NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Fond Du Lac, 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 Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 128 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 8 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 128
- EF3 or stronger
- 8
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
12 deaths in all
What the records show for Fond Du Lac
The strongest of the 128 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on July 18, 1996; its path came within 4 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on April 3, 1956, killed 7 people. Of the 128, 10 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 62 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 44. The most recent tornado was on July 16, 2025. Fond Du Lac has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 93% of the 416 Wisconsin cities on this site. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 50 times since 1956, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Of the 416 Wisconsin cities, 55% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Fond Du Lac.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Fond Du Lac
By decade
- 2020s8
- 2010s26
- 2000s28(2 EF3+)
- 1990s13(1 EF3+)
- 1980s24
- 1970s13(4 EF3+)
- 1960s11
- 1950s5(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 18, 1996 | F5 | 4 mi | 13.3 mi | 0 / 12 |
| Apr 3, 1956 | F4 | 24 mi | 11.5 mi | 7 / 50 |
| Apr 21, 1974 | F4 | 15 mi | 26 mi | 0 / 35 |
| Apr 21, 1974 | F3 | 10 mi | 58.6 mi | 2 / 18 |
| Jun 23, 2004 | F3 | 20 mi | 7.6 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Jun 23, 2004 | F3 | 14 mi | 33.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 5, 1977 | F3 | 11 mi | 69.5 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Apr 21, 1974 | F3 | 9 mi | 22.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 18, 1996 | F2 | 15 mi | 6.4 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Aug 9, 1979 | F2 | 22 mi | 0.1 mi | 1 / 0 |
| May 15, 2025 | EF2 | 16 mi | 8.28 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 15, 2025 | EF2 | 23 mi | 11.48 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 128, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Fond Du Lac
The Storm Prediction Center has 50 hail reports within 10 miles of Fond Du Lac since 1956, made on 39 separate days. Of these, 30 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on September 7, 2021. The most recent report is from July 22, 2023. July has the most reports, 15.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Fond Du Lac
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Fond Du Lac 2 SW, WI, 1 mile southwest of Fond Du Lac at 772 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 82°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 26°F and 12°F. June is the wettest at 4.5 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.3 inches; the year adds up to 32.4 inches. Highs reach 90°F on about 7 days a year, almost all from June to July. Lows fall below freezing on about 141 nights a year. That 32.4 inches is more than at 32 of the 165 Wisconsin stations used on this site (19%). Oakfield, 8 miles southwest, has its own station (Fond Du Lac Co Airport, WI): 28.3 inches a year, 4.1 less than here, and the same July average high, 82°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 26 | 12 | 1.4 |
| Feb | 31 | 15 | 1.3 |
| Mar | 42 | 25 | 1.9 |
| Apr | 56 | 36 | 3.2 |
| May | 68 | 48 | 3.6 |
| Jun | 78 | 58 | 4.5 |
| Jul | 82 | 63 | 3.8 |
| Aug | 79 | 62 | 3.5 |
| Sep | 72 | 53 | 3.0 |
| Oct | 59 | 42 | 2.8 |
| Nov | 44 | 30 | 1.9 |
| Dec | 32 | 18 | 1.5 |
| Year | 56 | 38 | 32.4 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Fond Du Lac 2 SW, WI (772 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 Fond Du Lac
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 74 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Fond Du Lac: 63 thunderstorm wind reports, 5 flash floods, 3 floods, 2 lightning strikes and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $3.5 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 83 mph, on May 31, 1998. June has had the most flash floods, 3 of 5. Of the 374 Wisconsin cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 168 have had fewer than Fond Du Lac.
May 31, 1998: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Fond Du Lac — 1 injured, $2.1 million damage.
April 17, 2004: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Fond Du Lac — $250,000 damage.
August 26, 2004: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Fond Du Lac — $200,000 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
Flood insurance policyholders in Fond Du Lac's 2 ZIP codes have filed 500 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $7.1 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from March 2019 Midwest Flooding in 2019: 108 claims (22% of all) and $2.2 million, then Flooding in 1986 with 37 and Storm in 2008 with 10. The year with the most claims was 2008, with 271. 31% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 128 Wisconsin cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 126 have fewer than Fond Du Lac.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| March 2019 Midwest Flooding2019 | 108 | $2.2 million |
| Flooding1986 | 37 | $48,000 |
| Storm2008 | 10 | $191,000 |
Fond du Lac County, which includes Fond Du Lac, has been named in 12 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 9 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 floods, 3 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 1 drought). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 4, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Fond du Lac County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding and lightning; Relatively Low for heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $44.1 million a year, the 15th highest of 72 Wisconsin counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $19.5 million (44%), 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 Fond Du Lac
- Oakfield, WI8 mi
- Malone, WI11 mi
- Lomira, WI13 mi
- Campbellsport, WI15 mi
- Brandon, WI17 mi
- Waupun, WI17 mi
- Oshkosh, WI18 mi
- Theresa, WI19 mi
- Mayville, WI20 mi
- Cascade, WI20 mi
- Ripon, WI20 mi
- New Holstein, WI21 mi
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