Tornadoes · United States · Wisconsin
Tornadoes in Buffalo County, Wisconsin
21 tornadoes have crossed Buffalo County since 1950, 1 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 46th of the 72 counties in Wisconsin with a tornado on record, an average of one every 3.6 years. They have killed 2 people and injured 37. 1 was rated F4 or EF4 and above.
The rating scale
Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The United States rated tornadoes on Ted Fujita’s F scale until 31 January 2007 and on the Enhanced Fujita scale after it. Both run from 0 to 5, and both rate the damage rather than measure the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.
F0 / EF040 to 72 mph on the F scale, 65 to 85 mph on the EF scale
Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.
F1 / EF173 to 112 mph on the F scale, 86 to 110 mph on the EF scale
Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.
F2 / EF2113 to 157 mph on the F scale, 111 to 135 mph on the EF scale
Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.
F3 / EF3158 to 206 mph on the F scale, 136 to 165 mph on the EF scale
Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.
F4 / EF4207 to 260 mph on the F scale, 166 to 200 mph on the EF scale
Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.
F5 / EF5261 to 318 mph on the F scale, over 200 mph on the EF scale
Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.
Unrated
The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.
Now
- Tornadoes
- 21
- Deaths
- 2
- Injuries
- 37
- F4 and above
- 1
- Worst on record
- F4, May 10, 1953
The deadliest in Buffalo County
The strongest
- F4, Howard, Fillmore, Olmsted, Winona, Buffalo, Trempealeau, Eau Claire and Chippewa counties, Iowa and Minnesota and WisconsinMay 10, 1953
- EF3, Buffalo County, WisconsinApril 17, 2026
- F3, Buffalo and Pepin counties, WisconsinMay 15, 1998
- F2, Winona, Wabasha and Buffalo counties, Minnesota and WisconsinMay 17, 1982
- F2, Buffalo and Trempealeau counties, WisconsinJune 28, 1960
Every year with a tornado
The 16 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Buffalo County. Each year links to every tornado in Wisconsin that year.
Every tornado that crossed Buffalo County
21 tornadoes, newest first. 3 of them touched down in a neighboring state and ran in, so the record files them under that state rather than Wisconsin. The 1 at the top is this year's, from the surveying office rather than SPC's published database, and its rating is marked as preliminary.
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 17, 2026 | 3:26 PM CDT | EF3 | Buffalo | 10.3 | 300 | |||
| April 28, 2025 | 7:32 PM CDT | EF1 | Buffalo | 5.6 | 50 | $35,000 | ||
| May 21, 2024 | 6:17 PM CDT | EF1 | Buffalo | 2.7 | 45 | $126,000 | ||
| May 21, 2024 | 6:14 PM CDT | EF1 | Buffalo | 3.9 | 100 | $80,000 | ||
| May 21, 2024 | 6:01 PM CDT | EF1 | Winona to WI | 19.7 | 110 | $320,000 | ||
| July 5, 2016 | 9:13 PM CDT | EF1 | Buffalo | 0.5 | 100 | $235,000 | ||
| July 5, 2016 | 9:10 PM CDT | EF1 | Buffalo | 0.7 | 100 | $260,000 | ||
| June 17, 2010 | 9:57 PM CDT | EF1 | Buffalo | 2.3 | 25 | $208,000 | ||
| June 11, 2001 | 6:11 PM CDT | F0 | Buffalo | 1.5 | 50 | |||
| July 8, 1999 | 6:20 PM CDT | F1 | Buffalo | 10.0 | 120 | 3 | $1.0 million | |
| May 15, 1998 | 5:50 PM CDT | F3 | Buffalo | 8.0 | 60 | 6 | $120,000 | |
| March 29, 1998 | 5:15 PM CST | F0 | Buffalo | 4.0 | 50 | |||
| October 8, 1992 | 5:15 PM CDT | F0 | Buffalo | 0.5 | 50 | $5,000 to $50,000 | ||
| September 9, 1990 | 7:00 PM CDT | F1 | Buffalo | 30.0 | 30 | 1 | $500,000 to $5 million | |
| June 17, 1984 | 5:30 PM CDT | F0 | Buffalo | 1.0 | 27 | $500 to $5,000 | ||
| May 17, 1982 | 5:32 PM CDT | F2 | Winona to WI | 26.0 | 800 | 3 | $500,000 to $5 million | |
| June 20, 1964 | 9:10 PM GMT-5 | F1 | Buffalo | 1.0 | 10 | |||
| May 23, 1964 | 8:30 PM GMT-5 | F1 | Buffalo | 0.5 | 100 | $5,000 to $50,000 | ||
| June 28, 1960 | 4:45 PM GMT-5 | F2 | Buffalo | 12.2 | 67 | $5,000 to $50,000 | ||
| May 5, 1959 | 8:00 PM GMT-5 | F0 | Buffalo | 0.3 | 150 | |||
| May 10, 1953 | 6:30 PM GMT-5 | F4 | Howard to MN, WI | 162.0 | 100 | 2 | 24 |
Nearby
Warnings in force in Buffalo CountyThe forecast for Buffalo CountyThe live radar over Buffalo CountyEvery county in Wisconsin
What this means
Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.
Sources
NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.