County Hazards

Storm events on record through

Oconto County, Wisconsin Storm events, disaster declarations and flood insurance claims on record

This page is a county record of past events and claims. It does not show the flood zone or the risk of an address. For the flood map of an address, use FEMA's address search (opens in a new tab).

NCEI has 290 storm events on record for Oconto County, Wisconsin, from 1950 through 30 Jun 2026.

The newest event on record is a hail event on 24 Jun 2026.

FEMA has 6 disaster declarations on record for the county from 1964 through 1 Oct 2026. The newest is DR-4520 of 4 Apr 2020.

OpenFEMA has 132 NFIP claims on record for the county from 1978 through 8 Sep 2026. The NFIP paid $1.0 million on these claims.

The NWS collects event reports from a variety of sources, which include (but are not limited to): county, state, and federal emergency management officials, local law enforcement officials, SKYWARN spotters, NWS damage surveys, newspaper clipping services, the insurance industry, and the general public, among others.

The National Weather Service reports property and crop damage estimates using available data at the time of event reporting. These values should therefore be considered broad estimates. Damage amounts are not adjusted for inflation.

Zone (NWS Forecast Zone): A zone is a geographic area defined by the NWS for issuing forecasts, watches, and warnings. While zones often align with counties, they can also represent smaller or subdivided areas within a county to account for differences in weather conditions, such as elevation or proximity to water. Larger-scale events—such as heat, cold, drought, and winter storms—are typically recorded by zone.

The words of the agency. Source: NOAA NCEI, Storm Events Database, page "Frequently Asked Questions", copied on .

This is raw, unedited data from FEMA's National Emergency Management Information System (NEMIS) and as such is subject to a small percentage of human error.

The words of the agency. Source: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset "Disaster Declarations Summaries - v2", copied on . The page gives: last data refresh 2026-10-01.

It is derived from the National Flood Insurance Program system of record, staged in the program's reporting platform and redacted to protect policy holder personally identifiable information.

The words of the agency. Source: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset "NFIP Redacted Claims - v3", copied on . The page gives: last data refresh 2026-09-09.

Dates of the data: NCEI storm events through . OpenFEMA disaster declarations through . NFIP claims through .

Since the last update: no change is on record for Oconto County. The site compares the agency data at each update. Updates of the data

The five hazards

Storm events on record for Oconto County by hazard and period (NCEI, through 30 Jun 2026)
Hazard1950 to 20262000 to 20092010 to 20192020 to 2026Newest event
Hail86202519
Tornado15123
Flood203511
Wind129293415
Winter181000
Other event types22Heat, cold, drought, wildfire, lightning, fog, tropical and other types
All storm events290707051

A hazard name opens the page of that hazard for the county. A hazard has a page from 10 events. The year 2026 has the events through 30 Jun 2026 only.

Forecast zones with the name of the county give 43 of the 290 events. A county count has the events that NCEI gives to the county. It also has the events of a forecast zone that has the name of the county. A zone with another name counts for the state only.

Rates of Oconto County beside the total of the counties of Wisconsin and of the United States
MeasureOcontoAll counties of WisconsinAll counties of the United States
Storm events for each 100 square miles, 1950 to 202629.184.649.3
Storm events for each 10,000 residents, 1950 to 202673.777.752.5
NFIP claims for each 1,000 policies in force, 2016 to 2025514.3220.2185.3

The columns for the state and the United States total the counties. They count the events of each county in the same way as the county column. The site gives a rate for each 10,000 residents only from 10,000 residents. Residents and area: Census Bureau, 2021.

Newest storm events on record

Hail1.00 in, quarter size

3 miles WSW of MORGAN

Lightning

4 miles WSW of TOWNSEND. Damage estimate: $100 thousand

TornadoEF0

3 miles NW of OCONTO

TornadoEF1

1 mile NNE of GILLETT

Hail1.00 in, quarter size

2 miles NW of SURING

Thunderstorm Wind60 mph (52 knots, estimated gust)

1 mile N of LENA

Thunderstorm Wind60 mph (52 knots, estimated gust)

4 miles NNW of KLONDIKE

Lightning

2 miles NE of CHASE. Damage estimate: $20 thousand

Hail1.50 in, ping-pong ball size

5 miles W of UNDERHILL

TornadoEF1

5 miles WNW of UNDERHILL

Hail1.00 in, quarter size

1 mile SE of OCONTO FALLS

Hail0.75 in, penny size

1 mile SE of STILES

Thunderstorm Wind60 mph (52 knots, estimated gust)

At HICKORY CORNERS

Hail1.50 in, ping-pong ball size

3 miles SE of MOUNTAIN

Thunderstorm Wind64 mph (56 knots, estimated gust)

1 mile S of STILES

Thunderstorm Wind70 mph (61 knots, estimated gust)

2 miles ENE of HICKORY CORNERS

Thunderstorm Wind60 mph (52 knots, estimated gust)

