020s6
- 2010s26
- 2000s25
- 1990s24(2 EF3+)
- 1980s14(1 EF3+)
- 1970s10(3 EF3+)
- 1960s11
- 1950s6(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 18, 1996 | F5 | 22 mi | 13.3 mi | 0 / 12 |
| Apr 3, 1956 | F4 | 10 mi | 11.5 mi | 7 / 50 |
| Apr 27, 1984 | F4 | 10 mi | 27.5 mi | 1 / 19 |
| Apr 21, 1974 | F4 | in town | 26 mi | 0 / 35 |
| Aug 29, 1992 | F3 | 23 mi | 28 mi | 1 / 30 |
| Jun 5, 1977 | F3 | 16 mi | 69.5 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Dec 1, 1970 | F3 | 22 mi | 13.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 25, 1950 | F3 | 19 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 18, 1996 | F2 | 15 mi | 6.4 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Aug 9, 1979 | F2 | 13 mi | 0.1 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Aug 6, 2013 | EF2 | 19 mi | 13.07 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 10, 2011 | EF2 | 21 mi | 1.52 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 122, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Oshkosh
The Storm Prediction Center has 66 hail reports within 10 miles of Oshkosh since 1964, made on 52 separate days. Of these, 32 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on July 27, 1989. The most recent report is from June 25, 2024. June has the most reports, 19.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Oshkosh
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Oshkosh, WI, in Oshkosh at 750 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 82°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 26°F and 10°F. June is the wettest at 4.8 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.1 inches; the year adds up to 33.3 inches over 69 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 8 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 143 nights a year. Snowfall averages 39.2 inches a year, most of it in February. That 33.3 inches is more than at 48 of the 165 Wisconsin stations used on this site (29%). Omro, 10 miles west, has its own station (Berlin Wwtp, WI): 35.2 inches a year, 1.9 more than here, and a July average high of 81°F against 82°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 26 | 10 | 1.3 | 4 | 9.8 |
| Feb | 30 | 13 | 1.1 | 4 | 10.1 |
| Mar | 41 | 24 | 1.9 | 5 | 5.4 |
| Apr | 54 | 36 | 3.2 | 6 | 1.8 |
| May | 67 | 48 | 3.9 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 77 | 59 | 4.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 82 | 63 | 3.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 80 | 61 | 3.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 73 | 53 | 3.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 59 | 41 | 2.9 | 6 | 0.3 |
| Nov | 44 | 29 | 2.1 | 5 | 1.8 |
| Dec | 32 | 18 | 1.6 | 5 | 10.0 |
| Year | 55 | 38 | 33.3 | 69 | 39.2 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Oshkosh, WI (750 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 Oshkosh
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 94 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Oshkosh: 77 thunderstorm wind reports, 7 heavy rain events, 5 flash floods, 3 lightning strikes and 2 floods. They killed 2 people and injured 5, and the NWS estimated $29.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on July 28, 2021. July has had the most flash floods, 3 of 5. Of the 374 Wisconsin cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 168 have had fewer than Oshkosh.
July 16, 1997: thunderstorm wind in Oshkosh — 1 killed, $150,000 damage.
June 2, 2020: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Oshkosh — 1 killed.
NWS: “Thunderstorm winds capsized a boat on Lake Butte des Morts. Two people and a dog were in the boat.”
July 18, 2015: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Oshkosh — 3 injured.
NWS: “Thunderstorm winds overturned 14 vendor tents at Rock USA, where two people were injured by flying debris. A wind gust of 66 mph was measured as the storms moved across Wittman Field in Oshkosh.”
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
Flood insurance policyholders in Oshkosh's 3 ZIP codes have filed 99 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $3.0 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 2008, with 45. 6% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 128 Wisconsin cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 115 have fewer than Oshkosh.
Winnebago County, which includes Oshkosh, has been named in 12 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 9 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods, 2 tornadoes). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms and Tornadoes, on October 7, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Winnebago County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for hail and inland flooding; Relatively Low for heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $75.3 million a year, the 5th highest of 72 Wisconsin counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $42.8 million (57%), 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 Oshkosh
- Omro, WI10 mi
- Winneconne, WI10 mi
- Neenah, WI12 mi
- Larsen, WI13 mi
- Menasha, WI15 mi
- Malone, WI16 mi
- Sherwood, WI18 mi
- Fond Du Lac, WI18 mi
- Ripon, WI19 mi
- Greenville, WI19 mi
- Appleton, WI19 mi
- Chilton, WI19 mi
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