NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Lancaster, 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 Lancaster, Wisconsin since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1900. Since 1950, 90 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 5 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 90
- EF3 or stronger
- 5
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
2 deaths in all
What the records show for Lancaster
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Lancaster; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 53 mph winds when its centre passed 55 miles away. Lancaster 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 90 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 5 times; the most recent, on August 7, 2021, came within 18 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on May 30, 1985, killed 2 people. Of the 90, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 35 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 38. The most recent tornado was on July 15, 2024. Lancaster has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 63% of the 416 Wisconsin cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 55 times since 1962, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Lancaster has more hail reports within 10 miles than 50% of the 416 Wisconsin cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Lancaster
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Lancaster: 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 Lancaster
By decade
- 2020s12(1 EF3+)
- 2010s13
- 2000s10
- 1990s14(1 EF3+)
- 1980s15(1 EF3+)
- 1970s11(1 EF3+)
- 1960s12(1 EF3+)
- 1950s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 30, 1985 | F3 | 10 mi | 34 mi | 2 / 27 |
| Aug 7, 2021 | EF3 | 18 mi | 9.38 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 19, 1993 | F3 | 24 mi | 14 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 9, 1970 | F3 | 21 mi | 4.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 3, 1964 | F3 | 25 mi | 17.1 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Jun 29, 2014 | EF2 | 18 mi | 29.07 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 16, 2014 | EF2 | 12 mi | 3.76 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Sep 4, 2012 | EF2 | 15 mi | 0.72 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 15, 1998 | F2 | 24 mi | 20 mi | 0 / 11 |
| May 8, 1988 | F2 | 8 mi | 7.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 8, 1988 | F2 | 10 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 30, 1985 | F2 | 14 mi | 16 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 90, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Lancaster
The Storm Prediction Center has 55 hail reports within 10 miles of Lancaster since 1962, made on 36 separate days. Of these, 37 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently June 12, 1976. The most recent report is from August 16, 2025. May has the most reports, 14.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Lancaster
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Lancaster 4 WSW, WI, 5 miles west of Lancaster at 1,040 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 81°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 25°F and 9°F. June is the wettest at 5.9 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 1.2 inches; the year adds up to 38.5 inches over 68 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 4 days a year, almost all from July to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 150 nights a year. Snowfall averages 37.4 inches a year, most of it in January. That 38.5 inches is more than at 149 of the 165 Wisconsin stations used on this site (90%). Fennimore, 10 miles north, has its own station (Boscobel Airport, WI): 34.1 inches a year, 4.4 less than here, and a July average high of 84°F against 81°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 25 | 9 | 1.2 | 3 | 10.0 |
| Feb | 30 | 13 | 1.3 | 4 | 8.9 |
| Mar | 43 | 25 | 2.0 | 5 | 4.9 |
| Apr | 57 | 37 | 3.8 | 7 | 1.6 |
| May | 68 | 48 | 4.4 | 8 | 0.2 |
| Jun | 77 | 58 | 5.9 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 81 | 62 | 5.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 79 | 60 | 3.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 72 | 52 | 4.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 59 | 39 | 2.9 | 5 | 0.5 |
| Nov | 44 | 28 | 2.4 | 4 | 2.6 |
| Dec | 31 | 16 | 1.7 | 4 | 8.7 |
| Year | 56 | 37 | 38.5 | 68 | 37.4 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Lancaster 4 WSW, WI (1,040 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 Lancaster
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 99 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Lancaster: 59 thunderstorm wind reports, 20 floods, 9 heavy rain events, 8 flash floods and 3 lightning strikes. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $2.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on June 10, 2026. July has had the most flash floods, 4 of 8. Of the 374 Wisconsin cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 239 have had fewer than Lancaster.
May 21, 2024: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Lancaster — $450,000 damage.
NWS: “Emergency management reported numerous trees and power lines down in central Grant County.”
June 22, 2015: thunderstorm wind in Lancaster — $400,000 damage.
NWS: “Numerous trees and power lines were blown down from Lancaster to Platteville along State Highway 133. Farm buildings were also severely damaged and homes sustained roof damage from the strong winds.”
June 28, 1998: thunderstorm wind in Lancaster — $221,000 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
Grant County, which includes Lancaster, has been named in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 17 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 severe storms, 4 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 1 drought). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 4, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Grant County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for inland flooding and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $20.9 million a year, the 40th highest of 72 Wisconsin counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $9.2 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 Lancaster
- Fennimore, WI10 mi
- Potosi, WI11 mi
- Platteville, WI13 mi
- Boscobel, WI20 mi
- Cuba City, WI21 mi
- Guttenberg, IA22 mi
- Dubuque, IA24 mi
- Hazel Green, WI24 mi
- Prairie Du Chien, WI25 mi
- East Dubuque, IL26 mi
- Mineral Point, WI27 mi
- Muscoda, WI27 mi
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