NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Phillips, 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 Phillips, Wisconsin since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Cristobal in 2020. Since 1950, 36 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 36
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
6 deaths in all
What the records show for Phillips
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Phillips; the strongest was Cristobal in 2020, a tropical storm with 40 mph winds when its centre passed 70 miles away. Phillips is tied for the most tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles among the 416 Wisconsin cities on this site. The strongest of the 36 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on May 10, 1953; its path came within 15 miles, and it killed 2 people. The deadliest, an F3 on June 8, 1985, killed 2 people. Of the 36, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 11 have come since 2000. May and June have had the most tornadoes, 11 each. The most recent tornado was on July 19, 2019. Of the 416 Wisconsin cities, 89% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Phillips. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 55 times since 1983, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Phillips has more hail reports within 10 miles than 50% of the 416 Wisconsin cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Phillips
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | CristobalJun 10 | 70 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 Phillips: 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 Phillips
By decade
- 2010s8(1 EF3+)
- 2000s3
- 1990s10
- 1980s4(1 EF3+)
- 1970s4
- 1960s4
- 1950s3(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 10, 1953 | F4 | 15 mi | 162 mi | 2 / 24 |
| Jun 8, 1985 | F3 | 13 mi | 68 mi | 2 / 42 |
| May 16, 2017 | EF3 | 23 mi | 82.53 mi | 1 / 25 |
| Jul 30, 1977 | F2 | 22 mi | 34.5 mi | 1 / 8 |
| Apr 26, 1994 | F2 | 12 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 27, 1991 | F2 | 21 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 20, 1972 | F2 | 2 mi | 13.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 14, 1961 | F2 | 18 mi | 4.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 4, 1958 | F2 | 21 mi | 13.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 25, 1950 | F2 | 11 mi | 8.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 22, 2011 | EF1 | 13 mi | 3.29 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 6, 1995 | F1 | 17 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 36, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Phillips
The Storm Prediction Center has 55 hail reports within 10 miles of Phillips since 1983, made on 30 separate days. Of these, 27 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2 inches (hen egg size), was reported on 4 days, most recently July 19, 2019. The most recent report is from May 18, 2024. April has the most reports, 16.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Phillips
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Prentice #2, WI, 13 miles south of Phillips at 1,540 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 79°F and low of 54°F; January is the coolest, at 21°F and 1°F. June is the wettest at 4.1 inches of precipitation on average and January and February the driest at 1.0 inches; the year adds up to 32.6 inches over 69 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 190 nights a year. That 32.6 inches is more than at 34 of the 165 Wisconsin stations used on this site (21%). Park Falls, 15 miles north, has its own station (Park Falls Dnr Hq, WI): 34.0 inches a year, 1.4 more than here, and a July average high of 78°F against 79°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 21 | 1 | 1.0 | 4 |
| Feb | 27 | 3 | 1.0 | 3 |
| Mar | 39 | 15 | 1.7 | 4 |
| Apr | 52 | 29 | 2.7 | 6 |
| May | 66 | 41 | 3.9 | 8 |
| Jun | 75 | 51 | 4.1 | 8 |
| Jul | 79 | 54 | 3.6 | 7 |
| Aug | 77 | 52 | 3.9 | 7 |
| Sep | 69 | 45 | 3.9 | 7 |
| Oct | 55 | 33 | 3.5 | 7 |
| Nov | 39 | 21 | 1.8 | 4 |
| Dec | 26 | 9 | 1.5 | 5 |
| Year | 52 | 29 | 32.6 | 69 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Prentice #2, WI (1,540 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 Phillips
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 40 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Phillips: 34 thunderstorm wind reports, 4 flash floods, 1 flood and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 0 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $648,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 87 mph, on July 30, 1999.
July 30, 1999: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Phillips — 2 injured, $500,000 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
Price County, which includes Phillips, has been named in 8 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1976, 4 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 Price County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for tornadoes, inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Very Low for hail and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $9.2 million a year, the 66th highest of 72 Wisconsin counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $4.1 million (44%), 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 Phillips
- Park Falls, WI15 mi
- Lac Du Flambeau, WI29 mi
- Rib Lake, WI31 mi
- Minocqua, WI31 mi
- Tomahawk, WI35 mi
- Woodruff, WI37 mi
- Medford, WI38 mi
- Ladysmith, WI38 mi
- Saint Germain, WI46 mi
- Bruce, WI47 mi
- Withee, WI48 mi
- Hurley, WI48 mi
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