Tornadoes · United States · Wisconsin

Tornadoes in Marathon County, Wisconsin

67 tornadoes have crossed Marathon County since 1950, 4 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 3rd of the 72 counties in Wisconsin with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.1 years. They have killed 5 people and injured 28. 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
67
Deaths
5
Injuries
28
F4 and above
2
Worst on record
F4, June 4, 1958

The deadliest in Marathon County

  1. F4, Eau Claire, Clark and Marathon counties, WisconsinJune 4, 19584 killed, 3 injured
  2. F2, Clark and Marathon counties, WisconsinJune 25, 19501 killed

The strongest

  1. F4, Eau Claire, Clark and Marathon counties, WisconsinJune 4, 1958F4, 59.2 mi (95 km)
  2. F4, Marathon County, WisconsinAugust 31, 1977F4, 31.8 mi (51 km)
  3. F3, Marathon, Langlade, Oconto and Marinette counties, WisconsinSeptember 28, 1971F3, 78.4 mi (126 km)
  4. F3, Chippewa, Clark and Marathon counties, WisconsinSeptember 28, 1971F3, 49.6 mi (80 km)
  5. EF3, Marathon and Lincoln counties, WisconsinApril 10, 2011EF3, 21.1 mi (34 km)
  6. EF3, Marathon County, WisconsinApril 17, 2026EF3, 13.5 mi (22 km)
  7. F2, Clark and Marathon counties, WisconsinNovember 15, 1960F2, 36.0 mi (58 km)
  8. F2, Marathon County, WisconsinAugust 19, 1968F2, 14.3 mi (23 km)
  9. F2, Marathon County, WisconsinMay 8, 1988F2, 13.0 mi (21 km)
  10. F2, Marathon County, WisconsinMay 8, 1964F2, 12.3 mi (20 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 37 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Marathon County. Each year links to every tornado in Wisconsin that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20264EF3
20252EF2
20244EF1
20212EF1
20191EF1
20171EF1
20162EF1
20121EF0
201112EF3
20083EF0
20071EF2
20056F0
200251F1
19981F0
19975F2
19963F2
19941F1
19921F1
19901F1
198822F2
19871F1
19842F2
19831F2
19821F1
1977110F4
19761F1
19741F2
19731F1
197125F3
196815F2
19641F2
19612F2
19601F2
19591F1
1958143F4
19541F2
195011F2

Every tornado that crossed Marathon County

67 tornadoes, newest first. The 4 at the top are this year's, from the surveying office rather than SPC's published database, and their ratings are marked as preliminary.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
April 17, 20264:44 PM CDTEF1Marathon4.3100
April 17, 20264:46 PM CDTEF3Marathon13.5600$8,000
July 20, 20267:03 PM CDTUnratedMarathon2.00
July 20, 20267:15 PM CDTEF0Marathon8.225
May 15, 20255:41 PM CDTEF0Marathon2.565
May 15, 20255:21 PM CDTEF2Clark4.6230$725,000
June 17, 20248:59 AM CDTEF0Clark0.846$15,000
May 21, 20247:51 PM CDTEF1Marathon2.180
May 21, 20247:47 PM CDTEF1Marathon2.160
May 21, 20247:34 PM CDTEF1Clark4.0110$345,000
July 28, 20219:18 PM CDTEF0Marathon0.2100
July 28, 20218:40 PM CDTEF1Lincoln2.7300
July 19, 20198:20 PM CDTEF1Marathon9.0100$25,000
April 9, 201712:54 AM CDTEF1Marathon0.4100
August 4, 201611:20 AM CDTEF1Marathon4.3250$100,000
June 30, 20167:16 PM CDTEF0Marathon0.050$5,000
May 24, 20127:01 PM CDTEF0Marathon5.975
April 10, 20116:08 PM CDTEF3Marathon21.11,0502$11 million
July 29, 20084:59 PM CDTEF0Marathon0.225
July 29, 20084:27 PM CDTEF0Marathon0.115
May 25, 20089:00 PM CDTEF0Marathon0.110
June 7, 20074:01 PM CDTEF2Marathon7.3225$343,000
June 10, 20052:03 PM CDTF0Marathon0.120
June 4, 20058:18 PM CDTF0Marathon0.125
June 4, 20056:20 PM CDTF0Marathon0.125
June 4, 20056:06 PM CDTF0Marathon0.125
June 4, 20054:39 PM CDTF0Marathon1.3100
June 4, 20054:27 PM CDTF0Marathon1.275
September 2, 20026:35 PM CDTF1Marathon5.02001$1.3 million
September 2, 20026:04 PM CDTF0Marathon0.275
July 30, 20027:22 PM CDTF0Marathon2.2100
April 18, 20027:32 PM CDTF0Marathon0.125
April 18, 20027:13 PM CDTF1Marathon14.0100$1.4 million
May 31, 19981:20 AM CDTF0Marathon0.250$10,000
July 16, 19974:20 PM CDTF0Marathon0.273$1,000
July 16, 19974:09 PM CDTF1Marathon0.250$100,000
July 16, 19974:00 PM CDTF0Marathon0.173$10,000
July 16, 19974:00 PM CDTF0Marathon0.213$200,000
July 16, 19973:38 PM CDTF2Lincoln3.4100$1.5 million
August 7, 19963:19 AM CDTF1Marathon0.4100$90,000
August 7, 19962:46 AM CDTF1Marathon0.2100$100,000
August 7, 19962:45 AM CDTF2Marathon2.5200$200,000
July 8, 19943:00 PM CDTF1Marathon0.273$5,000 to $50,000
July 19, 19924:54 PM CDTF1Marathon0.2400$50,000 to $500,000
June 12, 19906:35 PM CDTF1Marathon0.123$5,000 to $50,000
September 19, 19885:37 PM CDTF0Marathon0.123
May 8, 19886:10 PM CDTF2Marathon13.02502$500,000 to $5 million
July 2, 19876:10 PM CDTF1Marathon0.273$50,000 to $500,000
September 24, 19845:50 PM CDTF2Marathon12.0150$500,000 to $5 million
June 26, 19845:55 PM CDTF1Marathon8.0100$5,000 to $50,000
July 3, 19836:20 PM CDTF2Clark12.057$50,000 to $500,000
July 15, 19828:15 PM CDTF1Marathon0.750$500 to $5,000
August 31, 19777:15 PM CDTF4Marathon31.81,00010$500,000 to $5 million
June 13, 19769:00 PM CDTF1Langlade21.350$500 to $5,000
April 12, 19743:05 PM CDTF2Marathon0.1150$5,000 to $50,000
June 18, 197312:00 PM CDTF1Marathon2.0200$5,000 to $50,000
September 28, 19715:00 PM CDTF3Marathon78.4200$50,000 to $500,000
September 28, 19713:15 PM CDTF3Chippewa49.63005$50,000 to $500,000
August 19, 19686:30 PM GMT-5F2Marathon14.3675$500,000 to $5 million
May 8, 19645:50 PM GMT-5F2Marathon12.3500$50,000 to $500,000
September 3, 19612:00 AM GMT-5F1Marathon2.010$500 to $5,000
September 3, 19611:10 AM GMT-5F2Marathon2.010$500 to $5,000
November 15, 19602:25 PM GMT-6F2Clark36.0100$5,000 to $50,000
May 4, 195911:30 AM GMT-5F1Marathon1.0200$50 to $500
June 4, 19588:30 PM GMT-5F4Eau Claire59.288043$500,000 to $5 million
June 20, 19543:30 AM GMT-5F2Marathon6.167$5,000 to $50,000
June 25, 195010:00 PM GMT-5F2Clark7.8171$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

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