At ABRAMS

Thunderstorm Wind70 mph (61 knots, estimated gust)

1 mile NE of MOUNTAIN

Thunderstorm Wind70 mph (61 knots, estimated gust)

1 mile NE of MOUNTAIN

Flash Flood

4 miles NE of KLONDIKE. Damage estimate: $335 thousand

Hail1.00 in, quarter size

At SPRUCE

Hail1.00 in, quarter size

2 miles E of SURING

Hail0.75 in, penny size

8 miles ENE of MOUNTAIN

Hail1.50 in, ping-pong ball size

At MOUNTAIN

Hail0.75 in, penny size

At ABRAMS

The 25 events above are the newest in the NCEI record. A place is the text of the NCEI record: a distance and a direction from a reference place. Wind speed is in miles per hour, with the knots that NCEI gives. The site does not show a place text that names a private property or reads as a person. Download these events (CSV)

Storm events on record for Oconto County by year, 1950 to 2026
DecadeYear that ends in 0Year that ends in 1Year that ends in 2Year that ends in 3Year that ends in 4Year that ends in 5Year that ends in 6Year that ends in 7Year that ends in 8Year that ends in 9All
1950s00000000000
1960s00000140005
1970s12001010016
1980s326254033028
1990s02111685221460
2000s148163547112070
2010s56664931171370
2020s18986352 (part of the year)51

A darker cell has a larger count. The number is in each cell.

NCEI recorded tornado events from 1950, and hail and thunderstorm wind events from 1955. It recorded all event types from 1996. A count before 1996 has fewer event types.

FEMA disaster declarations

FEMA has 6 disaster declarations on record for Oconto County from 1964 through 1 Oct 2026. The newest is DR-4520: COVID-19 PANDEMIC.

Disaster declarations that name Oconto County (OpenFEMA, through 1 Oct 2026)
DeclaredNumberTypeIncident typeTitle in the FEMA recordAssistance
DR-4520Major disasterBiologicalCOVID-19 PANDEMICIndividual, Public
EM-3454EmergencyBiologicalCOVID-19Public
DR-4459Major disasterFloodSEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODINGPublic
EM-3249EmergencyHurricaneHURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATIONPublic
EM-3014EmergencyDroughtDROUGHTPublic
DR-376Major disasterFloodSEVERE STORMS & FLOODINGIndividual, Public

DR is a major disaster declaration. EM is an emergency declaration. FM is a fire management assistance declaration. A declaration for the whole state is on the Wisconsin page. What a disaster declaration is

The dataset includes declared recovery programs and geographic areas (county not available before 1964; Fire Management records are considered partial due to historical nature of the dataset).

The words of the agency. Source: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset "Disaster Declarations Summaries - v2", copied on . The page gives: last data refresh 2026-10-01.

Flood insurance claims (NFIP)

OpenFEMA has 132 NFIP claims on record for Oconto County from 1978 through 8 Sep 2026.

The NFIP paid $1,026,405 on 98 claims.

The county has 514.3 NFIP claims for each 1,000 policies in force. The rate uses 54 claims with a year of loss from 2016 to 2025. FEMA counts 105 residential policies in force on 3 Aug 2026. The claims have every type of building. FEMA counts residential policies only.

NFIP claims in Oconto County by year of loss, 1978 to 2026
DecadeYear that ends in 0Year that ends in 1Year that ends in 2Year that ends in 3Year that ends in 4Year that ends in 5Year that ends in 6Year that ends in 7Year that ends in 8Year that ends in 9All
1970s134
1980s1011195310269
1990s20000011004
2000s00000000000
2010s0100001003840
2020s14100000 (part of the year)15

A darker cell has a larger count. The number is in each cell.

NFIP claims by year of loss with the amount paid: 18 years
NFIP claims in Oconto County by year of loss, with the amount paid (OpenFEMA, through 8 Sep 2026)
Year of lossClaimsClaims with a paymentAmount paid
20211not shownnot shown
2020147$194,846
20193829$565,386
20161not shownnot shown
20111not shownnot shown
19971not shownnot shown
19961not shownnot shown
19902not shownnot shown
19892not shownnot shown
19871not shownnot shown
19865345$209,793
198599$21,653
19841not shownnot shown
19831not shownnot shown
19821not shownnot shown
19801not shownnot shown
19793not shownnot shown
19781not shownnot shown

A year with fewer than 5 claims shows the count of claims and no amount. A year with 1 to 4 claims with a payment shows no amount either. Such an amount could point to one property. The amount is the sum of the building, contents and increased cost of compliance payments. FEMA counts 7 multiple-loss properties in the county (2 Aug 2026). How FEMA redacts NFIP claims

This dataset is not intended to be an official federal report, and should not be considered an official federal report.

