Waterspout in Wisconsin
Every waterspout event the National Weather Service has filed in Wisconsin, year by year, with the most significant episodes. A tornado over water. One that moves ashore is filed as a tornado from the coastline on.
The most significant on the map
The most significant waterspout episodes in Wisconsin.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The record
- Events
- 11
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Damage
- None recorded
Every year
The most significant
Ranked by deaths, injuries, damage and size together.
- Tornadoes and Hail in Wisconsin, August 23, 1998Three supercell thunderstorms dropped large hail and tornadoes across northeast and central Wisconsin during the afternoon and early evening. The first two storms developed quickly over central Wisconsin and then tracked east-southeast through the Fox Cities.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Wisconsin, April 23, 2001A strong cold front swept into southwest Wisconsin during the mid morning hours. A narrow line of severe thunderstorms developed immediately ahead of the cold front. The storms caused strong winds aloft to reach the surface, resulting in damage to trees and power lines.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Wisconsin, June 30, 2001Severe thunderstorms affected parts of southeast Wisconsin with large hail and damaging, straight-line, down-burst winds. In addition, a brief waterspout was noted near Wind Point (Racine Co.).
- Funnel Clouds and Waterspout in Wisconsin, September 9, 1999Showers developed as cold air aloft caused the atmosphere to become more unstable. Funnel clouds were sighted over the Bay of Green Bay and the nearshore waters of Lake Michigan. One of the funnels briefly touched the water north of Sister Bay (Door county).
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Wisconsin, September 19, 1999Isolated severe thunderstorms developed in advance of a cold front that moved through northeast Wisconsin during the late afternoon and early evening hours.
- Hail and Waterspout in Wisconsin, June 16, 1999Southerly flow ahead of an approaching cold front brought plenty of moist and unstable air into Wisconsin. The cold front became the focus for the development of severe thunderstorms that moved across central and east-central Wisconsin.
- Waterspout in Wisconsin, July 18, 1996This waterspout was a continuation of a F0 tornado that originally touched down a couple miles east of the Port Washington airport.No damage was noted with this waterspout which had a path length of about 1.3 miles over water. It dissipated about 2.1 ENE of Port Washington.
- Waterspout in Wisconsin, July 18, 1996This waterspout was a continuation of a F1 tornado that originally touched down near Fredonia and moved east/southeast to the shoreline at a point 3.4 NE of Knellsville. No damage was noted. Its path length over water was about 2.0 miles.
- Waterspout in Wisconsin, July 18, 1996A waterspout was sighted over Lake Winnebago, 5 miles northeast of Oshkosh.
- Waterspout in Wisconsin, August 4, 1999Thunderstorms that moved across Door county produced waterspouts over Lake Michigan. The U.S. Coast Guard relayed a report they received from a vessel on the lake. The crew of the vessel observed 3 small waterspouts about 21 miles east-southeast of Sturgeon Bay.
- Waterspout in Wisconsin, July 20, 2000Boaters spotted two waterspouts on the Bay of Green Bay west of Sister Bay (Door co.).
More
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24.