Tornadoes · United States · Wisconsin

Tornadoes in Eau Claire County, Wisconsin

27 tornadoes have crossed Eau Claire County since 1950, 30th of the 72 counties in Wisconsin with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.8 years. They have killed 10 people and injured 66. 2 were 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.

  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
27
Deaths
10
Injuries
66
F4 and above
2
Worst on record
F4, June 4, 1958

The deadliest in Eau Claire County

  1. F4, Eau Claire, Clark and Marathon counties, WisconsinJune 4, 19584 killed, 3 injured
  2. F3, Eau Claire County, WisconsinAugust 27, 19942 killed, 25 injured
  3. F4, Howard, Fillmore, Olmsted, Winona, Buffalo, Trempealeau, Eau Claire and Chippewa counties, Iowa and Minnesota and WisconsinMay 10, 19532 killed, 24 injured
  4. F3, Eau Claire County, WisconsinJuly 15, 19801 killed, 10 injured
  5. F2, Dunn, Chippewa and Eau Claire counties, WisconsinJuly 18, 19711 killed, 2 injured

The strongest

  1. F4, Howard, Fillmore, Olmsted, Winona, Buffalo, Trempealeau, Eau Claire and Chippewa counties, Iowa and Minnesota and WisconsinMay 10, 1953F4, 162.0 mi (261 km)
  2. F4, Eau Claire, Clark and Marathon counties, WisconsinJune 4, 1958F4, 59.2 mi (95 km)
  3. F3, Eau Claire County, WisconsinAugust 27, 1994F3, 10.0 mi (16 km)
  4. F3, Eau Claire County, WisconsinJuly 15, 1980F3, 1.0 mi (2 km)
  5. F2, Jackson, Eau Claire and Clark counties, WisconsinJune 26, 1969F2, 47.5 mi (76 km)
  6. F2, Dunn, Chippewa and Eau Claire counties, WisconsinJuly 18, 1971F2, 38.5 mi (62 km)
  7. F2, Eau Claire County, WisconsinJuly 3, 1983F2, 8.0 mi (13 km)
  8. F2, Eau Claire County, WisconsinSeptember 12, 1982F2, 5.0 mi (8 km)
  9. F2, Eau Claire County, WisconsinSeptember 12, 1982F2, 5.0 mi (8 km)
  10. F2, Eau Claire County, WisconsinJuly 15, 1980F2, 2.7 mi (4 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 17 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Eau Claire County. Each year links to every tornado in Wisconsin that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20255EF1
20241EF1
20211EF0
20131EF0
20112EF1
19941225F3
19931F0
19832F2
19822F2
19804110F3
19791F1
19741F1
1971112F2
19701F2
196912F2
1958143F4
19531224F4

Every tornado that crossed Eau Claire County

27 tornadoes, newest first. 1 of them touched down in a neighboring state and ran in, so the record files it under that state rather than Wisconsin.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
April 28, 20258:13 PM CDTEF1Eau Claire1.475
April 28, 20258:07 PM CDTEF0Eau Claire0.825
April 28, 20257:55 PM CDTEF0Eau Claire0.850
April 28, 20257:44 PM CDTEF1Eau Claire2.0100
April 28, 20257:32 PM CDTEF1Buffalo5.650$35,000
May 21, 20246:56 PM CDTEF1Eau Claire9.5440
December 15, 20219:00 PM CSTEF0Eau Claire6.775
July 22, 20134:45 PM CDTEF0Eau Claire0.310$5,000
April 10, 20115:04 PM CDTEF1Eau Claire0.7150$250,000
April 10, 20114:57 PM CDTEF1Eau Claire1.6200$200,000
August 27, 19948:30 PM CDTF3Eau Claire10.0700225$500,000 to $5 million
July 27, 19937:15 PM CDTF0Eau Claire0.250$500 to $5,000
July 3, 19835:20 PM CDTF2Eau Claire0.550$5,000 to $50,000
July 3, 19835:10 PM CDTF2Eau Claire8.0880$50,000 to $500,000
September 12, 19827:27 PM CDTF2Eau Claire5.077$500,000 to $5 million
September 12, 19824:18 PM CDTF2Eau Claire5.0200$500,000 to $5 million
July 15, 198012:08 AM CDTF1Eau Claire0.110
July 15, 19809:50 PM CDTF2Eau Claire2.710$50,000 to $500,000
July 15, 19809:40 PM CDTF1Eau Claire0.310$5,000 to $50,000
July 15, 19809:25 PM CDTF3Eau Claire1.0440110$500,000 to $5 million
June 16, 19794:00 PM CDTF1Eau Claire17.6100$500,000 to $5 million
June 9, 19745:45 PM CDTF1Eau Claire3.350$500 to $5,000
July 18, 19714:35 PM CDTF2Dunn38.510012$50,000 to $500,000
September 21, 19705:00 AM CDTF2Eau Claire2.0100$500 to $5,000
June 26, 19695:15 PM GMT-5F2Jackson47.51002$500,000 to $5 million
June 4, 19588:30 PM GMT-5F4Eau Claire59.288043$500,000 to $5 million
May 10, 19536:30 PM GMT-5F4Howard to MN, WI162.0100224

Nearby

Warnings in force in Eau Claire CountyThe forecast for Eau Claire CountyThe live radar over Eau Claire 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.