Note, the County Code field may not reflect the individual county the property is located as projects can be associated with more than one county

The words of the agency. Source: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset "NFIP Redacted Claims - v3", copied on . The page gives: last data refresh 2026-09-09.

FEMA cannot verify the quality and/or timeliness of any data or any analysis derived therefrom after the data has been retrieved from FEMA.gov.

The words of the agency. Source: FEMA, OpenFEMA Terms and Conditions, copied on . The page gives: last updated 2025-01-22.

National Risk Index

Risk Index rating
Relatively Low
Risk Index score
61.5 of 100
Expected Annual Loss rating
Relatively Low
Expected Annual Loss
$22 million
Social Vulnerability rating
Relatively Low
Community Resilience rating
Very High
National Risk Index of Oconto County by hazard type (FEMA, December 2025 release)
Hazard typeRisk Index ratingExpected Annual Loss
Coastal floodingVery Low$12,538
Cold waveRelatively Moderate$5,585,732
DroughtVery Low$59
EarthquakeVery Low$13,472
HailRelatively Moderate$664,635
Heat waveVery Low$122,050
Ice stormRelatively Low$36,723
Inland floodingRelatively Low$12,535,845
LandslideRelatively Low$3,431
LightningRelatively High$1,003,157
Strong windRelatively Moderate$595,489
TornadoRelatively Low$1,792,254
WildfireVery Low$24,081
Winter weatherRelatively Low$43,448

The National Risk Index dataset leverages available source data for natural hazard and community risk factors to develop a baseline relative risk measurement for each United States county and Census tract.

The rating is a qualitative categorization that describes the community in comparison to all other communities at the same level, ranging from “Very Low” to “Very High.”

The National Risk Index data are meant for planning purposes only.

The words of the agency. Source: FEMA, National Risk Index Data: Frequently Asked Questions (December 2025, v1.20), copied on .

The labels and the ratings are those of FEMA. Expected Annual Loss is a figure for a whole county. It is not a figure for a property. How to read the National Risk Index

Tropical storm and hurricane tracks

The HURDAT2 record of the National Hurricane Center has 1 track within 100 miles of the centre point of the county, through the 2025 season. 0 of them were within 50 miles at hurricane strength.

Storm names, years and distances: 1 track
Tropical storm and hurricane tracks within 100 miles of the centre point of Oconto County (NHC HURDAT2)
Storm nameYearNearest point of the trackHighest wind within 100 miles
Cristobal202053 miles40 mph

A name is the storm name that the National Hurricane Center gave. The distance is from the centre line of the track. It does not show how far the wind, the rain or the surge of a storm went.

ZIP Codes, cities and towns of Oconto County

Each ZIP Code below has a page with its NFIP claims by year. 7 more ZIP Codes have fewer than 5 claims and no page.

A city or town has no page of its own. This page is the record for the whole county, which has these places:

  • Abrams
  • Gillett
  • Lakewood
  • Lena
  • Mountain
  • Oconto
  • Oconto Falls
  • Pulaski
  • Sobieski
  • Suring
  • Townsend

Official channels

These links open the pages of the agencies. The site checked the links on .

Cite this page

County Hazards. "Oconto County, Wisconsin: storm events, disaster declarations and flood insurance claims on record". https://countyhazards.com/county/wi/oconto/. Data: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database through 30 Jun 2026; FEMA OpenFEMA disaster declarations through 1 Oct 2026; FEMA OpenFEMA NFIP claims through 8 Sep 2026. Page made on .

Where the data comes from

  • Storm events: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, yearly details files through 30 Jun 2026.
  • Disaster declarations: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries, read on 1 Oct 2026.
  • NFIP claims: OpenFEMA NFIP Claims, as of 8 Sep 2026. Multiple-loss properties: 2 Aug 2026. Policies in force: 3 Aug 2026.
  • National Risk Index: FEMA, December 2025 release. Storm tracks: NHC HURDAT2 through the 2025 season.
  • Residents, area, places and adjacent counties: US Census Bureau, 2021 vintage.

How the counts are made · Corrections · Hazards in all states: hail, tornado, flood, wind, winter

Questions

How many tornado events are on record for Oconto County?
NCEI has 15 tornado events on record for Oconto County from 1950 through 30 Jun 2026. 6 events have a rating of EF2 or F2, or a higher rating.
How large is the hail on record for Oconto County?
NCEI has 86 hail events on record from 1955 through 30 Jun 2026. 17 events have a hail size of 1.75 inches or more. NCEI names 1.75 inches a golf ball.
Which month has the most storm events on record for Oconto County?
July has 72 of the 290 storm events on record from 1950 through 30 Jun 2026.
How many NFIP claims are there for each 1,000 policies in force in Oconto County?
The county has 514.3 NFIP claims for each 1,000 policies in force. The rate uses 54 claims with a year of loss from 2016 to 2025. FEMA counts 105 residential policies in force on 3 Aug 2026. The claims have every type of building. FEMA counts residential policies only.