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Hail history in Wisconsin

We counted the days with NOAA hail reports within 15 miles of the center of 4 Wisconsin cities since 2010.

Warehouses with white roofs and an apartment block under a dark storm front
Hail days near Milwaukee since 2010, the most in Wisconsin
55
Largest hail reported, near Appleton
4.5 in
Wisconsin cities tracked
4

Source: NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center

Data through November 1, 2026

Wisconsin cities by hail days

Source: NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center

Data through November 1, 2026

CityHail days since 2010Largest hail
Milwaukee553.0 in
Madison554.0 in
Appleton434.5 in
Green Bay222.5 in

About this data

  • Each city counts reports within 15 miles of its center, not of any one property.
  • Reports come from trained spotters and the public, so they cluster near towns and roads.
  • No report does not mean no hail. Hail can fall where no one is there to report it.
  • This is not a damage or insurance assessment.

Storm risk in Wisconsin

For commercial and multifamily buildings in Wisconsin, severe thunderstorms with hail and damaging wind are the most frequent storm risk, followed by flooding, winter snow and cold, and tornadoes. Severe storms made up 44 of the 63 billion-dollar weather disasters that affected Wisconsin from 1980 to 2024, and floods caused 28.6 percent of their cost, NOAA counts.2 Wisconsin does not rank among the top 10 states for large hail events, and tornadoes are less common than in other Midwestern states, but both still strike its cities.3,7

How often storms hit Wisconsin

Storm hazards for buildings in Wisconsin1,4,5,2,6
HazardHow oftenWhat it means for buildings
Hail22 to 55 hail days since 2010 within 15 miles of each of the four Wisconsin cities on this page, with hail up to 4.5 inches near Appleton and 4 inches near Madison. Around the Milwaukee radar, hail was reported on 28 days a year on average (1980 to 2006).Roof covers, skylights and rooftop HVAC condenser fins take the hits, and the same roof can be struck more than once in a season.
Damaging thunderstorm windDamaging wind reports on 36 days a year on average within 124 nautical miles of the Milwaukee radar, and on 28 days around the Green Bay radar (1980 to 2006).Straight-line gusts peel roof edges and membranes, shift rooftop units, break windows and drop trees on buildings and parking.
TornadoesTornadoes reported on 12 days a year on average within 124 nautical miles of the Milwaukee radar (1980 to 2006). At any one point in that area the yearly chance of a tornado is 0.022 percent.A direct hit on one building is rare, but across a portfolio the odds add up, and strong tornadoes can destroy warehouses, stores and apartments.
Flooding5 billion-dollar flood events since 1980, 28.6 percent of the cost of all the state's billion-dollar disasters. Rain events of 2 inches or more have grown more frequent since the 1960s.River and flash floods damage ground floors, basements, mechanical rooms and site work.
Winter storms and coldSnowfall averages under 40 inches a year in the south and over 100 inches along the Gogebic Range, where lake-effect snow off Lake Superior adds to it. Average winter lows range from under 5°F in the northwest to about 20°F in the southeast.Deep or drifting snow can overload roofs, ice dams back water under roof covers, and cold snaps freeze pipes and sprinkler lines.

The city counts are days with at least one hail report within 15 miles of each city's center since 2010, so they show how often hail falls near a city, not on one building. The Storm Prediction Center radar figures cover a much larger circle, 124 nautical miles around each radar, and come from 1980 to 2006 reports.1,4,5

For an owner, the pattern matters more than any one storm. Hail and straight-line wind cause frequent, repeat damage to roofs and rooftop equipment, snow loads build every winter, and tornadoes and floods are rarer at any one address but cause the largest single losses.

