NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Hillsboro, 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 Hillsboro, Wisconsin since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 55 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 55
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
3 deaths in all
What the records show for Hillsboro
The strongest of the 55 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on April 19, 1957; its path came within 21 miles, and it killed 1 person. The deadliest, an F2 on August 12, 1985, killed 2 people. Of the 55, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 13 have come since 2000. August has had the most tornadoes, 14. The most recent tornado was on July 16, 2025. Of the 416 Wisconsin cities on this site, 76% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Hillsboro. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 52 times since 1959, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 416 Wisconsin cities, 53% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Hillsboro.
Compare Hillsboro's storm record with another city →
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Hillsboro
By decade
- 2020s8
- 2010s1
- 2000s4
- 1990s3
- 1980s10(1 EF3+)
- 1970s9
- 1960s16(1 EF3+)
- 1950s4(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 19, 1957 | F4 | 21 mi | 21.1 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Jun 5, 1980 | F3 | 21 mi | 26.9 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Sep 3, 1964 | F3 | 22 mi | 17.1 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Apr 19, 1957 | F3 | 8 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 12, 1985 | F2 | 12 mi | 22 mi | 2 / 22 |
| Jun 15, 2022 | EF2 | 20 mi | 22.86 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Aug 18, 2005 | F2 | 9 mi | 20 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Jun 26, 1989 | F2 | 20 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 8, 1988 | F2 | 11 mi | 20 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 8, 1988 | F2 | 21 mi | 27 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 16, 1984 | F2 | 20 mi | 17 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Aug 9, 1979 | F2 | 3 mi | 2.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 55, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Hillsboro
The Storm Prediction Center has 52 hail reports within 10 miles of Hillsboro since 1959, made on 33 separate days. Of these, 27 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on May 10, 1959. The most recent report is from May 15, 2025. August has the most reports, 16.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Hillsboro
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Hillsboro, WI, 5 miles northeast of Hillsboro at 940 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 60°F; January is the coolest, at 27°F and 7°F. June is the wettest at 5.1 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.2 inches; the year adds up to 37.3 inches over 69 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 6 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 163 nights a year. Snowfall averages 38.7 inches a year, most of it in January and February. That 37.3 inches is more than at 130 of the 165 Wisconsin stations used on this site (79%). La Farge, 11 miles west, has its own station (Cashton, WI): 35.0 inches a year, 2.3 less than here, and a July average high of 81°F against 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 27 | 7 | 1.3 | 4 | 10.0 |
| Feb | 32 | 10 | 1.2 | 3 | 10.0 |
| Mar | 44 | 23 | 2.0 | 5 | 6.4 |
| Apr | 58 | 34 | 3.8 | 7 | 2.1 |
| May | 69 | 46 | 5.0 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 79 | 56 | 5.1 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 83 | 60 | 4.1 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 81 | 58 | 4.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 74 | 49 | 4.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 60 | 37 | 2.8 | 5 | 0.2 |
| Nov | 46 | 27 | 2.1 | 4 | 2.6 |
| Dec | 33 | 15 | 1.6 | 4 | 7.4 |
| Year | 57 | 35 | 37.3 | 69 | 38.7 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Hillsboro, WI (940 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 Hillsboro
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 70 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Hillsboro: 45 thunderstorm wind reports, 13 floods, 6 flash floods and 6 heavy rain events. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $35.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 70 mph, on June 15, 1997. August has had the most flash floods, 3 of 6. Of the 374 Wisconsin cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 197 have had fewer than Hillsboro.
August 28, 2018: flash flood 5 miles from the centre of Hillsboro — $28.7 million damage.
June 8, 2008: flood 6 miles from the centre of Hillsboro — $1.2 million damage.
June 8, 2008: flood 7 miles from the centre of Hillsboro — $1.1 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 Hillsboro's ZIP code 54634 have filed 30 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $462,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 10% 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, 69 have fewer than Hillsboro.
Vernon County, which includes Hillsboro, has been named in 23 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 20 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 severe storms, 8 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 1 drought). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on June 30, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Vernon 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 $25.3 million a year, the 31st highest of 72 Wisconsin counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $9.8 million (39%), 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 Hillsboro
- Wonewoc, WI9 mi
- La Farge, WI11 mi
- Elroy, WI12 mi
- La Valle, WI14 mi
- Wilton, WI16 mi
- Richland Center, WI17 mi
- Cashton, WI21 mi
- Mauston, WI21 mi
- Reedsburg, WI22 mi
- Westby, WI23 mi
- New Lisbon, WI24 mi
- Camp Douglas, WI25 mi
All Wisconsin cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Hillsboro with another place →