States › Wisconsin › Vilas County
Vilas County, Wisconsin
Recorded hazard history: storm events since 1950, federal disaster declarations since 1953, flood insurance claims since 1978, and FEMA's risk index.
NCEI notes that Storm Data is compiled from a variety of sources including the National Weather Service, other federal, state and local agencies, the media and the public; that property and crop damage figures are estimates; and that some events are recorded by NWS forecast zone rather than by county. FEMA notes that NFIP claim records are redacted and aggregated to protect the privacy of policyholders. NCEI storm records through 30 Jun 2026; OpenFEMA declarations refreshed 1 Oct 2026; NFIP claims as of 8 Sep 2026.
Between 1950 and 2026, NCEI recorded 565 storm events in Vilas County, Wisconsin, led by damaging wind.
That is 65.9 events per 100 square miles, below the Wisconsin figure of 85.6, and 240.2 per 10,000 residents against 78.6 statewide.
12 events fall in the 12 months to 30 Jun 2026. NCEI attributes 4 deaths and 6 injuries to events in the county, with property damage estimated at $29M and crop damage at $115K.
FEMA has designated the county in 6 federal disaster declarations since 1953; the most recent is Covid-19 Pandemic (major disaster, 4 Apr 2020).
OpenFEMA lists no National Flood Insurance Program claims in the county.
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the county's overall risk as "Relatively Low" and its expected annual loss as "Relatively Low" ($19M a year across 18 hazards).
1 tropical storm or hurricane track in the HURDAT2 record passed within 100 miles of the county's centre at tropical-storm strength or more, 0 of them within 50 miles at hurricane strength.
Compared with Wisconsin and the United States
| Measure | Vilas County | Wisconsin | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recorded events since 1950 | 565 | 46,362 | 1,977,440 |
| Events per 100 square miles | 65.9 | 85.6 | 56.0 |
| Events per 10,000 residents | 240.2 | 78.6 | 59.6 |
| Events in the last 12 months | 12 | 1,624 | 62,008 |
| Deaths recorded by NCEI | 4 | 530 | 26,435 |
| Property damage (NCEI estimates) | $29M | $4.1B | $575B |
| NFIP claims per 1,000 residents | 0.0 | 1.6 | 8.1 |
| Average paid NFIP claim | — | $20K | $43K |
| Claims per 100 policies in force, last 10 years | 0.0 | 23.4 | 16.1 |
County-recorded events plus zone-recorded events whose forecast zone is named for the county. State and US rows include events recorded only by forecast zone. Rates use 2021 Census population and land area.
Events by decade
Trend: 296 events in the 20 years to 2025 against 229 in the 20 years before. Reporting practice changed in 1996 and again with automated reports in the 2000s, so decade totals measure the record as much as the weather.
Events by type
Hazard pages exist for hail, tornado, flood, wind and winter where the county has at least 10 recorded events. "Other" covers heavy rain, debris flow, dust, funnel clouds and similar reports.
Largest recorded events
| Date | Event type | Group | Magnitude | Property damage | Crop damage | Deaths | Injuries | Geography |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 Jul 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wind | 67 mph | $1.0M | — | 2 | — | County |
| 6 Jun 2008 | Strong Wind | Wind | 26 mph | — | — | 1 | — | Forecast zone |
| 3 Dec 2013 | Winter Storm | Winter | — | — | — | 1 | — | Forecast zone |
| 27 Apr 1984 | Tornado | Tornado | F3 | $25M | — | — | 3 | County |
| 26 Jun 1969 | Tornado | Tornado | F1 | $250K | — | — | 1 | County |
| 15 Jul 1988 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wind | 0 mph | — | — | — | 1 | County |
| 9 Jun 1999 | Lightning | Lightning | — | — | — | — | 1 | County |
| 17 Jun 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wind | 0 mph | $500K | $50K | — | — | County |
| 5 Jun 1999 | Hail | Hail | 3.00 in | $500K | — | — | — | County |
| 26 Jun 1969 | Tornado | Tornado | F2 | $250K | — | — | — | County |
| 3 Jul 1983 | Tornado | Tornado | F1 | $250K | — | — | — | County |
| 24 Jul 1986 | Tornado | Tornado | F1 | $250K | — | — | — | County |
| 29 Jul 1988 | Tornado | Tornado | F1 | $250K | — | — | — | County |
| 25 May 2008 | Hail | Hail | 2.00 in | $250K | — | — | — | County |
| 18 Apr 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wind | 75 mph | $200K | — | — | — | County |
| 21 Jul 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wind | 75 mph | $150K | — | — | — | County |
| 27 Jul 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Wind | 96 mph | $100K | — | — | — | County |
Ranked by deaths, then injuries, then NCEI's damage estimate. Deaths and injuries are NCEI counts (direct plus indirect); no personal details are recorded here.
