Wisconsin
Lake effect, tornado risk, and the cold that stays.
Wisconsin's Great Lakes location creates a unique weather machine. Lake-effect snow buries the east. Tornadoes cross the south. The polar vortex brought wind chill to minus 40. And the 2008 floods showed that Wisconsin's rivers can overwhelm communities with little warning.
Enter your Wisconsin ZIP for live alerts, forecasts, and county-specific data.
Know your region
What you prepare for depends on where in Wisconsin you live.
Northern Wisconsin
Superior, Rhinelander, Wausau, the Northwoods. Lake Superior lake-effect snow buries Bayfield and Ashland counties. Northern forests are vulnerable to wildfire during dry springs. Extreme cold with wind chill below minus 40 degrees F. Remote communities wait longer for help.
Primary hazards: extreme cold, lake-effect snow, wildfire, severe storms
Southern Wisconsin
Milwaukee, Madison, Janesville, La Crosse. The state's tornado corridor. The 2005 Stoughton tornado (F3) hit a populated area. The 2008 floods caused widespread damage. Summer severe storms with large hail and damaging winds are routine.
Primary hazards: tornadoes, severe storms, flooding, ice storms
Mississippi River corridor
La Crosse, Prairie du Chien, the Driftless Area. The Mississippi floods regularly along the western border. The 2008 floods hit this region hard. The Driftless Area's steep terrain produces flash floods in narrow valleys.
Primary hazards: river flooding, flash floods, severe storms, winter storms
Your hazard profile
5 hazards that apply to Wisconsin.
Each links to a full guide with during-event protocol, recovery steps, and resources specific to WI.
Severe thunderstorms
Damaging straight-line winds, large hail, and heavy rain from May through August. The 2019 storms caused significant damage across southern Wisconsin.
Read the severe thunderstorms guide →
Tornadoes
Wisconsin averages 23 tornadoes per year. The 2005 Stoughton tornado (F3) hit a populated area. Peak season is June and July.
Read the tornadoes guide →
Lake-effect and extreme cold
Lake-effect snow from Michigan and Superior buries eastern and northern counties. Polar vortex events bring wind chill below minus 40. Ice storms cause widespread outages.
Read the lake-effect and extreme cold guide →
Flooding
The 2008 floods caused widespread damage. The Wisconsin, Mississippi, and Fox rivers flood during spring and heavy rain. Flash flooding in the Driftless Area develops rapidly.
Read the flooding guide →
Wildfires
Northern Wisconsin forests burn during dry springs. The 2013 Germann Road fire burned over 7,400 acres. Fire risk is highest before green-up in April and May.
Read the wildfires guide →
Wisconsin resources
The agencies and programs that cover your state.
Wisconsin EM
Wisconsin Emergency Management. Coordinates disaster response and manages the state's hazard mitigation programs.
NWS Milwaukee
Southern Wisconsin forecasts. Severe weather warnings, tornado watches, and winter storm advisories.
NWS Green Bay
Northern and eastern Wisconsin forecasts. Lake-effect snow warnings, severe weather, and flood alerts.
WI 2-1-1
Statewide referral service. Energy assistance, disaster recovery, food banks, and housing resources.
June 2008
The rivers remembered what the levees forgot.
In June 2008, a series of heavy rainstorms hit southern and western Wisconsin. The Wisconsin River, Kickapoo River, and Baraboo River all exceeded flood stage. Lake Delton, a man-made lake, breached its banks entirely, draining the lake and washing houses into the Wisconsin River. The floods caused hundreds of millions in damage across dozens of counties.
Wisconsin does not think of itself as a flood state. But the 2008 floods demonstrated that sustained heavy rain on saturated ground overwhelms any river system. The Driftless Area's steep, unglaciated terrain amplifies flash flood risk. And dam safety, as Lake Delton showed, is only as good as the last inspection.
For Wisconsin households near rivers, the lesson is about sustained rain. A single storm is manageable. Three storms in a week on saturated ground produces flooding that exceeds anything the models predicted. Monitor river levels. Know your flood zone. Keep sump pumps maintained with battery backup.