NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Markesan, 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 Markesan, Wisconsin since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 126 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 12 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 126
- EF3 or stronger
- 12
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
11 deaths in all
What the records show for Markesan
The strongest of the 126 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on July 18, 1996; its path came within 20 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on April 3, 1956, killed 7 people. Of the 126, 12 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 47 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 42. The most recent tornado was on July 16, 2025. Markesan has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 91% of the 416 Wisconsin cities on this site. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 43 times since 1964, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Of the 416 Wisconsin cities, 66% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Markesan.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Markesan
By decade
- 2020s2
- 2010s20
- 2000s25(2 EF3+)
- 1990s29(1 EF3+)
- 1980s23(2 EF3+)
- 1970s12(4 EF3+)
- 1960s6
- 1950s9(3 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 18, 1996 | F5 | 20 mi | 13.3 mi | 0 / 12 |
| Apr 3, 1956 | F4 | 14 mi | 11.5 mi | 7 / 50 |
| Sep 26, 1951 | F4 | 14 mi | 9 mi | 1 / 9 |
| Apr 21, 1974 | F4 | 10 mi | 26 mi | 0 / 35 |
| Apr 21, 1974 | F3 | 21 mi | 58.6 mi | 2 / 18 |
| Jun 23, 2004 | F3 | 6 mi | 7.6 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Jun 23, 2004 | F3 | in town | 33.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 8, 1984 | F3 | 2 mi | 29 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 7, 1980 | F3 | 17 mi | 1.2 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Jun 5, 1977 | F3 | 16 mi | 69.5 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Apr 21, 1974 | F3 | 18 mi | 22.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 25, 1950 | F3 | 16 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 126, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Markesan
The Storm Prediction Center has 43 hail reports within 10 miles of Markesan since 1964, made on 34 separate days. Of these, 24 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on August 3, 1997. The most recent report is from September 7, 2021. July has the most reports, 10.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Markesan
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Markesan, WI, 2 miles southeast of Markesan at 861 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 82°F and low of 59°F; January is the coolest, at 26°F and 9°F. June is the wettest at 4.6 inches of precipitation on average and January and February the driest at 1.4 inches; the year adds up to 35.8 inches over 74 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 7 days a year, almost all from June to July. Lows fall below freezing on about 162 nights a year. That 35.8 inches is more than at 112 of the 165 Wisconsin stations used on this site (68%). Princeton, 10 miles northwest, has its own station (Montello, WI): 36.4 inches a year, 0.6 more than here, and the same July average high, 82°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 26 | 9 | 1.4 | 5 |
| Feb | 30 | 10 | 1.4 | 4 |
| Mar | 42 | 21 | 2.0 | 5 |
| Apr | 56 | 33 | 3.5 | 7 |
| May | 68 | 45 | 4.3 | 8 |
| Jun | 78 | 55 | 4.6 | 9 |
| Jul | 82 | 59 | 4.3 | 7 |
| Aug | 80 | 56 | 4.2 | 7 |
| Sep | 72 | 48 | 3.3 | 7 |
| Oct | 59 | 37 | 2.9 | 6 |
| Nov | 44 | 26 | 2.2 | 4 |
| Dec | 32 | 15 | 1.7 | 6 |
| Year | 56 | 35 | 35.8 | 74 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Markesan, WI (861 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 Markesan
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 84 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Markesan: 76 thunderstorm wind reports, 4 flash floods and 4 floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $1.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on August 20, 2010.
August 28, 2018: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Markesan — $305,000 damage.
NWS: “A swath of widespread tree and crop damage across the southern portion of the county. Some structural damage from fallen trees or due to the strong downburst winds.”
April 17, 2004: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Markesan — $100,000 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
Green Lake County, which includes Markesan, has been named in 9 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 6 of them major disasters (by incident: 3 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods, 1 drought). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 4, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Green Lake 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 $14.2 million a year, the 53rd highest of 72 Wisconsin counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $7.0 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.
Cities near Markesan
- Green Lake, WI8 mi
- Princeton, WI10 mi
- Brandon, WI12 mi
- Ripon, WI12 mi
- Randolph, WI13 mi
- Fox Lake, WI13 mi
- Cambria, WI13 mi
- Waupun, WI16 mi
- Montello, WI16 mi
- Berlin, WI18 mi
- Neshkoro, WI19 mi
- Pardeeville, WI21 mi
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