Clark County, Wisconsin Tornadoes

Tornadoes in northeast Iowa, southeast Minnesota, and southwest and central Wisconsin
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Background Information

Statistics (1850-Present)

Records (1850-Present)

Clark County (WI) Tornadoes*
1850-2006

Date			Time	Location	Other Counties Affected	Length (miles)	Width (yards)	Deaths**	Injuries**	F-Scale
Month	Day	Year	Time	Location	Other Counties Affected	Length (miles)	Width (yards)	Deaths**	Injuries**	F-Scale
6	4	2005	1527-1606 CST	Loyal 2W to Dorchester 4W	None	17	50	0	0	F1
			This was the first of 3 tornadoes in Clark and Taylor Counties. It touched down near Loyal knocking down a pole barn and power lines. The tornado then continued on a 17 mile long path, touching down intermittently. Several farm buildings along the tornado's path were damaged, along with one business being completely destroyed. This tornado caused approximately $600,000 in property damage and $10,000 in crop damage.
9	30	2002	1802-1805 CST	Loyal 7S to Loyal 6.5S	None	0.2	50	0	0	F0
			A tornado touched down briefly in a field just south of Loyal, but did no damage.
6	25	2002	2115-2120 CST	Abbottsford	None	0.3	70	0	2	F1
			A tornado touched down in Abbottsford causing considerable damage. A large field mill was demolished, with debris damaging 15 cars at a nearby dealership. An electric generator from the feed mill was thrown about 2 blocks damaging the front of a building, before coming to rest on a minivan , demolishing it. Utility poles were sheared off and tossed, as well as a railroad crossing guard. One power pole was tossed through a car window, while yet another car was picked up and tossed onto another. In addition to the tornado, straight-line winds estimated at 60 to 65 mph blew down numerous trees and power lines.
9	26	1986	1650 CST	Thorp 2S	None	0.5	50	0	0	F1
			This tornado touched down briefly at a farm and heavily damaged a barn. Trees were uprooted as well, damaging nearby cars. Windows were also blown out of a house.
8	12	1985	1755-1809 CST	Neillsville 8SE	None	1.25	150	0	0	F1
			A small tornado touched down along Blueberry Lane in the Town of Washburn. The tornado moved northeast and caused $110,000 damage to a machine shed and barn, and toppled numerous trees including a 100 year old forest of pines.
6	7	1984	2100 CST	Stanley to Withee Township	Chippewa	9	150	0	0	F2
			A tornado touched down in Chippewa County and moved east-northeast to Withee Township in Clark County. On one farm, two barns and machine sheds were flattened, along with a silo snapped in half. The tornado destroyed two other barns and sheds along the way. Some house damage was also reported. Several large trees were snapped or uprooted, including 13 in one yard.
8	16	1983	1710 CST	Christie 2E	None	0.1	25	0	0	F0
			This small tornado caused extensive damage to a farm and home. An empty silo was leveled and the top of another blown off. The house was tilted. The electric meter and all but one top story window was blown out. An outhouse and shed were knocked over. Further down the road, another barn was blown down along with a tree and chopper wagon.
7	19	1983	1655 CST	Thorp 7S	None	1	200	0	0	F1
			The tornado hit a farm ripping the top off a barn and cutting a silo in half. Also destroyed were a chicken shed, pig house, heifer shed, and farm machinery.
7	3	1983	1720 CST	Unity 6W to Cherokee 2E	None	12	55	0	0	F2
			A tornado briefly touched down near a home inflicting minor damage. It lifted and then touched down again 5 miles west of Unity leaving a 50-foot path through a corn field. A farmer spotted the tornado touching down for a third time 1 mile west of Unity where it hit some power lines. The tornado crossed Highway 13 into Marathon County, where it did much more damage.
7	15	1980	2307 CST	Thorp 3 1/2SW	None	?	?	0	0	F1
			A tornado touched down in a rural area 3 1/2 miles southwest of Thorp.
9	28	1971	1415-1501 CST	Boyd 2S to Merrill 1N	Chippewa Marathon Lincoln	75	300	0	5	F3
			A complex family of tornadoes tracked from south of Boyd (Chippewa Co.), to 7 miles south of Thorp, to 1 mile south of Dorchester, to near Athens (Marathon Co.), to north of Merrill (Lincoln Co.). A brick school lost its roof and a wall. Three people were injured when their car was blown 200 feet off the road. About 60 farms along the track were damaged. The livestock loss was severe. Damage was estimated at $2,000,000. At least three different tornadoes were involved. There were 3 injuries in Chippewa County, 1 injury in Marathon County, and 1 injury in Clark County.
6	26	1969	1635 CST	?	Taylor	28.6	?	?	?	F1
			Major damage occurred at the Taylor County Airport near Medford.
6	26	1969	1600-1635 CST	York to Curtiss 5NNW	Eau Claire Jackson	45	??	0	4	F2
			This tornado tracked northeast from northern Jackson County, across parts of Eau Claire County, and into Clark County. Ten farms in the Withee area were damaged. Two injuries occurred in Clark County.
7	22	1967	2300 CST	Loyal 2S to Marshfield 5E	Wood	21	100	0	2	F2
			Three barns were destroyed and 16 cattle were killed at Spokeville. Buildings and trailers were destroyed at Marshfield (Wood Co.). Both injuries occurred in Wood County.