Rules owners in Wisconsin should know

  • Suit deadline: an action on a fire insurance policy, its property endorsements, or a separate windstorm or hail policy must begin within 12 months after the inception of the loss, and no policy may shorten that (Wis. Stat. 631.83). Wisconsin courts read "fire insurance" to cover property policies for other perils too, and count from the date of the damage, such as the day of a hailstorm, not the day it is found. The clock pauses during an appraisal.8,9
  • Timely payment (Wis. Stat. 628.46): a claim is overdue if not paid within 30 days after the insurer gets written notice of a covered loss and its amount, though never sooner than 30 days after it receives the proof of loss the policy requires. Overdue payments bear 7.5 percent simple interest a year, unless the insurer has reasonable proof it is not responsible.10
  • Wisconsin Insurance Plan: the state's FAIR Plan offers basic property insurance on properties other insurers rejected (Wis. Admin. Code Ins 4.10). Its commercial program covers commercial buildings, including apartment buildings of five or more units, and business property, but not manufacturing or farms. Building and contents together are capped at $500,000, at actual cash value, and wind and hail cover must be requested.11,12
  • Public adjusters (Wis. Stat. chapter 629): out-of-state adjusters must register with the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance, while registration is optional for Wisconsin residents. The contract must be in writing on a form filed with the office, must disclose the adjuster's pay, and lets the owner void it within 5 business days of signing.13,14
  • Floodplain repairs: in Wisconsin, repairing a damaged building in a mapped floodplain needs a local permit whatever caused the damage. If repair costs reach 50 percent of the building's pre-damage equalized assessed value, it is substantially damaged and must be brought into compliance, which may mean raising it, and communities add up improvements over the building's life.15

Before the next storm

  • Roof ratings: when a roof is due for replacement, choose a hail-rated cover. IBHS recommends FM 4470 Class 1-SH or UL 2218 Class 4 for low-slope roofs in hail-prone areas, and UL 2218 Class 4 or FM 4473 Class 3 or 4 for steep roofs.16
  • Rooftop units and skylights: fit hail guards over condenser fins and air intakes, and use skylights with a hail impact rating. IBHS recommends both, because hail on unguarded components can stop a unit working.16
  • Snow loads: watch drifts at parapets, rooftop units and next to taller buildings, where IBHS says low-slope roofs collect the heaviest snow. It advises removing snow once the estimated load passes 20 to 25 pounds per square foot, and FEMA lists sagging ceilings and sprinkler heads dropping below the ceiling as warning signs.17,18
  • Tornado shelter: name a shelter area in each building and drill staff and tenants on it. The NWS says to go to a basement, safe room or interior room away from windows, and to avoid large open rooms such as gyms and auditoriums.19

Sources

Written by the Cloudbreak team. Numbers, dates and rules cite the published sources below.

  1. 1. Cloudbreak: NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center storm reports, as counted on the Cloudbreak hail history page for Wisconsin
  2. 2. NOAA NCEI: Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters: Wisconsin Summary
  3. 3. Insurance Information Institute: Facts + Statistics: Hail
  4. 4. NOAA Storm Prediction Center: MKX (Milwaukee) Severe Weather Climatology, 1980 to 2006
  5. 5. NOAA Storm Prediction Center: GRB (Green Bay) Severe Weather Climatology, 1980 to 2006
  6. 6. NOAA NCEI and North Carolina Institute for Climate Studies: Wisconsin: 2025 State Climate Summaries
  7. 7. NOAA NCEI and North Carolina Institute for Climate Studies: Wisconsin State Climate Summary 2022
  8. 8. Wisconsin Statutes: Wis. Stat. 631.83: Limitation of actions
  9. 9. Wisconsin Court of Appeals: Stelpflug v. Rural Mutual Insurance Co., No. 2018AP34 (October 25, 2018)
  10. 10. Wisconsin Statutes: Wis. Stat. 628.46: Timely payment of claims
  11. 11. Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance: Wis. Admin. Code Ins 4.10: Wisconsin insurance plan
  12. 12. Wisconsin Insurance Plan: Commercial Program
  13. 13. Wisconsin Statutes: Wis. Stat. chapter 629: Public adjusters
  14. 14. Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance: Avoid a Public Insurance Adjuster Scam
  15. 15. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources: Floodplain Management in Wisconsin Quick Guide
  16. 16. IBHS: Commercial Roofs Best Practices Guide
  17. 17. IBHS: Commercial Risk Engineering Bulletin: Winter Weather
  18. 18. FEMA: Snow Load Safety Guidance (FEMA P-957)
  19. 19. National Weather Service: What to do During a Tornado

