NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Turtle Lake, 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 Turtle Lake, Wisconsin since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 75 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 75
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
8 deaths in all
What the records show for Turtle Lake
The highest rating among the 75 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 3 times; the most recent, on May 16, 2017, came within 11 miles. The deadliest, an F2 on May 10, 1953, killed 4 people. Of the 75, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 32 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 28. The most recent tornado was on June 18, 2024. Of the 416 Wisconsin cities on this site, 50% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Turtle Lake. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 28 times since 1963, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Of the 416 Wisconsin cities, 87% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Turtle Lake.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Turtle Lake
By decade
- 2020s4
- 2010s14(1 EF3+)
- 2000s14
- 1990s12
- 1980s8
- 1970s6(1 EF3+)
- 1960s13
- 1950s4(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 23, 1952 | F3 | 15 mi | 18.2 mi | 2 / 6 |
| May 16, 2017 | EF3 | 11 mi | 82.53 mi | 1 / 25 |
| Jul 30, 1977 | F3 | 7 mi | 9.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 10, 1953 | F2 | 6 mi | 105.7 mi | 4 / 27 |
| Jul 15, 1980 | F2 | 23 mi | 0.1 mi | 1 / 12 |
| Sep 11, 1990 | F2 | 25 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 11, 1990 | F2 | 15 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 22, 1967 | F2 | 3 mi | 49.1 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Jul 10, 1966 | F2 | 10 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 7, 1965 | F2 | 25 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 5, 1965 | F2 | 12 mi | 4.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 18, 1964 | F2 | 20 mi | 4.1 mi | 0 / 2 |
The strongest 12 of 75, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Turtle Lake
The Storm Prediction Center has 28 hail reports within 10 miles of Turtle Lake since 1963, made on 24 separate days. Of these, 17 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 3 inches (tea cup size), was reported on 2 days, most recently May 16, 2017. The most recent report is from June 11, 2017. July has the most reports, 10.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Turtle Lake
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Cumberland, WI, 11 miles northeast of Turtle Lake at 1,240 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 79°F and low of 59°F; January is the coolest, at 19°F and 0°F. June and July are the wettest at 4.5 inches of precipitation on average and January and February the driest at 1.0 inches; the year adds up to 33.8 inches over 66 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 4 days a year, almost all from July. Lows fall below freezing on about 169 nights a year. Snowfall averages 55.6 inches a year, most of it in December. That 33.8 inches is more than at 58 of the 165 Wisconsin stations used on this site (35%). Clayton, 6 miles south, has its own station (Amery, WI): 34.6 inches a year, 0.8 more than here, and a July average high of 81°F against 79°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 19 | 0 | 1.0 | 3 | 11.4 |
| Feb | 24 | 3 | 1.0 | 3 | 10.6 |
| Mar | 37 | 16 | 1.7 | 4 | 9.2 |
| Apr | 52 | 30 | 2.8 | 6 | 4.6 |
| May | 65 | 44 | 3.8 | 7 | 0.4 |
| Jun | 75 | 55 | 4.5 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 79 | 59 | 4.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 77 | 57 | 4.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 69 | 48 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 54 | 35 | 3.3 | 7 | 0.7 |
| Nov | 38 | 22 | 1.9 | 4 | 7.1 |
| Dec | 24 | 9 | 1.3 | 4 | 11.6 |
| Year | 51 | 32 | 33.8 | 66 | 55.6 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Cumberland, WI (1,240 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 Turtle Lake
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 37 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Turtle Lake: 31 thunderstorm wind reports, 5 flash floods and 1 heavy rain event. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $551,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 92 mph, on July 19, 2019. Of the 374 Wisconsin cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 168 have had fewer than Turtle Lake.
July 19, 2011: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Turtle Lake — $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
Polk County, which includes Turtle Lake, has been named in 10 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 6 of them major disasters (by incident: 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods, 2 severe storms, 2 tornadoes). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 4, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Polk County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail and lightning; Relatively Low for inland flooding and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $23.0 million a year, the 37th highest of 72 Wisconsin counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $7.7 million (33%), 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 Turtle Lake
- Clayton, WI6 mi
- Cumberland, WI11 mi
- Amery, WI12 mi
- Clear Lake, WI12 mi
- Balsam Lake, WI12 mi
- Barron, WI14 mi
- Centuria, WI18 mi
- Luck, WI19 mi
- Cameron, WI21 mi
- Dresser, WI22 mi
- Rice Lake, WI22 mi
- Star Prairie, WI22 mi
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