Tornadoes · United States · Wisconsin

Tornadoes in Green Lake County, Wisconsin

40 tornadoes have crossed Green Lake County since 1950, 12th of the 72 counties in Wisconsin with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.9 years. They have killed 8 people and injured 56. 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.

  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
40
Deaths
8
Injuries
56
F4 and above
1
Worst on record
F4, April 3, 1956

The deadliest in Green Lake County

  1. F4, Green Lake, Waushara and Winnebago counties, WisconsinApril 3, 19567 killed, 50 injured
  2. F3, Green Lake and Fond du Lac counties, WisconsinJune 23, 20041 killed, 1 injured

The strongest

  1. F4, Green Lake, Waushara and Winnebago counties, WisconsinApril 3, 1956F4, 11.5 mi (19 km)
  2. F3, Green Lake, Dodge and Fond du Lac counties, WisconsinJune 23, 2004F3, 33.3 mi (54 km)
  3. F3, Columbia and Green Lake counties, WisconsinJune 8, 1984F3, 29.0 mi (47 km)
  4. F3, Green Lake and Fond du Lac counties, WisconsinJune 23, 2004F3, 7.6 mi (12 km)
  5. F3, Green Lake County, WisconsinJune 25, 1950F3, 0.1 mi (0 km)
  6. F2, Green Lake and Fond du Lac counties, WisconsinAugust 19, 1968F2, 28.7 mi (46 km)
  7. F2, Columbia, Green Lake and Fond du Lac counties, WisconsinJune 8, 1993F2, 28.0 mi (45 km)
  8. F2, Green Lake County, WisconsinAugust 27, 1994F2, 10.0 mi (16 km)
  9. F2, Green Lake County, WisconsinSeptember 7, 1992F2, 8.5 mi (14 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 19 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Green Lake County. Each year links to every tornado in Wisconsin that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20182EF1
20115EF1
20103EF1
20091EF1
20084EF1
2004211F3
20011F0
19961F1
19945F2
19936F2
199221F2
19891F0
198511F1
198411F3
19721F1
196812F2
19591F0
19561750F4
19501F3

Every tornado that crossed Green Lake County

40 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
August 28, 20183:25 PM CDTEF0Green Lake2.150
August 28, 20183:17 PM CDTEF1Green Lake3.190
June 21, 20113:38 PM CDTEF1Green Lake1.6100$2,000
June 21, 20113:31 PM CDTEF1Green Lake2.2150$5,000
May 22, 20117:47 PM CDTEF0Green Lake4.250$5,000
May 22, 20117:33 PM CDTEF0Green Lake0.430$1,000
April 10, 20118:27 PM CDTEF0Green Lake1.850$300
April 30, 20107:15 PM CDTEF0Marquette8.250
April 30, 20107:15 PM CDTEF0Marquette7.350
April 30, 20107:00 PM CDTEF1Green Lake2.0100$130,000
July 27, 20095:48 PM CDTEF1Marquette9.6150$10,000
July 10, 20085:33 PM CDTEF1Green Lake1.150$150,000
July 7, 20087:04 PM CDTEF1Green Lake1.175$30,000
June 12, 20084:42 PM CDTEF0Green Lake0.220
April 25, 20085:44 PM CDTEF0Green Lake7.130
June 23, 20048:35 PM CDTF3Green Lake7.630011$2.3 million
June 23, 20048:33 PM CDTF3Green Lake33.3400$15 million
June 11, 20019:00 PM CDTF0Green Lake0.230$100,000
July 18, 19966:15 PM CDTF1Green Lake2.0125
August 27, 199410:55 PM CDTF2Green Lake10.01,740$500,000 to $5 million
July 7, 19944:10 PM CDTF0Green Lake0.123
July 6, 19947:50 PM CDTF1Green Lake1.050$500 to $5,000
July 6, 19947:45 PM CDTF0Green Lake0.123$50 to $500
July 6, 19946:50 PM CDTF0Green Lake0.123$50 to $500
June 17, 19936:45 PM CDTF1Green Lake1.0100$50,000 to $500,000
June 8, 199310:20 PM CDTF0Green Lake0.123
June 8, 19935:45 PM CDTF0Green Lake4.050$50 to $500
June 8, 19935:37 PM CDTF0Green Lake0.330
June 8, 19935:26 PM CDTF2Columbia28.01,000$50,000 to $500,000
June 7, 19939:37 PM CDTF0Green Lake0.123
September 26, 19926:22 PM CDTF0Green Lake0.223
September 7, 19927:20 PM CDTF2Green Lake8.54001$500,000 to $5 million
May 24, 19897:30 PM CDTF0Green Lake0.123
May 11, 198512:10 AM CDTF1Green Lake2.02001$500,000 to $5 million
June 8, 19841:41 AM CDTF3Columbia29.02001$500,000 to $5 million
September 20, 19724:30 PM CDTF1Green Lake3.350$5,000 to $50,000
August 19, 19689:00 PM GMT-5F2Green Lake28.7502$5,000 to $50,000
May 28, 19594:05 PM GMT-5F0Green Lake0.110$500 to $5,000
April 3, 19561:45 PM GMT-6F4Green Lake11.5440750$500,000 to $5 million
June 25, 195012:30 AM GMT-5F3Green Lake0.1300$50,000 to $500,000

Nearby

Warnings in force in Green Lake CountyThe forecast for Green Lake CountyThe live radar over Green Lake 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.