Hail & Wind Storms in Milwaukee, WI — Latest Dates and Sizes

Hail and wind activity within ~25 miles of Milwaukee, Wisconsin or recorded for its county: the last 12 months from NWS warnings, storm reports, and station measurements, plus official NOAA records back to 2010.

Latest hail and wind near Milwaukee

  • Last reported hail (0.75 in.+, screening): August 10, 2026 — 0.75 in. reported 10.6 mi SW of Milwaukee (1 W Hales Corners), NWS Local Storm Report.
  • Last wind gust 45 mph+ (screening): August 18, 2026 — 56 mph measured 5.1 mi NW of Milwaukee (2 ENE Butler), NWS Local Storm Report.
  • 2026 so far: 8 hail days and 13 wind days within 25 miles (days with a storm report or station gust at the screening thresholds; warnings alone never count).
Recent storm days near Milwaukee, newest first (hail 0.75 in.+ or wind 45 mph+, screening; a linked date has a storm-date page; pages are published for the most significant days that met NWS severe criteria, so some severe days have no page)
DateLargest reported hailStrongest gust
August 18, 2026—56 mph measured
August 10, 20260.75 in. reported—
August 9, 20261.25 in. reported—
July 27, 20261.00 in. reported53 mph measured
July 2, 20261.00 in. reported64 mph reported
June 11, 2026—54 mph measured
May 12, 2026—50 mph measured
April 27, 2026—77 mph measured
April 21, 20261.00 in. reported—
April 15, 20261.00 in. reported—

Was your address hit on August 18, 2026? Check any address free with the Free Report Snapshot — a YES/NO estimate at the screening thresholds.

Milwaukee, WI hail and wind storm history — Milwaukee County on a Wisconsin map card

Milwaukee storm facts

  • StormAuditor's analysis of NOAA and National Weather Service records found 101 wind and hail events, NWS warning products included, within 25 miles of Milwaukee, Wisconsin or recorded for Milwaukee County in the 12 months ending October 7, 2026 (56 wind, 45 hail).
  • The strongest gust within 25 miles of Milwaukee in the last 12 months was 77 mph, measured 7.9 mi SE of Milwaukee (KMKE Airport ASOS) on April 27, 2026 (NWS Local Storm Report; storm reports and station gusts only, warnings excluded).
  • The largest hail reported within 25 miles of Milwaukee in the last 12 months was 2.00 in., 11.2 mi NW of Milwaukee (2 NNE Menomonee Falls) on April 14, 2026 (NWS Local Storm Report).
  • The busiest day by event count near Milwaukee was April 14, 2026, with 22 events.
  • Milwaukee County alone recorded 59 of those wind and hail events (36 wind, 23 hail); the Wisconsin page ranks counties by events of every type, floods and Special Weather Statements included.
Lightning forking over the twin spires of Grace Lutheran Church in Milwaukee at night
Photo: Jeramey Jannene · CC BY 2.0 · cropped, resized

Milwaukee, Wisconsin storm history at a glance (last 12 months)

This free weather history for Milwaukee — home to about 560,000 residents — draws on StormAuditor's consolidated public record: 101 wind and hail events within 25 miles of Milwaukee or recorded for Milwaukee County in the trailing 12 months — 56 wind and 45 hail.

Events combine NWS warning products, observed Local Storm Reports, station measurements and official NCEI records in one event table. Because they include warnings, and wind covers thunderstorm and non-thunderstorm wind alike, they measure something different from the NCEI entry counts in the history section below; the two are not comparable year to year.

Busiest days near Milwaukee by event count

Ranked by the number of 12-month events, NWS warnings included, so a day with many warnings can outrank a day with larger hail.

Storm-day records for Milwaukee

Storm-date pages for the biggest days near Milwaukee: a report or station gust within 25 miles met NWS severe criteria (hail 1.00 in.+ or wind 58 mph+), with at least two separate observations. Not every storm day in the table above has a page. Each page lists the reports, station gusts and a free way to check one address:

How these numbers are counted

The storm numbers on this page are counted in four different ways, plus the free address check. Each answers a different question with its own size cutoffs, area and time span, so compare numbers within one group, not across groups.

