NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Adams, WI
Every tropical system within 75 miles since 1851 and every tornado within 25 miles since 1950.
Data: NOAA NHC HURDAT2 and NOAA SPC tornado and hail reports, through 2025 · Updated
No tropical storm or hurricane has passed within 75 miles of Adams, Wisconsin since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 87 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 87
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
6 deaths in all
What the records show for Adams
The strongest of the 87 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on April 19, 1957; its path came within 17 miles, and it killed 1 person. The deadliest, an F3 on August 27, 1994, killed 2 people. Of the 87, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 23 have come since 2000. August has had the most tornadoes, 22. The most recent tornado was on July 16, 2025. Adams has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 60% of the 416 Wisconsin cities on this site. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 41 times since 1966, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 416 Wisconsin cities, 69% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Adams.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Adams
By decade
- 2020s5
- 2010s8
- 2000s10
- 1990s20(2 EF3+)
- 1980s21(1 EF3+)
- 1970s10
- 1960s9
- 1950s4(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 19, 1957 | F4 | 17 mi | 21.1 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Aug 27, 1994 | F3 | 14 mi | 10.5 mi | 2 / 22 |
| Aug 29, 1992 | F3 | 18 mi | 28 mi | 1 / 30 |
| Jul 3, 1983 | F3 | 24 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Aug 12, 1985 | F2 | 12 mi | 22 mi | 2 / 22 |
| Jun 15, 2022 | EF2 | 24 mi | 22.86 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 22, 2011 | EF2 | 23 mi | 64.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 10, 2011 | EF2 | 9 mi | 17.08 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 23, 2004 | F2 | 17 mi | 11 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 27, 1994 | F2 | 22 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 16, 1984 | F2 | 12 mi | 17 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Jul 10, 1984 | F2 | 5 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 87, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Adams
The Storm Prediction Center has 41 hail reports within 10 miles of Adams since 1966, made on 33 separate days. Of these, 25 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 6 days, most recently May 15, 2025. The most recent report is from September 19, 2025. May has the most reports, 12.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Adams
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Friendship, WI, 5 miles north of Adams at 945 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 82°F and low of 59°F; January is the coolest, at 25°F and 6°F. July is the wettest at 4.6 inches of precipitation on average and January and February the driest at 1.3 inches; the year adds up to 35.1 inches over 72 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 11 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 169 nights a year. Snowfall averages 52.0 inches a year, most of it in December. That 35.1 inches is more than at 95 of the 165 Wisconsin stations used on this site (58%). Oxford, 14 miles southeast, has its own station (Wisconsin Dells, WI): 37.4 inches a year, 2.3 more than here, and a July average high of 83°F against 82°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 25 | 6 | 1.3 | 4 | 11.9 |
| Feb | 30 | 9 | 1.3 | 3 | 13.9 |
| Mar | 42 | 21 | 1.9 | 5 | 6.5 |
| Apr | 56 | 33 | 3.4 | 7 | 2.5 |
| May | 69 | 45 | 4.2 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 79 | 56 | 4.5 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 82 | 59 | 4.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 81 | 57 | 4.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 73 | 48 | 3.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 59 | 37 | 2.5 | 6 | 0.2 |
| Nov | 44 | 25 | 1.9 | 4 | 2.2 |
| Dec | 31 | 14 | 1.6 | 5 | 14.8 |
| Year | 56 | 34 | 35.1 | 72 | 52.0 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Friendship, WI (945 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. Normals describe the station; the farther a place is from it, and the bigger the difference in height, the more its weather can differ.
Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Adams
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 91 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Adams: 79 thunderstorm wind reports, 9 floods, 2 flash floods and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 0 people and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $7.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 98 mph, on June 1, 2000.
September 1, 2000: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Adams — 3 injured, $50,000 damage.
August 28, 2018: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Adams — $6.0 million damage.
August 28, 2018: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Adams — $805,000 damage.
NWS: “Runoff from heavy rains produced flash flooding across the southern sections of Adams County. County Highway G was closed because of flooding along Big Spring Creek and water was over County Highway H near White Creek.”
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, events whose starting point is on record, 1996 to June 30, 2026. Damage is the NWS estimate in the dollars of the year, not insured losses, and NWS notes that some reports are unverified.
Flood insurance claims, disaster declarations and FEMA risk ratings
Adams County, which includes Adams, has been named in 12 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1976, 9 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 severe storms, 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 1 drought). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 4, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Adams County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail and strong wind; Relatively Low for inland flooding, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $19.7 million a year, the 42nd highest of 72 Wisconsin counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $9.6 million (49%), is from inland flooding.
Claims: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset FIMA NFIP Redacted Claims – v3, summed over ZIP codes; payments in the dollars of each year, not adjusted for inflation. Declarations: Disaster Declarations Summaries – v2, by county. Retrieved October 25, 2026. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
Risk ratings: FEMA, National Risk Index county table, December 2025 (v1.20), retrieved October 26, 2026; ratings compare counties nationwide, are meant for planning and are no substitute for a local risk assessment. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset API or downloadable datasets but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.
Cities near Adams
- Friendship, WI5 mi
- Arkdale, WI12 mi
- Oxford, WI14 mi
- Lyndon Station, WI15 mi
- Mauston, WI15 mi
- Westfield, WI16 mi
- New Lisbon, WI16 mi
- Necedah, WI17 mi
- Wisconsin Dells, WI18 mi
- Hancock, WI19 mi
- Camp Douglas, WI24 mi
- Nekoosa, WI25 mi
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