6	30	1967	2215-2230 CST	Neillsville 10NE	None	4.1	100	0	0	F1
			A small tornado moved east 10 miles northeast of Neillsville.
5	23	1964	1930 CST	?	None	?	?	0	0	F2
6	23	1962	1620 CST	Thorp	None	2.3	?	0	0	F2
			Tornado touched down momentarily.
9	3	1961	0015 CST	Thorp 5W	None	3.5	5	0	0	?
			A weak tornado touched down briefly 5 miles west of Thorp, WI. This was the second of a family of four small tornadoes which touched down briefly between Glenwood and Athens.
11	15	1960	1425 CST	Chili 2NW to Wausau 5W	Marathon	35	100	0	0	F2
			The tornado crossed into Marathon County damaging 3 farms and leveling a barn near Rib Mountain.
9	22	1959	1830 CST	Stanley 10SE	None	0.5	30	0	0	F0
			Tornado moved across a corn field.
5	26	1959	1545-1645 CST	Trempealeau 1E to Fairchild 4NE	Jackson Trempealeau	50	70	0	2	F2
			Skipped north-northeast from east of Trempealeau, passing 1 mile east of Hegg, near Northfield, and 1 mile southeast to 4 miles northeast of Fairchild. A café was destroyed in Clark County. Trees and sheds were downed. Minimal F2 damage. Both injuries occurred in Clark County.
6	4	1958	1930-2006 CST	Cadott 2SE to Curtiss	Chippewa	27	800	4	3	F4
			Deaths occurred in farm houses south of Boyd and Stanley (Chippewa Co.). There was a later touchdown with F1 damage in Marathon County. No injuries or deaths occurred in Clark County.
6	25	1950	1930 CST	Unity 2W to Abbotsford 3NE	Marathon	10	??	1	0	F2
			Three barns were destroyed causing $25,000 in damage. The tornado crossed into Marathon County and then lifted. This was 1 of 3 significant tornadoes in Wisconsin that day, including a F4 that hit Oneida County. The one death occurred in Clark County.
5	13	1942	1500 CST	Black River Falls 3S to Loyal	Jackson	40	150	1	1	F3
			This tornado moved north-northeast into Clark County. Most of the damage and the only death occurred in Jackson County as businesses and homes were destroyed along the east and southeast edge of Black River Falls. Other damage was sustained 1 mile north of Hatfield with a gap in damage around Neillsville. Total damage was $100,000.
4	4	1942	1655 CST	Cadott 2S to Thorp	Chippewa	20	100	0	0	F3
			Tornado moved east passing 2 miles south of Cadott, Boyd, Stanley, and Thorp. Twenty-six barns were damaged or destroyed. Three homes and a cheese factory were destroyed. Twenty head of livestock were killed. Damage estimates were $60,000.
6	13	1930	1730-1930 CST	?	Trempealeau Jackson Marathon Lincoln	80	1300	0	0	?
			The tornado moved through western Trempealeau County, northern Jackson County, eastern Clark County, and northwestern Marathon County. This was one of six tornadoes to occur in west central Wisconsin on this date between 4PM and 8 PM.
6	2	1925	2230 CST	Humbird to Loyal 1N	None	20	100	0	0	F2
			Barns and other buildings were destroyed on 11 farms, totaling $30,000 in damage. The tornado tracked northeast.
9	21	1924	1430 CST	Augusta 2ESE to Chelsea 2N	Eau Claire Taylor	65	400	18	50	F4
			What was probably a family of tornadoes moved northeast from near Augusta (Eau Claire County) to 10 miles southwest of Thorp (Clark County) to north of Chelsea (Taylor Co.). Near Rib Lake, at least 20 farms were destroyed or altogether obliterated. Thirty other farms were damaged. Fourteen people were killed in Clark County and four in Taylor County. The lack of alignment in the positions of destroyed farms, in the Withee-Thorp-Owen area hint strongly that more than one tornado was involved. Four people died and 13 were injured in that area at a Sunday School meeting in a farm house. One entire wall of a home was reportedly carried for 14 miles. Damage may have been F5 intensity 4 miles south of Thorp and north of Withee near the county border. Damage estimates were $229,000.
7	3	1907	1700 CST	Neillsville 12SW to Elroy 1NE	Jackson Juneau Monroe Sauk	55	800	11	40	F4
			Most likely a family of tornadoes, they tracked south-southeast crossing a total of 5 counties. At least 20 homes were leveled. Three people were killed just outside of Oakdale (Monroe Co.) A hundred people were left homeless in town. Four people died at "Tunnel Siding" north of Elroy. At least four, and possibly six, people were killed north of Tomah.
7	3	1907	1645 CST	Tioga 1N to Neillsville 3E	None	12	150	1	30	F4
			This was the first event of a very complex outbreak that involved as many as seven tornadoes, with two or three on the ground at the same time. Only this first event, and the last event in Sauk County, were single tornadoes. One man was killed in open area near Tioga as he and his friends ran for cover. Nine were injured. Ten people were injured in another farm house. Parts of some homes were carried for over 4 miles.
5	2	1895	?	Humbird	None	?	?	?	3	?
7	16	1887	1400 CST	?	None	?	1000	?	?	?
5	1	1887	2100 CST	?	None	?	?	?	?	?
8	21	1883	1200 CST	?	Wood	?	?	?	?	?
* The data in this table came from *Storm Data,* *Significant Tornadoes--1680-1991* by Thomas P. Grazulis, and *Wisconsin Tornado Database 1950-2000* Geographic Techniques Report No. ST-WTDB01. ** Injuries and Deaths are for the entire tornado track.

Last Updated Sunday, January 22, 2006 - Jeff Boyne

NOAA's National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office