Federal disaster declarations
| Declared | Number | Type | Incident | Title | Programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Apr 2020 | DR-4520 | Major disaster | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 13 Mar 2020 | EM-3454 | Emergency | Biological | Covid-19 | Public assistance |
| 13 Sep 2005 | EM-3249 | Emergency | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Public assistance |
| 16 Aug 1999 | DR-1284 | Major disaster | Flood | Wi-Flood-07/20/99 | Public assistance |
| 10 Jul 1984 | EM-3091 | Emergency | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding | Public assistance |
| 17 Jun 1976 | EM-3014 | Emergency | Drought | Drought | Public assistance |
Declarations in which FEMA designated this county, from the OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2). DR: major disaster; EM: emergency; FM: fire management assistance. Programs show whether individual or public assistance was made available.
Flood insurance claims
OpenFEMA lists no NFIP claims with this county's code. FEMA counts 17 residential flood policies in force.
National Risk Index
| Hazard (NRI) | Risk rating | Expected annual loss |
|---|---|---|
| Cold wave | $8,835,950 | |
| Inland flooding | $7,490,725 | |
| Strong wind | $1,078,923 | |
| Tornado | $390,616 | |
| Lightning | $344,313 | |
| Hail | $321,857 | |
| Winter weather | $154,328 | |
| Ice storm | $53,899 | |
| Heat wave | $22,114 | |
| Wildfire | $7,130 | |
| Drought | $3,293 | |
| Earthquake | $2,066 | |
| Landslide | $119 |
FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 release. Ratings are FEMA's relative comparison of counties; expected annual loss is FEMA's modelled estimate of average yearly building, population and agriculture loss. See how to read the NRI.
Hurricane and tropical storm passes
| Storm | Year | Closest approach | Max wind while within 100 mi |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cristobal | 2020 | 73 mi | 40 mph |
HURDAT2 best-track positions at tropical-storm strength (34 kt) or more, measured from the county's Census centre point; through the 2025 season. Distance from a track is not the same as the extent of the storm's wind, rain or surge.
Questions and answers
How often does it hail in Vilas County, WI?
NCEI records 116 hail events in Vilas County since 1950, in 35 different years; that is about 1.5 recorded events a year. 26 reports were golf-ball size (1.75 in) or larger.
Has Vilas County had a tornado?
Yes. NCEI records 15 tornadoes in Vilas County since 1950, 2 of them rated (E)F2 or stronger. Tornado deaths recorded: 0.
When was the last federal disaster declaration for Vilas County?
4 Apr 2020: Covid-19 Pandemic, a major disaster declaration for biological. The county appears in 6 declarations since 1953.
How many flood insurance claims have been filed in Vilas County, and how much was paid?
OpenFEMA lists no NFIP claims in the county.
Is Vilas County in the National Risk Index's high-risk band?
FEMA's National Risk Index (December 2025) rates the county "Relatively Low" for overall risk, "Relatively Low" for expected annual loss, "Relatively High" for social vulnerability and "Relatively High" for community resilience. These ratings are FEMA's relative comparison across all US counties.
How does Vilas County compare with the rest of Wisconsin?
65.9 recorded events per 100 square miles against 85.6 statewide, and 0.0 NFIP claims per 1,000 residents against 1.6. The comparison table on this page shows each measure beside the state and national figures.
Provenance
Storm events: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, yearly details files through 30 Jun 2026 (public domain). Declarations: OpenFEMA DisasterDeclarationsSummaries v2, refreshed 1 Oct 2026. Flood claims: OpenFEMA NfipClaims v3 as of 8 Sep 2026; NfipMultipleLossProperties v1 (2 Aug 2026); NfipResidentialPenetrationRates v1 (3 Aug 2026). Risk index: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025. Hurricane tracks: NHC HURDAT2 through 2025. Population and area: US Census Bureau, 2021 vintage. Built 1 Oct 2026; see the methodology and corrections pages. Hazard hubs: Hail · Tornado · Flood · Wind · Winter.