NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit South Milwaukee, 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 South Milwaukee, Wisconsin since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1900. Since 1950, 60 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 60
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
1 deaths in all
What the records show for South Milwaukee
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed South Milwaukee; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 59 mph winds when its centre passed 12 miles away. South Milwaukee is tied for the most tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles among the 416 Wisconsin cities on this site. The strongest of the 60 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on April 27, 1984; its path came within 21 miles, and it killed 1 person. Of the 60, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 20 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 14. The most recent tornado was on October 12, 2022. Of the 416 Wisconsin cities, 66% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than South Milwaukee. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 135 times since 1956, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). South Milwaukee has more hail reports within 10 miles than 90% of the 416 Wisconsin cities.
Compare South Milwaukee's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near South Milwaukee
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in South Milwaukee: 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 South Milwaukee
By decade
- 2020s3
- 2010s9
- 2000s8
- 1990s1
- 1980s13(1 EF3+)
- 1970s11(1 EF3+)
- 1960s10
- 1950s5
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 1984 | F4 | 21 mi | 6.5 mi | 1 / 14 |
| Jun 5, 1977 | F3 | 12 mi | 69.5 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Jul 22, 2010 | EF2 | 16 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 4, 1980 | F2 | 20 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 2, 1977 | F2 | 13 mi | 9.3 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Aug 25, 1975 | F2 | 7 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 28, 1972 | F2 | 16 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 29, 1969 | F2 | 4 mi | 13.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 21, 1966 | F2 | 18 mi | 33.1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Sep 3, 1964 | F2 | 17 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 22, 1962 | F2 | 8 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 8, 1959 | F2 | 14 mi | 2.2 mi | 0 / 2 |
The strongest 12 of 60, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in South Milwaukee
The Storm Prediction Center has 135 hail reports within 10 miles of South Milwaukee since 1956, made on 70 separate days. Of these, 68 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on August 2, 2015. The most recent report is from September 22, 2025. May has the most reports, 27.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in South Milwaukee
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is South Milwaukee Wwtp, WI, 1 mile southeast of South Milwaukee at 650 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 80°F and low of 65°F; January is the coolest, at 30°F and 16°F. June is the wettest at 4.6 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 1.7 inches; the year adds up to 36.6 inches over 72 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 7 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 124 nights a year. That 36.6 inches is more than at 125 of the 165 Wisconsin stations used on this site (76%). Cudahy, 3 miles north, has its own station (Milwaukee Mitchell Airport, WI): 34.7 inches a year, 1.9 less than here, and a July average high of 82°F against 80°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 30 | 16 | 1.7 | 4 |
| Feb | 33 | 18 | 1.8 | 5 |
| Mar | 42 | 28 | 2.2 | 5 |
| Apr | 53 | 37 | 4.1 | 8 |
| May | 64 | 47 | 4.2 | 8 |
| Jun | 75 | 57 | 4.6 | 8 |
| Jul | 80 | 65 | 3.5 | 5 |
| Aug | 79 | 64 | 3.8 | 6 |
| Sep | 73 | 56 | 3.3 | 7 |
| Oct | 61 | 44 | 3.4 | 7 |
| Nov | 48 | 33 | 2.1 | 5 |
| Dec | 36 | 22 | 1.9 | 5 |
| Year | 56 | 41 | 36.6 | 72 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at South Milwaukee Wwtp, WI (650 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 South Milwaukee
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 143 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of South Milwaukee: 107 thunderstorm wind reports, 16 floods, 12 flash floods, 5 lightning strikes and 3 heavy rain events. They killed 4 people and injured 9, and the NWS estimated $81.5 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on May 31, 1998. August has had the most flash floods, 5 of 12. Of the 374 Wisconsin cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 310 have had fewer than South Milwaukee.
June 13, 2022: flood 6 miles from the centre of South Milwaukee — 3 killed.
August 9, 2025: flash flood 5 miles from the centre of South Milwaukee — 1 killed, $60.0 million damage.
February 11, 1999: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of South Milwaukee — 3 injured, $25,000 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
Milwaukee County, which includes South Milwaukee, has been named in 22 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 17 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 floods, 7 severe storms, 4 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on June 30, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Milwaukee County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for tornadoes; Relatively High for inland flooding, strong wind and heat waves; Relatively Moderate for hail and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes and coastal flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $342.1 million a year, the highest of 72 Wisconsin counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $101.4 million (30%), 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 South Milwaukee
- Oak Creek, WI3 mi
- Cudahy, WI3 mi
- St Francis, WI4 mi
- Caledonia, WI7 mi
- Greendale, WI7 mi
- Franklin, WI7 mi
- Greenfield, WI8 mi
- Hales Corners, WI10 mi
- Franksville, WI10 mi
- West Allis, WI11 mi
- Milwaukee, WI11 mi
- Wauwatosa, WI12 mi
All Wisconsin cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare South Milwaukee with another place →