Rusk County tornado history

16 tornadoes touched Rusk County, Wisconsin between 1950 and 2025 — about 0.2 a year. The strongest was rated EF3 (May 16, 2017). Tornadoes here killed 2 and injured 73 people.

16tornadoes since 1950

EF3strongest rating

2killed · 73 injured

82.5 milongest path · 2017

(E)F0(E)F1(E)F2(E)F3(E)F4(E)F5· dots = start point only

By rating

(E)F05

(E)F13

(E)F26

(E)F32

(E)F40

(E)F50

By month

JFMAMJJASOND

Peak month: May.

By decade

’50’60’70’80’90’00’10’20

Strongest tornadoes

Date	Rating	Path	Width	Injured	Killed
May 16, 2017	EF3	82.5 mi	1,320 yd	25	1
Sep 2, 2002	F3	16 mi	440 yd	27	0
Jul 30, 1977	F2	34.5 mi	1,000 yd	8	1
Jul 22, 1967	F2	49.1 mi	10 yd	6	0
Aug 24, 1975	F2	34.2 mi	400 yd	6	0
Jun 4, 1958	F2	13.8 mi	200 yd	0	0
Sep 12, 1982	F2	12 mi	200 yd	0	0
May 26, 1959	F2	2.2 mi	33 yd	0	0
Aug 8, 1973	F1	3.6 mi	100 yd	0	0
Jul 1, 1997	F1	1 mi	100 yd	1	0
Jun 25, 1950	F1	0.5 mi	10 yd	0	0
Jul 4, 2019	EF0	7.6 mi	100 yd	0	0

Most recent tornadoes

Date	Rating	Path	Width	Injured	Killed
Jun 24, 2021	EF0	0.8 mi	25 yd	0	0
Jul 4, 2019	EF0	7.6 mi	100 yd	0	0
May 16, 2017	EF3	82.5 mi	1,320 yd	25	1
Sep 2, 2002	F3	16 mi	440 yd	27	0
Jun 5, 1999	F0	0.3 mi	—	0	0
May 30, 1998	F0	0.1 mi	50 yd	0	0
May 30, 1998	F0	0.1 mi	50 yd	0	0
Jul 1, 1997	F1	1 mi	100 yd	1	0
Sep 12, 1982	F2	12 mi	200 yd	0	0
Jul 30, 1977	F2	34.5 mi	1,000 yd	8	1
Aug 24, 1975	F2	34.2 mi	400 yd	6	0
Aug 8, 1973	F1	3.6 mi	100 yd	0	0

Deadliest: Jul 30, 1977, F2, 1 killed.

Nearby counties

Sawyer County, WI9 Chippewa County, WI39 Barron County, WI43 Taylor County, WI11 Price County, WI28 Washburn County, WI7 Dunn County, WI24 Eau Claire County, WI27

Questions

How many tornadoes has Rusk County, Wisconsin had?

16 tornadoes touched Rusk County, Wisconsin between 1950 and 2025 in the NOAA Storm Prediction Center database — about 0.2 per year.

What was the strongest tornado in Rusk County?

The strongest rating recorded was EF3 on May 16, 2017, with a 82.5-mile path and 1 deaths.

When is tornado season in Rusk County?

Most of its tornadoes happened in May (4 of 16). Tornadoes can occur in any month, so keep alerts on year-round.

Right now: live tornado warnings map · alerts for your location. Dates link to that day’s full storm reports where available (2004 onward).