Tornadoes · United States · Wisconsin

Tornadoes in Waushara County, Wisconsin

29 tornadoes have crossed Waushara County since 1950, 27th of the 72 counties in Wisconsin with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.6 years. They have killed 8 people and injured 89. 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
29
Deaths
8
Injuries
89
F4 and above
1
Worst on record
F4, April 3, 1956

The deadliest in Waushara County

  1. F4, Green Lake, Waushara and Winnebago counties, WisconsinApril 3, 19567 killed, 50 injured
  2. F3, Waushara County, WisconsinAugust 29, 19921 killed, 30 injured

The strongest

  1. F4, Green Lake, Waushara and Winnebago counties, WisconsinApril 3, 1956F4, 11.5 mi (19 km)
  2. F3, Waushara County, WisconsinAugust 29, 1992F3, 28.0 mi (45 km)
  3. F2, Waushara County, WisconsinApril 19, 1957F2, 22.8 mi (37 km)
  4. F2, Waushara County, WisconsinApril 15, 1954F2, 5.9 mi (9 km)

Every year with a tornado

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

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20221EF1
20212EF1
20191EF0
20181EF0
20171EF1
20113EF1
20053F0
19981F0
19971F0
19941F1
19933F0
19922130F3
19882F1
19852F0
197115F1
196613F1
195711F2
19561750F4
19541F2

Every tornado that crossed Waushara County

29 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
June 15, 20225:41 PM CDTEF1Waushara4.8100$645,000
August 8, 20213:52 PM CDTEF1Waushara3.5350
July 28, 202111:06 PM CDTEF0Waushara0.533
July 16, 20195:35 PM CDTEF0Waushara0.110
July 20, 201812:55 PM CDTEF0Waushara0.110
June 14, 20172:49 PM CDTEF1Waushara2.8100$100,000
April 10, 20117:53 PM CDTEF1Waushara14.9150$1.5 million
April 10, 20117:06 PM CDTEF1Waushara27.7200
April 10, 20116:30 PM CDTEF1Adams11.7140$601,000
August 18, 20056:32 PM CDTF0Waushara2.080$10,000
June 4, 20053:05 PM CDTF0Waushara0.150
June 4, 20052:54 PM CDTF0Waushara0.275
June 16, 19984:00 PM CDTF0Waushara0.130
July 16, 19975:41 PM CDTF0Waushara0.110
August 27, 199410:07 PM CDTF1Waushara1.573$5,000 to $50,000
June 8, 19938:35 PM CDTF0Waushara6.023$500 to $5,000
June 8, 19938:15 PM CDTF0Waushara12.033$500 to $5,000
June 8, 19937:38 PM CDTF0Waushara8.023$50 to $500
October 8, 19925:48 PM CDTF1Waushara0.7400$50,000 to $500,000
August 29, 19928:10 PM CDTF3Waushara28.0800130$5 million to $50 million
September 19, 19885:05 PM CDTF0Waushara0.123
May 8, 19886:06 PM CDTF1Waushara5.0100$50,000 to $500,000
August 12, 19858:30 PM CDTF0Waushara0.5100$50,000 to $500,000
July 4, 19856:03 PM CDTF0Waushara5.050$5,000 to $50,000
May 18, 19715:40 PM CDTF1Adams15.91005$50,000 to $500,000
July 10, 196611:00 PM GMT-5F1Waushara15.51003$50,000 to $500,000
April 19, 19574:00 PM GMT-6F2Waushara22.8501$5,000 to $50,000
April 3, 19561:45 PM GMT-6F4Green Lake11.5440750$500,000 to $5 million
April 15, 19543:00 PM GMT-6F2Waushara5.933$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

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