NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Melrose, 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 Melrose, Wisconsin since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 58 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 58
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Melrose
The highest rating among the 58 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on May 5, 1965, came within 7 miles. Of the 58, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 24 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 16. The most recent tornado was on June 25, 2025. Of the 416 Wisconsin cities on this site, 70% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Melrose. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 29 times since 1968, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 416 Wisconsin cities, 86% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Melrose.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Melrose
By decade
- 2020s10
- 2010s7
- 2000s7
- 1990s6
- 1980s6
- 1970s5
- 1960s12(1 EF3+)
- 1950s5(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 5, 1965 | F3 | 7 mi | 65.2 mi | 0 / 7 |
| May 26, 1959 | F3 | 11 mi | 34.3 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 22, 2011 | EF2 | 25 mi | 64.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 8, 1988 | F2 | 21 mi | 27 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 26, 1986 | F2 | 17 mi | 5.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 18, 1971 | F2 | 3 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 26, 1969 | F2 | 20 mi | 47.5 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Mar 27, 1968 | F2 | 18 mi | 5.7 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jul 10, 1966 | F2 | 19 mi | 7.9 mi | 0 / 3 |
| May 23, 1964 | F2 | 24 mi | 21.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 4, 1964 | F2 | 5 mi | 9.7 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Aug 28, 1960 | F2 | 13 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 58, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Melrose
The Storm Prediction Center has 29 hail reports within 10 miles of Melrose since 1968, made on 23 separate days. Of these, 15 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on July 27, 2021. The most recent report is from September 21, 2024. July has the most reports, 11.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Melrose
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Blair, WI, 13 miles northwest of Melrose at 855 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 81°F and low of 59°F; January is the coolest, at 24°F and 4°F. June is the wettest at 5.0 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 1.0 inches; the year adds up to 35.6 inches over 64 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 9 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 177 nights a year. Snowfall averages 41.1 inches a year, most of it in January. That 35.6 inches is more than at 108 of the 165 Wisconsin stations used on this site (65%). Holmen, 16 miles southwest, has its own station (La Crosse Municipal Airport, WI): 35.3 inches a year, 0.3 less than here, and a July average high of 85°F against 81°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 24 | 4 | 1.0 | 4 | 10.0 |
| Feb | 29 | 8 | 1.2 | 3 | 8.5 |
| Mar | 41 | 21 | 1.7 | 5 | 8.9 |
| Apr | 56 | 32 | 3.3 | 7 | 2.5 |
| May | 68 | 45 | 4.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 78 | 55 | 5.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 81 | 59 | 4.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 79 | 56 | 4.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 72 | 48 | 4.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 58 | 35 | 2.5 | 5 | 0.2 |
| Nov | 42 | 24 | 1.8 | 4 | 2.2 |
| Dec | 29 | 12 | 1.2 | 3 | 8.8 |
| Year | 55 | 33 | 35.6 | 64 | 41.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Blair, WI (855 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 Melrose
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 53 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Melrose: 35 thunderstorm wind reports, 13 floods, 3 flash floods, 1 heavy rain event and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $12.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 101 mph, on June 27, 1998.
July 20, 2017: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Melrose — $4.8 million damage.
NWS: “Heavy rains, with totals of 6 to 8 inches, produced flash flooding across La Crosse County. The Shelby Fire Department had to evacuate people along County Road M in the township of Greenfield.”
July 20, 2017: flood 8 miles from the centre of Melrose — $3.4 million damage.
NWS: “After the initial round of flash flooding, the flood waters continued to cause problems into Friday, July 21st. Numerous roads across the county remained closed until the flood waters receded.”
September 23, 2010: flood 7 miles from the centre of Melrose — $3.1 million damage.
NWS: “Numerous roads were closed throughout the county due to heavy rains and flooding along rivers, streams, and creeks. Most bridges on township roads were over-topped with water.”
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
Jackson County, which includes Melrose, has been named in 14 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1976, 11 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 severe storms, 4 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 Jackson County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for hail and strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes, inland flooding, lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $12.9 million a year, the 57th highest of 72 Wisconsin counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $6.4 million (50%), 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 Melrose
- Ettrick, WI11 mi
- Blair, WI13 mi
- Black River Falls, WI15 mi
- Holmen, WI16 mi
- Galesville, WI16 mi
- Sparta, WI17 mi
- West Salem, WI17 mi
- Bangor, WI18 mi
- Onalaska, WI20 mi
- Whitehall, WI20 mi
- Trempealeau, WI22 mi
- Arcadia, WI23 mi
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