What the record says
On 26 September 1951, a tornado touched down near Rio, Wisconsin. The Storm Prediction Center records its path as 9 miles long and up to 100 yards wide, rated F4 on the Fujita (F) scale. It killed 1 person and injured 9.
- F4Fujita rating
- 1death
- 9injuries
- 9 mipath length
- 100 ydmaximum width
It has its own page because it was rated 4 or 5.
This page gives the official record's figures. Numbers of deaths and injuries are sometimes revised after a survey, and they cannot convey what the day was like for the people who lived through it.
Counties it crossed
The start point was at 43.47, -89.25 and the end point at 43.53, -89.08 (latitude, longitude).
How to read this path
The Storm Prediction Center records most tornadoes as a straight line from the point where they touched down to the point where they lifted. The real path usually curved and was not the same width all the way along. The width given is the widest part. Older records are less precise, and the record starts in 1950.
Source: the NOAA Storm Prediction Center database, public domain.
Other notable tornadoes in Wisconsin
- Woodville, Wisconsin tornado4 June 1958, F5, 21 deaths, 74 injuries, 33.7 miles long
- Ridgeway, Wisconsin tornado7 June 1984, F5, 9 deaths, 200 injuries, 36 miles long
- Berlin, Wisconsin tornado3 April 1956, F4, 7 deaths, 50 injuries, 11.5 miles long
- Almond, Wisconsin tornado26 September 1951, F4, 6 deaths, 3 injuries, 26.4 miles long
- Fall Creek, Wisconsin tornado4 June 1958, F4, 4 deaths, 3 injuries, 59.2 miles long
- River Falls, Wisconsin tornado10 May 1953, F2, 4 deaths, 27 injuries, 105.7 miles long
Other notable tornadoes of 1951
- Almond, Wisconsin tornado26 September 1951, F4, 6 deaths, 3 injuries, 26.4 miles long
- WaKeeney, Kansas tornado27 June 1951, F4, 5 deaths, 100 injuries, 0.8 miles long
- Minneapolis, Minnesota tornado20 July 1951, F3, 5 deaths, 40 injuries, 11.6 miles long
- Carrabelle, Florida tornado26 May 1951, F1, 3 deaths, 0.1 miles long
- Olney, Texas tornado18 May 1951, F4, 2 deaths, 100 injuries, 2 miles long
All tornadoes of 1951 · Wisconsin tornado history · All notable tornadoes