  • Storm days (latest hail and wind): A day in the last 12 months when at least one report within 25 miles of Milwaukee showed hail 0.75 in. or larger or wind of 45 mph or more (StormAuditor screening thresholds). Reports are NWS storm reports from spotters, the public and officials, plus weather-station gusts, which count from 50 mph. A warning on its own never makes a storm day. The latest and largest hail, the latest and strongest gust, and the storm-day table all use this record.
  • Storm-date pages (NWS severe): A storm-date page is published only when at least one report or station gust within 25 miles of a city met the National Weather Service severe criteria (hail 1.00 in. or larger, or wind 58 mph or more), at least two separate observations were logged, and the day ranks among the most significant. A storm report that relays an airport weather station's reading (the same station, the same gust and the same time) counts once, as the station reading. Not every storm day gets a page; when one does, the page and the storm-day table show the same largest hail and strongest gust.
  • Events (12-month counts): Events count NWS warnings, storm reports (wind 50 mph+, hail 0.75 in.+), station gusts (50 mph+) and NCEI entries within 25 miles of Milwaukee or recorded for Milwaukee County, tornado entries counted as wind. One event is one place on one day, counted separately for hail and for wind. A weather station or storm-report point counts once a day, at that day's highest reading, however many readings it filed; a place with hail and wind on the same day is two events. NWS warnings count once per county per day, and each NCEI entry once per place per day. A storm report that relays an airport weather station's reading (the same station, the same gust and the same time) counts once, as the station reading. The same report arriving through another feed (SPC or NCEI) is one record. Events measure how busy the area was, not whether a storm hit: one storm can bring warnings and reports from many places, so the busiest days by event count can differ from the storm days.
  • NOAA history (since 2010): The official NOAA storm record (NCEI Storm Events) within 25 miles of Milwaukee or in Milwaukee County from January 1, 2010 to the day before the 12-month window starts: hail 0.50 in.+, thunderstorm wind 40 mph+ and tornadoes. It is a separate, older record with its own "storm days" (days with any entry), so its counts are not compared with the 12-month numbers.
  • Free Report Snapshot: A free YES/NO estimate for one address, from radar and wind analysis at the property rather than area reports, at the same screening thresholds: hail 0.75 in. or wind 45 mph.

Full method: Methodology and Data Sources.

Milwaukee hail and wind history in NOAA NCEI records, 2010–Oct. 2025

This section covers January 1, 2010 through October 6, 2025. Storms from October 7, 2025 on are in the 12-month summary above, so no date is counted in both.

Bar chart of storm days per year near Milwaukee for 2010–Oct. 2025 in NOAA NCEI Storm Events records; the busiest year was 2017 with 15 storm days.
Milwaukee storm days by year, 2010–Oct. 2025 (NOAA NCEI Storm Events).

Hail is the more common entry — 300 hail reports to 259 thunderstorm wind reports. In all: 571 NCEI Storm Events entries within 25 miles of Milwaukee or in Milwaukee County, spread over 155 storm days.

On August 2, 2015, 3.75 in. (larger than teacup size) hail was reported in Waukesha County — the largest in these records for this area. Hail of 2 inches or more appears in 6 different years of this record, the latest being 2025 through Oct. 6.

The strongest measured thunderstorm gust was 82 mph, reached in 2011 and 2025 through Oct. 6 — most recently on June 29, 2025 in Milwaukee County. NCEI also lists 12 tornado entries for the area — one entry per county a tornado crossed.

Hail peaks in May (26% of all hail reports), while thunderstorm wind reports cluster in June. December through February accounts for 2 storm days.

The most storm days came in 2017, with 15; the fewest in a full year was 6, in 2021. Across 2022–2024, the area averaged 11 storm days a year, above the 15-year average of 9.9.