Storms in Wisconsin

Wisconsin averages 23 tornadoes a year, and its peak tornado season runs from April to August, according to ReadyWisconsin, the state's emergency management site.1

Notable storms

  1. July 27, 2026An EF3 tornado formed on the west side of Appleton and tracked south into Menasha, damaging warehouses, retail buildings and strip malls. NOAA's Storm Events Database lists 85 buildings destroyed, 418 with major damage, 98 people injured and over $100 million in estimated damage. Hail up to 4.5 inches fell northwest of Gresham in Shawano County that morning.2,3,4
  2. April 14, 2026Wind-driven hail up to baseball size (2.75 inches) hit Westby in Vernon County. About 1,100 homes in and around town had roof, window and siding damage, and NOAA's Storm Events Database lists $26.7 million in property damage. The same storm went on to produce an EF3 tornado near Union Center in Juneau County.5,6
  3. September 7, 2021Grapefruit-size hail, 4.5 inches across, fell near Apple Creek north-northeast of Appleton. The NWS report calls it the largest hail measured in Outagamie County and tied for the third largest in Wisconsin history. Hail up to 4.1 inches fell west of Mackville.7,8
  4. June 2, 2020Hail from 1 to 2.5 inches, mostly golf ball size or larger, fell on Holmen in La Crosse County. Between 4,000 and 5,000 homes had roof damage, and NOAA's Storm Events Database lists $45.5 million in property damage.9
  5. May 16, 2017A tornado tracked 83 miles across Polk, Barron, Rusk and Price counties, killing 1 person, injuring 25 and destroying or damaging dozens of mobile homes near Chetek. State damage assessments counted 40 homes and 4 businesses destroyed in Barron County. Hail up to 3 inches fell along a swath from east of Clayton to Barron.10,11,12
  6. May 22, 2011An EF2 tornado crossed into La Crosse from Minnesota, tearing off parts of roofs in a residential area, removing the roof of a small apartment complex and partly collapsing walls in an industrial area. About 200 homes and businesses were damaged and 9 homes destroyed, and NOAA's Storm Events Database puts damage at just over $15 million. Hail 3.5 to 4 inches across fell in northeast Monroe County.13,14

Warnings and alerts

Five NWS offices cover Wisconsin: Milwaukee (south-central and southeast), Green Bay (central, north-central and northeast), La Crosse (west and southwest), Minneapolis (west-central) and Duluth (northwest).15

Sources

  1. 1. ReadyWisconsin (Wisconsin Emergency Management): Tornadoes
  2. 2. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Tornado, Outagamie County, Wisconsin, July 27, 2026
  3. 3. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Tornado, Winnebago County, Wisconsin, July 27, 2026
  4. 4. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Hail, Shawano County, Wisconsin, July 27, 2026
  5. 5. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Hail, Vernon County, Wisconsin, April 14, 2026
  6. 6. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Tornado, Juneau County, Wisconsin, April 14, 2026
  7. 7. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Hail, Outagamie County, Wisconsin, September 7, 2021
  8. 8. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Hail, Outagamie County, Wisconsin, September 7, 2021
  9. 9. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Hail, La Crosse County, Wisconsin, June 2, 2020
  10. 10. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Tornado, Price County, Wisconsin, May 16, 2017
  11. 11. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Tornado, Barron County, Wisconsin, May 16, 2017
  12. 12. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Hail, Barron County, Wisconsin, May 16, 2017
  13. 13. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Tornado, La Crosse County, Wisconsin, May 22, 2011
  14. 14. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Hail, Monroe County, Wisconsin, May 22, 2011
  15. 15. National Weather Service Central Region: Wisconsin County Warning Forecast Areas

Hail history in other states