NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Superior, 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
No tropical storm or hurricane has passed within 75 miles of Superior, Wisconsin since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 13 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 13
- EF3 or stronger
- 0
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Superior
The strongest of the 13 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F2 on September 3, 1980; its path came within 13 miles. Of the 13, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 4 have come since 2000. The most recent tornado was on May 18, 2022. Of the 416 Wisconsin cities on this site, 98% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Superior. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 133 times since 1958, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Superior has more hail reports within 10 miles than 89% of the 416 Wisconsin cities.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Superior
By decade
- 2020s2
- 2010s2
- 1990s1
- 1980s2
- 1970s4
- 1960s1
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 3, 1980 | F2 | 13 mi | 9.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 18, 2020 | EF1 | 21 mi | 0.42 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 21, 1986 | F1 | 23 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 8, 1979 | F1 | 16 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 12, 1976 | F1 | 12 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 7, 1970 | F1 | 20 mi | 5.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 18, 2022 | EF0 | 18 mi | 3.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 9, 2012 | EF0 | 3 mi | 0.05 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 9, 2012 | EF0 | 4 mi | 0.25 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 23, 1998 | F0 | 19 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 9, 1977 | F0 | 14 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 19, 1967 | F0 | 22 mi | 19.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 13, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Superior
The Storm Prediction Center has 133 hail reports within 10 miles of Superior since 1958, made on 56 separate days. Of these, 75 were 1 inch across or larger, and 7 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4 inches (softball size), fell on September 8, 1958. The most recent report is from March 28, 2025. May has the most reports, 40.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Superior
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Superior, WI, 3 miles north of Superior at 607 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 76°F and low of 58°F; January is the coolest, at 23°F and 6°F. June is the wettest at 4.6 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 0.8 inches; the year adds up to 31.5 inches over 65 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 3 days a year, almost all from July. Lows fall below freezing on about 161 nights a year. Snowfall averages 56.0 inches a year, most of it in January. That 31.5 inches is more than at 15 of the 165 Wisconsin stations used on this site (9%). Proctor, MN, 9 miles northwest, has its own station (Duluth, MN): 31.3 inches a year, 0.2 less than here, and a July average high of 78°F against 76°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 23 | 6 | 0.8 | 3 | 14.5 |
| Feb | 27 | 9 | 0.9 | 3 | 12.4 |
| Mar | 36 | 21 | 1.4 | 4 | 9.1 |
| Apr | 46 | 32 | 2.6 | 6 | 1.7 |
| May | 57 | 41 | 3.4 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 67 | 50 | 4.6 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 76 | 58 | 3.9 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 75 | 58 | 3.9 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 67 | 50 | 3.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 53 | 39 | 3.2 | 6 | 0.2 |
| Nov | 39 | 26 | 2.1 | 4 | 5.8 |
| Dec | 27 | 13 | 1.3 | 3 | 12.3 |
| Year | 49 | 33 | 31.5 | 65 | 56.0 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Superior, WI (607 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 Superior
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 139 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Superior: 103 thunderstorm wind reports, 19 flash floods, 9 lightning strikes, 7 floods and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 1 person and injured 6, and the NWS estimated $21.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on July 21, 2016. June has had the most flash floods, 13 of 19. Of the 374 Wisconsin cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 353 have had fewer than Superior.
August 18, 2012: lightning strike 4 miles from the centre of Superior — 1 killed, 4 injured.
NWS: “A boy died from injuries sustained from a lightning strike that hit the water near him. Four others in his boating party were injured.”
July 27, 2010: lightning strike 7 miles from the centre of Superior — 1 injured.
June 28, 2015: lightning strike 7 miles from the centre of Superior — 1 injured.
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
Douglas County, which includes Superior, has been named in 10 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1972, 7 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 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 Douglas County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for lightning; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, strong wind and heat waves; Very Low for coastal flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $25.2 million a year, the 32nd highest of 72 Wisconsin counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $10.5 million (42%), 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 Superior
- Proctor, MN9 mi
- South Range, WI10 mi
- Duluth, MN10 mi
- Esko, MN13 mi
- Carlton, MN19 mi
- Cloquet, MN19 mi
- Saginaw, MN23 mi
- Barnum, MN27 mi
- Solon Springs, WI29 mi
- Two Harbors, MN34 mi
- Iron River, WI35 mi
- Moose Lake, MN36 mi
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