NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Wausau, 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 Wausau, Wisconsin since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Cristobal in 2020. Since 1950, 70 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 5 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 70
- EF3 or stronger
- 5
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
4 deaths in all
What the records show for Wausau
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Wausau; the strongest was Cristobal in 2020, a tropical storm with 40 mph winds when its centre passed 14 miles away. Wausau is tied for the most tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles among the 416 Wisconsin cities on this site. The highest rating among the 70 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on August 31, 1977, came within 3 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on June 4, 1958, killed 4 people. Of the 70, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 30 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 23. The most recent tornado was on May 15, 2025. Of the 416 Wisconsin cities, 53% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Wausau. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 78 times since 1962, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Wausau has more hail reports within 10 miles than 69% of the 416 Wisconsin cities.
Compare Wausau's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Wausau
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | CristobalJun 10 | 14 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 Wausau: 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 Wausau
By decade
- 2020s5
- 2010s8(1 EF3+)
- 2000s17
- 1990s15
- 1980s7
- 1970s7(3 EF3+)
- 1960s7
- 1950s4(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 4, 1958 | F4 | 22 mi | 59.2 mi | 4 / 3 |
| Aug 31, 1977 | F4 | 3 mi | 31.8 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Apr 10, 2011 | EF3 | 15 mi | 21.15 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Sep 28, 1971 | F3 | 6 mi | 78.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 28, 1971 | F3 | 22 mi | 49.6 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Jun 7, 2007 | EF2 | 15 mi | 7.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 16, 1997 | F2 | 13 mi | 3.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 7, 1996 | F2 | 20 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 8, 1988 | F2 | 13 mi | 13 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Sep 24, 1984 | F2 | 3 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 12, 1974 | F2 | 25 mi | 10.7 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Aug 19, 1968 | F2 | 11 mi | 14.3 mi | 0 / 5 |
The strongest 12 of 70, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Wausau
The Storm Prediction Center has 78 hail reports within 10 miles of Wausau since 1962, made on 50 separate days. Of these, 41 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on July 18, 1996. The most recent report is from July 19, 2025. June has the most reports, 20.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Wausau
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Wausau Dwtn Airport, WI, 3 miles south of Wausau at 1,181 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 80°F and low of 59°F; January is the coolest, at 23°F and 7°F. June is the wettest at 4.7 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.1 inches; the year adds up to 34.0 inches over 71 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 5 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 163 nights a year. Snowfall averages 64.3 inches a year, most of it in January. That 34.0 inches is more than at 64 of the 165 Wisconsin stations used on this site (39%). Merrill, 15 miles north, has its own station (Merrill, WI): 33.9 inches a year, 0.1 less than here, and the same July average high, 80°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 23 | 7 | 1.2 | 4 | 14.8 |
| Feb | 27 | 10 | 1.1 | 3 | 12.7 |
| Mar | 40 | 21 | 1.8 | 5 | 8.3 |
| Apr | 54 | 32 | 3.1 | 7 | 6.5 |
| May | 67 | 45 | 3.8 | 8 | 0.2 |
| Jun | 76 | 55 | 4.7 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 80 | 59 | 3.9 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 78 | 57 | 4.1 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 70 | 49 | 3.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 56 | 37 | 3.1 | 6 | 0.9 |
| Nov | 40 | 25 | 1.9 | 5 | 6.5 |
| Dec | 28 | 14 | 1.5 | 4 | 14.4 |
| Year | 53 | 34 | 34.0 | 71 | 64.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Wausau Dwtn Airport, WI (1,181 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 Wausau
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 86 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Wausau: 72 thunderstorm wind reports, 5 lightning strikes, 4 flash floods, 4 heavy rain events and 1 flood. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $17.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 96 mph, on July 20, 2010.
July 14, 2010: lightning strike 4 miles from the centre of Wausau — 1 injured.
NWS: “A man was injured and taken to Aspirus Hospital after being struck by lightning while standing outside on Stewart Avenue in Wausau. The extent of his injuries were unknown.”
October 6, 2007: lightning strike 8 miles from the centre of Wausau — $8.3 million damage.
August 23, 2008: lightning strike 5 miles from the centre of Wausau — $8.0 million 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
Flood insurance policyholders in Wausau's 2 ZIP codes have filed 37 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $253,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 3% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 128 Wisconsin cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 80 have fewer than Wausau.
Marathon County, which includes Wausau, has been named in 12 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 9 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods, 2 tornadoes). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on June 30, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Marathon County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding and strong wind; Relatively Low for heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $74.9 million a year, the 6th highest of 72 Wisconsin counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $35.6 million (48%), 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 Wausau
- Weston, WI5 mi
- Rothschild, WI6 mi
- Marathon, WI10 mi
- Mosinee, WI13 mi
- Merrill, WI15 mi
- Hatley, WI16 mi
- Edgar, WI17 mi
- Athens, WI19 mi
- Birnamwood, WI23 mi
- Stratford, WI24 mi
- Wittenberg, WI25 mi
- Junction City, WI25 mi
All Wisconsin cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Wausau with another place →