Tornadoes · United States · Wisconsin

Tornadoes in Winnebago County, Wisconsin

34 tornadoes have crossed Winnebago County since 1950, 1 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 19th of the 72 counties in Wisconsin with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.2 years. They have killed 8 people and injured 179. 3 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
34
Deaths
8
Injuries
179
F4 and above
3
Worst on record
F4, April 3, 1956

The deadliest in Winnebago County

  1. F4, Green Lake, Waushara and Winnebago counties, WisconsinApril 3, 19567 killed, 50 injured
  2. F4, Winnebago and Outagamie counties, WisconsinApril 27, 19841 killed, 19 injured

The strongest

  1. F4, Winnebago and Outagamie counties, WisconsinApril 27, 1984F4, 27.5 mi (44 km)
  2. F4, Fond du Lac and Winnebago counties, WisconsinApril 21, 1974F4, 26.0 mi (42 km)
  3. F4, Green Lake, Waushara and Winnebago counties, WisconsinApril 3, 1956F4, 11.5 mi (19 km)
  4. EF3 Appleton-Menasha tornado, WisconsinJuly 27, 2026EF3, 13.2 mi (21 km)
  5. F2, Winnebago, Outagamie and Calumet counties, WisconsinMay 8, 1964F2, 30.6 mi (49 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 21 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Winnebago County. Each year links to every tornado in Wisconsin that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
2026168EF3
20203EF0
20171EF1
20142EF0
20111EF1
20102EF1
20081EF1
20057F0
20032F0
20022F0
19981F0
19931F0
19891F1
19871F1
19841119F4
197912F1
1974135F4
19712F1
196415F2
19591F1
19561750F4

Every tornado that crossed Winnebago County

34 tornadoes, newest first. The 1 at the top is this year's, from the surveying office rather than SPC's published database, and its rating is marked as preliminary.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
July 27, 202611:56 AM CDTEF3Appleton-Menasha tornado13.21,50068
June 20, 20205:35 PM CDTEF0Winnebago3.475
June 20, 20205:23 PM CDTEF0Winnebago1.175
June 20, 20205:01 PM CDTEF0Winnebago0.250
June 14, 20173:28 PM CDTEF1Outagamie8.0125$255,000
August 18, 20144:23 PM CDTEF0Winnebago2.150
July 27, 20147:05 PM CDTEF0Winnebago0.010
April 10, 20117:53 PM CDTEF1Waushara14.9150$1.5 million
May 4, 20107:13 PM CDTEF0Winnebago3.4100$25,000
May 4, 20107:10 PM CDTEF1Winnebago0.7100$10,000
July 19, 200810:44 PM CDTEF1Winnebago0.540$75,000
August 18, 20057:40 PM CDTF0Winnebago4.050$1,000
June 10, 20058:48 PM CDTF0Winnebago0.120
June 10, 20058:22 PM CDTF0Winnebago0.120
June 10, 20058:10 PM CDTF0Winnebago0.120
June 10, 20054:05 PM CDTF0Winnebago0.120
June 9, 20056:40 PM CDTF0Winnebago3.040
May 6, 20054:24 PM CDTF0Calumet2.550
June 8, 20031:20 PM CDTF0Winnebago0.540
June 8, 200312:40 PM CDTF0Winnebago0.115
May 6, 20026:02 PM CDTF0Winnebago0.120
May 6, 20025:30 PM CDTF0Winnebago4.050
August 23, 19984:22 PM CDTF0Winnebago0.130
June 8, 19936:35 PM CDTF0Winnebago0.123
May 24, 19899:10 PM CDTF1Winnebago1.250$50,000 to $500,000
August 14, 19876:40 PM CDTF1Winnebago0.2100$50,000 to $500,000
April 27, 19843:20 PM CSTF4Winnebago27.560119$500,000 to $5 million
June 20, 19792:45 PM CDTF1Winnebago0.1102$50,000 to $500,000
April 21, 19743:40 PM CDTF4Fond du Lac26.020035$500,000 to $5 million
June 13, 19715:30 PM CDTF1Winnebago0.350
June 6, 197112:15 AM CDTF1Winnebago3.850$5,000 to $50,000
May 8, 19647:30 PM GMT-5F2Winnebago30.6635$500,000 to $5 million
May 28, 19594:15 PM GMT-5F1Winnebago0.110$500 to $5,000
April 3, 19561:45 PM GMT-6F4Green Lake11.5440750$500,000 to $5 million

Nearby

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