NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit West Bend, 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 West Bend, Wisconsin since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1900. Since 1950, 86 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 8 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 86
- EF3 or stronger
- 8
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
6 deaths in all
What the records show for West Bend
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed West Bend; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 59 mph winds when its centre passed 50 miles away. West Bend is tied for the most tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles among the 416 Wisconsin cities on this site. The strongest of the 86 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on July 18, 1996; its path came within 23 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on April 4, 1981, killed 3 people. Of the 86, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 35 have come since 2000. June and July have had the most tornadoes, 20 each. The most recent tornado was on July 16, 2025. West Bend has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 59% of the 416 Wisconsin cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 72 times since 1958, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). West Bend has more hail reports within 10 miles than 65% of the 416 Wisconsin cities.
Compare West Bend's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near West Bend
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 50 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 West Bend: 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 West Bend
By decade
- 2020s7
- 2010s14
- 2000s14(1 EF3+)
- 1990s6(1 EF3+)
- 1980s19(2 EF3+)
- 1970s10(3 EF3+)
- 1960s13(1 EF3+)
- 1950s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 18, 1996 | F5 | 23 mi | 13.3 mi | 0 / 12 |
| Apr 4, 1981 | F4 | 1 mi | 1.8 mi | 3 / 53 |
| Apr 27, 1984 | F4 | 24 mi | 6.5 mi | 1 / 14 |
| Aug 22, 1964 | F4 | 13 mi | 2.2 mi | 0 / 30 |
| Apr 21, 1974 | F3 | 18 mi | 58.6 mi | 2 / 18 |
| Jun 23, 2004 | F3 | 15 mi | 33.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 5, 1977 | F3 | 12 mi | 69.5 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Apr 21, 1974 | F3 | 19 mi | 22.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 15, 2025 | EF2 | 16 mi | 8.28 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 15, 2025 | EF2 | 20 mi | 11.48 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Aug 28, 2018 | EF2 | 20 mi | 3.91 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 1, 2000 | F2 | 10 mi | 17 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 86, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in West Bend
The Storm Prediction Center has 72 hail reports within 10 miles of West Bend since 1958, made on 47 separate days. Of these, 38 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), was reported on 3 days, most recently April 7, 2020. The most recent report is from June 25, 2024. April has the most reports, 18.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in West Bend
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is West Bend, WI, 6 miles southeast of West Bend at 940 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 82°F and low of 59°F; January is the coolest, at 28°F and 13°F. June is the wettest at 4.7 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.5 inches; the year adds up to 33.4 inches over 71 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 9 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 153 nights a year. That 33.4 inches is more than at 49 of the 165 Wisconsin stations used on this site (30%). Jackson, 7 miles south, has its own station (Jackson, WI): 32.7 inches a year, 0.7 less than here, and the same July average high, 82°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 28 | 13 | 1.9 | 6 |
| Feb | 32 | 16 | 1.5 | 4 |
| Mar | 43 | 24 | 2.0 | 5 |
| Apr | 55 | 34 | 3.2 | 8 |
| May | 66 | 45 | 3.6 | 7 |
| Jun | 78 | 54 | 4.7 | 8 |
| Jul | 82 | 59 | 3.7 | 7 |
| Aug | 79 | 58 | 3.7 | 7 |
| Sep | 73 | 51 | 2.7 | 5 |
| Oct | 60 | 40 | 2.7 | 6 |
| Nov | 45 | 28 | 2.0 | 5 |
| Dec | 33 | 19 | 1.7 | 4 |
| Year | 56 | 37 | 33.4 | 71 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at West Bend, WI (940 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 West Bend
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 96 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of West Bend: 78 thunderstorm wind reports, 11 lightning strikes, 5 flash floods, 1 flood and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 2 people and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $21.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 105 mph, on May 31, 1998. August has had the most flash floods, 3 of 5. Of the 374 Wisconsin cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 168 have had fewer than West Bend.
May 31, 1998: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of West Bend — 1 killed, 2 injured, $8.7 million damage.
September 22, 2025: lightning strike 8 miles from the centre of West Bend — 1 killed.
July 12, 2008: lightning strike 9 miles from the centre of West Bend — 1 injured, $100,000 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
Washington County, which includes West Bend, has been named in 14 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1976, 10 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 floods, 4 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on June 30, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Washington County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for inland flooding and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $48.4 million a year, the 13th highest of 72 Wisconsin counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $20.0 million (41%), 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.