NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Janesville, 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 Janesville, Wisconsin since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1900. Since 1950, 116 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 116
- 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 Janesville
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Janesville; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 56 mph winds when its centre passed 13 miles away. Janesville is tied for the most tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles among the 416 Wisconsin cities on this site. The highest rating among the 116 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 4 times; the most recent, on January 7, 2008, came within 23 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on August 18, 2005, killed 1 person. Of the 116, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 70 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 27. The most recent tornado was on July 15, 2024. Janesville has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 84% of the 416 Wisconsin cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 68 times since 1962, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Janesville has more hail reports within 10 miles than 62% of the 416 Wisconsin cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Janesville
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Janesville: 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 Janesville
By decade
- 2020s29
- 2010s16
- 2000s25(2 EF3+)
- 1990s8
- 1980s8
- 1970s12
- 1960s12(2 EF3+)
- 1950s6
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 18, 2005 | F3 | 17 mi | 18.6 mi | 1 / 23 |
| Jan 7, 2008 | EF3 | 23 mi | 13.1 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Apr 16, 1967 | F3 | 23 mi | 27.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 24, 1967 | F3 | 2 mi | 24.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 27, 1991 | F2 | 17 mi | 32 mi | 1 / 5 |
| Oct 8, 1958 | F2 | 19 mi | 81 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Jun 22, 2024 | EF2 | 2 mi | 6.03 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 8, 2024 | EF2 | 11 mi | 25.9 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Nov 22, 2010 | EF2 | 23 mi | 18.1 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Jun 25, 1998 | F2 | 7 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 8, 1988 | F2 | 16 mi | 27 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 28, 1986 | F2 | 20 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 116, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Janesville
The Storm Prediction Center has 68 hail reports within 10 miles of Janesville since 1962, made on 48 separate days. Of these, 39 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on August 24, 2006. The most recent report is from August 16, 2025. May has the most reports, 20.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Janesville
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Afton - Janesville Wwtp, WI, 3 miles southwest of Janesville at 762 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 28°F and 12°F. June is the wettest at 5.0 inches of precipitation on average and January and February the driest at 1.6 inches; the year adds up to 37.4 inches over 70 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 13 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 148 nights a year. Snowfall averages 36.6 inches a year, most of it in January. That 37.4 inches is more than at 132 of the 165 Wisconsin stations used on this site (80%). Milton, 8 miles northeast, has its own station (Fort Atkinson, WI): 35.5 inches a year, 1.9 less than here, and the same July average high, 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 28 | 12 | 1.6 | 5 | 10.8 |
| Feb | 32 | 15 | 1.6 | 4 | 10.1 |
| Mar | 45 | 25 | 2.1 | 5 | 4.1 |
| Apr | 58 | 36 | 3.6 | 7 | 1.3 |
| May | 70 | 48 | 4.1 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 80 | 58 | 5.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 83 | 62 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 82 | 60 | 4.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 75 | 51 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 62 | 40 | 3.0 | 6 | 0.2 |
| Nov | 46 | 29 | 2.3 | 5 | 2.4 |
| Dec | 34 | 18 | 1.9 | 5 | 7.7 |
| Year | 58 | 38 | 37.4 | 70 | 36.6 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Afton - Janesville Wwtp, WI (762 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 Janesville
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 166 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Janesville: 129 thunderstorm wind reports, 18 floods, 10 flash floods, 5 lightning strikes and 4 heavy rain events. They killed 1 person and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $32.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on April 11, 2001. August has had the most flash floods, 3 of 10. Of the 374 Wisconsin cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 269 have had fewer than Janesville.
June 30, 2014: lightning strike 3 miles from the centre of Janesville — 1 killed.
NWS: “A man was struck by lightning and killed when he got out of his vehicle on highway 14 to correct the windshield wiper. A line of severe thunderstorms was moving through the area at the time.”
July 23, 2009: lightning strike 10 miles from the centre of Janesville — 1 injured.
April 17, 2026: flash flood 2 miles from the centre of Janesville — $30.0 million damage.
NWS: “Around 700 911 calls mainly attributed to flash flooding. Flash flooding of streets and yards in Janesville with basement flooding in many homes.”
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 Janesville's 3 ZIP codes have filed 124 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $1.9 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Storm in 2008: 10 claims (8% of all) and $475,000. 16% 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, 119 have fewer than Janesville.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Storm2008 | 10 | $475,000 |
Rock County, which includes Janesville, has been named in 16 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 11 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 severe storms, 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on June 30, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Rock County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes, hail, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $73.3 million a year, the 7th highest of 72 Wisconsin counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $37.9 million (52%), 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 Janesville
- Milton, WI8 mi
- Beloit, WI11 mi
- Orfordville, WI11 mi
- Edgerton, WI11 mi
- Clinton, WI13 mi
- South Beloit, IL13 mi
- Evansville, WI14 mi
- Darien, WI15 mi
- Rockton, IL16 mi
- Brodhead, WI18 mi
- Roscoe, IL18 mi
- Whitewater, WI18 mi
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