Milwaukee storm entries by year, 2010–Oct. 2025 (NOAA NCEI Storm Events)
YearHail reportsThunderstorm wind reportsTornado entriesStorm daysLargest hailStrongest measured gust
20109202121.75 in.76 mph
2011518092.00 in.82 mph
201212190111.75 in.70 mph
20131411091.50 in.67 mph
201432140122.50 in.—
20153110583.75 in.—
20161616081.75 in.60 mph
201719150151.75 in.60 mph
2018418171.00 in.60 mph
2019222071.00 in.59 mph
202017240132.75 in.79 mph
2021116261.00 in.—
202216322111.75 in.59 mph
202329100102.50 in.—
202445150111.50 in.—
2025 through Oct. 6389062.00 in.82 mph

Download this history: CSV · JSON at https://www.stormauditor.com/downloads/storm-history/wi/milwaukee.json (free, open license, cite StormAuditor).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (thunderstorm wind, hail, and tornado entries; hail 0.50 in. or larger, wind 40 mph or more; wind converted from knots).

Milwaukee storm history questions, 2010–Oct. 2025

How big did hail get in Milwaukee, 2010–Oct. 2025?

3.75 in., larger than teacup size, reported on August 2, 2015 in Waukesha County, per NCEI. Hail of 2 inches or more appears in 6 years of this record in all, most recently 2020, 2023 and 2025 through Oct. 6.

Which year had the most storm days near Milwaukee, 2010–Oct. 2025?

2017, with 15 storm days (19 hail reports, 15 thunderstorm wind reports). The 15-year average is 9.9 storm days.

How many hail reports does Milwaukee see in a typical year?

About 17 hail reports a year (2010–2024 average), with 1-inch or larger hail reported every year. Thunderstorm wind averages 17 reports a year.

What month has the most hail near Milwaukee?

May has the most hail reports (79, 2010–Oct. 2025), followed by April (69) and August (54).

What is the strongest measured thunderstorm gust near Milwaukee, 2010–Oct. 2025?

82 mph, reached in 2011 and 2025 through Oct. 6; most recently measured on June 29, 2025 in Milwaukee County. Only gusts NCEI lists as measured count here; gusts measured on a date and county with a tornado entry, and entries of 120 knots or more (known entry errors), are left out.

Milwaukee hail map and wind map

Researching hail or wind in Milwaukee? The Hail Explorer and Wind Explorer map radar-derived hail swaths and peak-gust wind swaths across Wisconsin, including the Milwaukee metro: pick any storm date and see how estimated hail size and gust bands tracked through Milwaukee County. Both explorers are included with Pro+ and Organization plans.

County-level activity is on the Impact Heatmap (free with an account), and day-by-day history is on the Storm Calendar (Pro plans and higher).

Free Milwaukee weather report by address

Area maps show where storms tracked; an insurance claim or roof inspection turns on what happened at the property. Three ways to check one Milwaukee address:

All values are estimates from public NOAA data under our published methodology (see Limitations).

Storm professionals: restoration and exterior contractors, public adjusters, and crews and teams on one Organization plan work from this same public record — see StormAuditor for professionals.

Sources: NWS alerts (api.weather.gov) · NWS Local Storm Reports via the Iowa Environmental Mesonet · ASOS/AWOS station gusts via the Iowa Environmental Mesonet · NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database · every StormAuditor data source.

Free Milwaukee storm data download

The Milwaukee storm records for the last 12 months download free, free to reuse under the data license: download CSV · JSON at https://www.stormauditor.com/downloads/storm-data/wi/milwaukee.json.

Nearby city storm pages:

Guides for reading this data

Cite or link to this data — free

Free to quote, summarize, reuse, and link — for bloggers, journalists, researchers, contractors, and AI writing tools. No permission or credit required. A ready-made citation and link are below if they help. Terms: StormAuditor data & content license.

Citation: StormAuditor. "Milwaukee, WI Hail & Wind Storm History." Updated September 4, 2026. https://www.stormauditor.com/storm-data/wi/milwaukee

HTML link: <a href="https://www.stormauditor.com/storm-data/wi/milwaukee">Milwaukee, WI Hail & Wind Storm History — StormAuditor</a>

About this page: built by Storm Auditor LLC from public NOAA/NWS records — deduplicated warnings, storm reports, station measurements, and official records on a rolling 12-month window, under the published methodology. See the StormAuditor Editorial Team for how content is produced.

Data last refreshed October 7, 2026. Event counts cover wind and hail (warning products, and storm reports from 50 mph or 0.75 in.); flood activity and Special Weather Statements are not counted here.