NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Elkhart Lake, 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 Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 70 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 70
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
4 deaths in all
What the records show for Elkhart Lake
The strongest of the 70 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on July 18, 1996; its path came within 21 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on April 21, 1974, killed 2 people. Of the 70, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 28 have come since 2000. July and August have had the most tornadoes, 18 each. The most recent tornado was on June 20, 2020. Of the 416 Wisconsin cities on this site, 53% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Elkhart Lake. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 34 times since 1974, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 416 Wisconsin cities, 76% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Elkhart Lake.
Compare Elkhart Lake's storm record with another city →
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Elkhart Lake
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2010s12
- 2000s15
- 1990s8(1 EF3+)
- 1980s12
- 1970s8(2 EF3+)
- 1960s11
- 1950s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 18, 1996 | F5 | 21 mi | 13.3 mi | 0 / 12 |
| Apr 21, 1974 | F3 | 4 mi | 58.6 mi | 2 / 18 |
| Apr 21, 1974 | F3 | 20 mi | 22.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 18, 1996 | F2 | 9 mi | 6.4 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Aug 9, 1979 | F2 | 21 mi | 0.1 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Jun 2, 1990 | F2 | 22 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 11, 1986 | F2 | 16 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 4, 1981 | F2 | 6 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Jun 7, 1980 | F2 | 16 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 19, 1968 | F2 | 19 mi | 28.7 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jun 30, 1967 | F2 | 12 mi | 5.9 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Aug 22, 1964 | F2 | 23 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 70, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Elkhart Lake
The Storm Prediction Center has 34 hail reports within 10 miles of Elkhart Lake since 1974, made on 27 separate days. Of these, 18 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on April 21, 1974. The most recent report is from May 28, 2024.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Elkhart Lake
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Plymouth Wwtp, WI, 9 miles south of Elkhart Lake at 828 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 81°F and low of 60°F; January is the coolest, at 26°F and 12°F. June is the wettest at 4.2 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.4 inches; the year adds up to 33.5 inches over 68 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 151 nights a year. Snowfall averages 44.7 inches a year, most of it in January. That 33.5 inches is more than at 53 of the 165 Wisconsin stations used on this site (32%). Kiel, 5 miles north, has its own station (Chilton, WI): 33.9 inches a year, 0.4 more than here, and a July average high of 82°F against 81°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 26 | 12 | 1.6 | 5 | 12.4 |
| Feb | 30 | 14 | 1.4 | 4 | 11.0 |
| Mar | 41 | 24 | 2.0 | 5 | 5.9 |
| Apr | 53 | 34 | 3.6 | 7 | 2.1 |
| May | 66 | 45 | 3.8 | 8 | 0.2 |
| Jun | 76 | 55 | 4.2 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 81 | 60 | 3.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 79 | 59 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 72 | 51 | 2.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 58 | 39 | 3.0 | 6 | 0.1 |
| Nov | 44 | 29 | 2.1 | 4 | 2.3 |
| Dec | 32 | 18 | 1.8 | 5 | 10.7 |
| Year | 55 | 37 | 33.5 | 68 | 44.7 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Plymouth Wwtp, WI (828 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 Elkhart Lake
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 89 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Elkhart Lake: 73 thunderstorm wind reports, 7 lightning strikes, 5 flash floods, 3 floods and 1 heavy rain event. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $8.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on April 7, 2001. Of the 374 Wisconsin cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 168 have had fewer than Elkhart Lake.
June 12, 2008: flash flood 6 miles from the centre of Elkhart Lake — $5.5 million damage.
April 7, 2001: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Elkhart Lake — $400,000 damage.
April 13, 2006: thunderstorm wind 1 mile from the centre of Elkhart Lake — $400,000 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
Sheboygan County, which includes Elkhart Lake, has been named in 11 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 8 of them major disasters (by incident: 3 floods, 3 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 4, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Sheboygan County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail and lightning; Relatively Low for inland flooding, strong wind and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes and coastal flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $36.2 million a year, the 20th highest of 72 Wisconsin counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $17.7 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.