NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Cross Plains, 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
1 tropical system has passed within 75 miles of Cross Plains, Wisconsin since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1900. Since 1950, 105 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 9 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 105
- EF3 or stronger
- 9
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
13 deaths in all
What the records show for Cross Plains
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Cross Plains; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 55 mph winds when its centre passed 53 miles away. Cross Plains is tied for the most tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles among the 416 Wisconsin cities on this site. The strongest of the 105 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on June 7, 1984; its path came within 4 miles, and it killed 9 people. Of the 105, 9 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 50 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 46. The most recent tornado was on July 16, 2025. Cross Plains has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 75% of the 416 Wisconsin cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 107 times since 1977, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Cross Plains has more hail reports within 10 miles than 82% of the 416 Wisconsin cities.
Compare Cross Plains's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Cross Plains
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Cross Plains: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Cross Plains
By decade
- 2020s8
- 2010s16(1 EF3+)
- 2000s26(1 EF3+)
- 1990s11(1 EF3+)
- 1980s15(1 EF3+)
- 1970s8(1 EF3+)
- 1960s16(4 EF3+)
- 1950s5
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 7, 1984 | F5 | 4 mi | 36 mi | 9 / 200 |
| Aug 2, 1967 | F3 | 10 mi | 0.1 mi | 2 / 5 |
| Aug 18, 2005 | F3 | 17 mi | 18.6 mi | 1 / 23 |
| Jun 16, 2014 | EF3 | 9 mi | 0.96 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 17, 1992 | F3 | 17 mi | 16 mi | 0 / 30 |
| Jun 4, 1975 | F3 | 22 mi | 2.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 16, 1963 | F3 | 13 mi | 9.6 mi | 0 / 13 |
| Aug 16, 1963 | F3 | 13 mi | 9.6 mi | 0 / 13 |
| Aug 16, 1963 | F3 | 13 mi | 9.6 mi | 0 / 13 |
| Mar 27, 1991 | F2 | 23 mi | 32 mi | 1 / 5 |
| Jun 29, 2014 | EF2 | 11 mi | 29.07 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 16, 2014 | EF2 | 10 mi | 0.22 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 105, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Cross Plains
The Storm Prediction Center has 107 hail reports within 10 miles of Cross Plains since 1977, made on 59 separate days. Of these, 65 were 1 inch across or larger, and 10 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on April 3, 2011. The most recent report is from August 16, 2025. April has the most reports, 24.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Cross Plains
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Charmany Farm, WI, 9 miles southeast of Cross Plains at 1,046 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 82°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 27°F and 10°F. June is the wettest at 5.5 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 1.5 inches; the year adds up to 39.3 inches over 72 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 7 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 146 nights a year. Snowfall averages 38.5 inches a year, most of it in February. That 39.3 inches is more than at 155 of the 165 Wisconsin stations used on this site (94%). Black Earth, 5 miles west, has its own station (Mazomanie Wwtp, WI): 35.7 inches a year, 3.6 less than here, and the same July average high, 82°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 27 | 10 | 1.5 | 5 | 10.1 |
| Feb | 31 | 13 | 1.6 | 5 | 10.6 |
| Mar | 43 | 24 | 2.4 | 5 | 5.5 |
| Apr | 56 | 35 | 4.1 | 7 | 1.6 |
| May | 68 | 47 | 4.6 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 78 | 58 | 5.5 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 82 | 62 | 4.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 80 | 60 | 4.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 73 | 52 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 60 | 39 | 2.9 | 6 | 0.3 |
| Nov | 45 | 27 | 2.3 | 5 | 2.2 |
| Dec | 32 | 16 | 2.0 | 5 | 8.2 |
| Year | 56 | 37 | 39.3 | 72 | 38.5 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Charmany Farm, WI (1,046 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 Cross Plains
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 110 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Cross Plains: 77 thunderstorm wind reports, 17 flash floods, 8 lightning strikes, 5 floods and 3 heavy rain events. They killed 1 person and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $17.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on August 11, 2002. June has had the most flash floods, 9 of 17. Of the 374 Wisconsin cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 347 have had fewer than Cross Plains.
August 20, 2018: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Cross Plains — 1 killed, $1.0 million damage.
August 20, 2018: lightning strike in Cross Plains — 2 injured.
NWS: “Two firefighters responding to a structure fire were indirectly struck by lightning near Cross Plains. Minor injuries occurred.”
August 18, 2007: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Cross Plains — $11.8 million damage.
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
Flood insurance policyholders in Cross Plains's ZIP code 53528 have filed 17 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 2001, and were paid $917,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 2018, with 15. Of the 128 Wisconsin cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 41 have fewer than Cross Plains.
Dane County, which includes Cross Plains, has been named in 19 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1976, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 severe storms, 3 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 4, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Dane County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $182.0 million a year, the 2nd highest of 72 Wisconsin counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $84.0 million (46%), 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.