Tornadoes · United States · Wisconsin

Tornadoes in Columbia County, Wisconsin

39 tornadoes have crossed Columbia County since 1950, 14th of the 72 counties in Wisconsin with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.9 years. They have killed 10 people and injured 256. 2 were rated F4 or EF4 and above, 1 at the top of the scale.

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.

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. 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.

  6. 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.

  7. 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
39
Deaths
10
Injuries
256
F4 and above
2
Worst on record
F5, June 7, 1984

The deadliest in Columbia County

  1. F5 Barneveld tornado, WisconsinJune 7, 19849 killed, 200 injured
  2. F4, Columbia County, WisconsinSeptember 26, 19511 killed, 9 injured

The strongest

  1. F5 Barneveld tornado, WisconsinJune 7, 1984F5, 36.0 mi (58 km)
  2. F4, Columbia County, WisconsinSeptember 26, 1951F4, 9.0 mi (14 km)
  3. F3, Columbia and Green Lake counties, WisconsinJune 8, 1984F3, 29.0 mi (47 km)
  4. F3, Columbia County, WisconsinAugust 16, 1963F3, 9.6 mi (15 km)
  5. F3, Columbia County, WisconsinAugust 16, 1963F3, 9.6 mi (15 km)
  6. F3, Columbia County, WisconsinAugust 16, 1963F3, 9.6 mi (15 km)
  7. F2, Sauk and Columbia counties, WisconsinAugust 15, 1966F2, 34.2 mi (55 km)
  8. F2, Columbia, Green Lake and Fond du Lac counties, WisconsinJune 8, 1993F2, 28.0 mi (45 km)
  9. F2, Columbia County, WisconsinJuly 30, 1954F2, 25.2 mi (41 km)
  10. F2, Dane and Columbia counties, WisconsinJune 8, 1984F2, 18.0 mi (29 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 23 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Columbia County. Each year links to every tornado in Wisconsin that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20251Unrated
20212EF1
20181EF0
20131EF1
20101EF1
200866EF2
20061F1
20052F2
20042F0
19931F2
19882F1
198459201F5
19821F0
19802F1
19771F1
19761F1
19751F1
19681F1
196611F2
1963339F3
19591F1
19541F2
1951119F4

Every tornado that crossed Columbia County

39 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
May 15, 20254:42 PM CDTUnratedColumbia1.220
July 28, 202112:41 AM CDTEF0Columbia0.450
July 28, 202112:10 AM CDTEF1Columbia2.3100$500,000
June 16, 20185:20 PM CDTEF0Columbia0.150$2,000
June 22, 20138:55 PM CDTEF1Columbia3.2125
July 7, 20106:27 PM CDTEF1Columbia4.2125$100,000
June 12, 20084:34 PM CDTEF0Columbia5.350
June 7, 20083:08 PM CDTEF1Columbia2.975$200,000
June 7, 20083:05 PM CDTEF0Dodge2.225
June 7, 20082:32 PM CDTEF2Columbia8.63,5206$2.5 million
April 25, 20085:20 PM CDTEF0Columbia0.225
April 25, 20085:18 PM CDTEF1Columbia21.175$600,000
June 6, 20066:54 PM CDTF1Sauk16.9200$1.0 million
August 18, 20056:10 PM CDTF0Columbia0.125
August 18, 20055:33 PM CDTF2Sauk14.5200$610,000
July 16, 20042:40 PM CDTF0Columbia0.530$1,000
May 23, 20047:25 PM CDTF0Columbia0.125
June 8, 19935:26 PM CDTF2Columbia28.01,000$50,000 to $500,000
May 8, 19885:40 PM CDTF1Columbia5.073$500 to $5,000
May 8, 19885:15 PM CDTF1Columbia2.073$50,000 to $500,000
June 8, 19841:49 AM CDTF1Columbia9.030$50,000 to $500,000
June 8, 19841:41 AM CDTF3Columbia29.02001$500,000 to $5 million
June 8, 19841:25 AM CDTF2Columbia16.050$50,000 to $500,000
June 8, 19841:10 AM CDTF2Dane18.050$500,000 to $5 million
June 7, 198412:41 AM CDTF5Barneveld tornado36.04509200$50,000 to $500,000
May 17, 19829:05 PM CDTF0Columbia0.110$500 to $5,000
July 29, 19801:15 AM CDTF1Columbia0.110$5,000 to $50,000
July 29, 19801:07 AM CDTF1Columbia0.110$500 to $5,000
May 31, 19773:30 PM CDTF1Columbia0.150$500 to $5,000
April 15, 197611:00 AM CSTF1Columbia25.2150$50,000 to $500,000
August 24, 197512:56 AM CDTF1Columbia1.030$500 to $5,000
May 18, 196811:45 AM GMT-5F1Columbia0.550$500 to $5,000
August 15, 19662:00 PM GMT-5F2Sauk34.22001$50,000 to $500,000
August 16, 19638:00 PM GMT-5F3Columbia9.61013$50,000 to $500,000
August 16, 19638:00 PM GMT-5F3Columbia9.61013$50,000 to $500,000
August 16, 19638:00 PM GMT-5F3Columbia9.61013$50,000 to $500,000
May 10, 19598:20 PM GMT-5F1Columbia2.233$500 to $5,000
July 30, 19548:15 PM GMT-5F2Columbia25.2100
September 26, 19515:30 PM GMT-5F4Columbia9.010019$50,000 to $500,000

Nearby

Warnings in force in Columbia CountyThe forecast for Columbia CountyThe live radar over Columbia 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.