Tornadoes · United States · Wisconsin

Tornadoes in Waukesha County, Wisconsin

41 tornadoes have crossed Waukesha County since 1950, 2 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 10th of the 72 counties in Wisconsin with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.9 years. They have killed 1 person and injured 43. 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
41
Deaths
1
Injuries
43
F4 and above
1
Worst on record
F4, April 27, 1984

The deadliest in Waukesha County

  1. F4, Waukesha County, WisconsinApril 27, 19841 killed, 14 injured

The strongest

  1. F4, Waukesha County, WisconsinApril 27, 1984F4, 6.5 mi (10 km)
  2. F3, Fond du Lac, Dodge, Washington and Waukesha counties, WisconsinJune 5, 1977F3, 69.5 mi (112 km)
  3. F3, Jefferson and Waukesha counties, WisconsinJune 5, 1980F3, 10.7 mi (17 km)
  4. F2, Jefferson and Waukesha counties, WisconsinJune 15, 1981F2, 28.7 mi (46 km)
  5. F2, Waukesha and Milwaukee counties, WisconsinJune 29, 1969F2, 13.1 mi (21 km)
  6. F2, Waukesha and Milwaukee counties, WisconsinApril 2, 1977F2, 9.3 mi (15 km)
  7. EF2, Waukesha County, WisconsinJune 21, 2010EF2, 5.2 mi (8 km)
  8. F2, Waukesha County, WisconsinMay 18, 1967F2, 4.7 mi (8 km)
  9. EF2, Waukesha County, WisconsinApril 14, 2026EF2, 3.8 mi (6 km)
  10. EF2, Waukesha County, WisconsinJuly 22, 2010EF2, 1.0 mi (2 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 27 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Waukesha County. Each year links to every tornado in Wisconsin that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20262EF2
20232EF1
20221EF0
20214EF1
20191EF1
20152EF1
2010315EF2
20091EF0
20081EF0
19991F1
19881F0
198721F1
19851F1
19841114F4
19821F1
198113F2
19802F3
1977210F3
19731F0
19722F1
19691F2
19671F2
19661F1
19652F1
19592F2
19561F0
19541F1

Every tornado that crossed Waukesha County

41 tornadoes, newest first. The 2 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 14, 20266:24 PM CDTEF2Waukesha3.8150
April 17, 20267:52 PM CDTEF0Waukesha0.670
July 28, 202310:28 PM CDTEF1Jefferson1.390
March 31, 20238:26 PM CDTEF1Jefferson2.850$300,000
October 12, 202211:48 AM CDTEF0Waukesha0.650
July 29, 20211:38 AM CDTEF1Waukesha0.995
July 29, 20211:32 AM CDTEF0Waukesha2.450
July 29, 20211:26 AM CDTEF1Waukesha1.075
July 29, 20211:23 AM CDTEF1Jefferson4.7150
October 1, 20199:42 PM CDTEF1Jefferson12.8100
August 18, 20159:50 PM CDTEF0Waukesha0.625$10,000
August 18, 20159:25 PM CDTEF1Waukesha2.550$46,000
July 22, 20107:02 PM CDTEF2Waukesha1.0100$75,000
June 21, 20109:36 PM CDTEF1Waukesha5.9200$430,000
June 21, 20109:11 PM CDTEF2Waukesha5.288015$21 million
June 8, 20093:38 PM CDTEF0Waukesha3.1100
June 7, 20085:37 PM CDTEF0Waukesha0.120
June 6, 19994:45 PM CDTF1Waukesha0.240$100,000
May 8, 19886:52 PM CDTF0Waukesha0.120
August 16, 19877:37 PM CDTF1Waukesha1.51001$500,000 to $5 million
July 6, 19875:05 PM CDTF1Waukesha0.3100$500,000 to $5 million
August 17, 19857:26 PM CDTF1Waukesha15.050$50,000 to $500,000
April 27, 19844:39 PM CSTF4Waukesha6.510114$500,000 to $5 million
May 15, 19825:17 PM CDTF1Waukesha2.030$50,000 to $500,000
June 15, 19812:02 PM CDTF2Jefferson28.7503$50,000 to $500,000
July 29, 19804:30 AM CDTF1Waukesha0.110$5,000 to $50,000
June 5, 198012:25 AM CDTF3Jefferson10.7100$50,000 to $500,000
June 5, 19779:30 PM CDTF3Fond du Lac69.54008$500,000 to $5 million
April 2, 19772:05 PM CSTF2Waukesha9.31002$500,000 to $5 million
August 30, 19739:30 AM CDTF0Waukesha0.5150$500 to $5,000
July 14, 19728:10 PM CDTF1Waukesha13.9100$50,000 to $500,000
July 14, 19728:00 PM CDTF1Waukesha34.0100$50,000 to $500,000
June 29, 19698:00 PM GMT-5F2Waukesha13.1100$50,000 to $500,000
May 18, 19678:20 PM GMT-5F2Waukesha4.7100$5,000 to $50,000
July 10, 196612:00 AM GMT-5F1Waukesha1.010$5,000 to $50,000
June 27, 196512:50 AM GMT-5F1Waukesha0.510$5,000 to $50,000
May 8, 19652:15 PM GMT-5F1Waukesha2.010$50,000 to $500,000
October 8, 19595:10 PM GMT-5F2Waukesha1.010$5,000 to $50,000
June 11, 195912:45 AM GMT-5F1Waukesha2.033$500 to $5,000
July 16, 19561:15 PM GMT-5F0Waukesha3.317$500 to $5,000
April 7, 19541:15 PM GMT-6F1Waukesha0.133$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

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