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Storms That Hit

NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database

Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Tomahawk, 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 Tomahawk, Wisconsin since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Cristobal in 2020. Since 1950, 48 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 5 of them rated EF3 or stronger.

Hurricanes
0

within 75 mi, since 1851

Tropical storms
1

below hurricane strength

Tornadoes
48

within 25 mi, since 1950

EF3 or stronger
5

5 deaths in all

What the records show for Tomahawk

None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Tomahawk; the strongest was Cristobal in 2020, a tropical storm with 40 mph winds when its centre passed 35 miles away. Tomahawk is tied for the most tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles among the 416 Wisconsin cities on this site. The strongest of the 48 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on June 25, 1950; its path came within 9 miles, and it killed 2 people. The deadliest, an F3 on June 8, 1985, killed 2 people. Of the 48, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 22 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 16. The most recent tornado was on July 19, 2019. Of the 416 Wisconsin cities, 83% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Tomahawk. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 33 times since 1974, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Of the 416 Wisconsin cities, 79% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Tomahawk.

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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Tomahawk

Tropical systems that passed within 75 miles of Tomahawk, Wisconsin, newest first
YearStormClosestStrength when closestPeak
2020CristobalJun 1035 miTropical storm (40 mph)Tropical storm

Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Tomahawk: 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 Tomahawk

By decade

  • 2010s7(1 EF3+)
  • 2000s15
  • 1990s9
  • 1980s8(2 EF3+)
  • 1970s2
  • 1960s3
  • 1950s4(2 EF3+)
Strongest tornadoes near Tomahawk, Wisconsin
DateRatingDistancePathKilled / injured
Jun 25, 1950F49 mi13.1 mi2 / 12
Jun 8, 1985F315 mi68 mi2 / 42
Apr 27, 1984F312 mi29 mi1 / 8
Apr 10, 2011EF318 mi21.15 mi0 / 2
May 3, 1955F311 mi6.8 mi0 / 2
Sep 30, 2002F26 mi3 mi0 / 0
Jun 27, 1991F222 mi6 mi0 / 0
Jul 4, 1986F216 mi1.5 mi0 / 0
Jul 24, 1962F223 mi1 mi0 / 0
Jun 30, 1958F218 mi2 mi0 / 0
Jun 25, 1950F219 mi8.4 mi0 / 0
Apr 10, 2011EF119 mi5.3 mi0 / 0

The strongest 12 of 48, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.

Hail in Tomahawk

The Storm Prediction Center has 33 hail reports within 10 miles of Tomahawk since 1974, made on 25 separate days. Of these, 22 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4 inches (softball size), fell on April 25, 2008. The most recent report is from June 19, 2025. June has the most reports, 8.

Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.

Weather by month in Tomahawk

The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Rice Rsvr Tomahawk-2, WI, 2 miles north of Tomahawk at 1,460 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 77°F and low of 57°F; January is the coolest, at 21°F and 2°F. June is the wettest at 4.2 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.1 inches; the year adds up to 31.7 inches over 71 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 1 days a year. Lows fall below freezing on about 177 nights a year. That 31.7 inches is more than at 21 of the 165 Wisconsin stations used on this site (13%). Rhinelander, 19 miles northeast, has its own station (Rhinelander Oneida Airport, WI): 29.7 inches a year, 2.0 less than here, and a July average high of 80°F against 77°F.

Monthly climate normals 1991–2020 at Rice Rsvr Tomahawk-2, WI
MonthHigh °FLow °FPrecip. inDays ≥ 0.1"
Jan2121.24
Feb2631.14
Mar37151.85
Apr50292.97
May64433.68
Jun73534.28
Jul77573.77
Aug74553.47
Sep66483.67
Oct53363.07
Nov38231.84
Dec26111.45
Year503131.771

Averages for 1991–2020 at Rice Rsvr Tomahawk-2, WI (1,460 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.

Wisconsin weather by month, station by station →

Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Tomahawk

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 56 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Tomahawk: 54 thunderstorm wind reports and 2 heavy rain events. They killed 0 people and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $46,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on July 18, 1996.

  • June 25, 2024: thunderstorm wind 3 miles from the centre of Tomahawk — 2 injured.

    NWS: “Widespread large trees uprooted and snapped along the south shore of Lake Nokomis. Some trees fell onto roofs and a tree fell into a cabin causing it to collapse where 2 injuries occurred.”

  • April 23, 2001: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Tomahawk — 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

Lincoln County, which includes Tomahawk, has been named in 9 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 5 of them major disasters (by incident: 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods, 2 severe storms, 1 drought). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 4, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Lincoln County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for lightning; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding and strong wind; Very Low for heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $19.3 million a year, the 43rd highest of 72 Wisconsin counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $8.9 million (46%), 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 Tomahawk

All Wisconsin cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Tomahawk with another place →

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