NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit North Freedom, 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 North Freedom, Wisconsin since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1900. Since 1950, 76 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 5 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 76
- EF3 or stronger
- 5
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
9 deaths in all
What the records show for North Freedom
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed North Freedom; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 55 mph winds when its centre passed 74 miles away. North Freedom is tied for the most tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles among the 416 Wisconsin cities on this site. The strongest of the 76 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on June 7, 1984; its path came within 17 miles, and it killed 9 people. Of the 76, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 30 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 22. The most recent tornado was on July 16, 2025. North Freedom has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 50% of the 416 Wisconsin cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 55 times since 1966, with stones up to 4.25 inches. North Freedom has more hail reports within 10 miles than 50% of the 416 Wisconsin cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near North Freedom
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in North Freedom: 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 North Freedom
By decade
- 2020s7
- 2010s7
- 2000s16
- 1990s8
- 1980s11(1 EF3+)
- 1970s9
- 1960s14(4 EF3+)
- 1950s4
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 7, 1984 | F5 | 17 mi | 36 mi | 9 / 200 |
| Sep 3, 1964 | F3 | 25 mi | 17.1 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Aug 16, 1963 | F3 | 9 mi | 9.6 mi | 0 / 13 |
| Aug 16, 1963 | F3 | 9 mi | 9.6 mi | 0 / 13 |
| Aug 16, 1963 | F3 | 9 mi | 9.6 mi | 0 / 13 |
| Jun 29, 2014 | EF2 | 21 mi | 29.07 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 18, 2005 | F2 | 2 mi | 14.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 4, 1994 | F2 | 8 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 26, 1989 | F2 | 14 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 8, 1988 | F2 | 17 mi | 7 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 8, 1988 | F2 | 21 mi | 20 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 8, 1984 | F2 | 24 mi | 16 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 76, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in North Freedom
The Storm Prediction Center has 55 hail reports within 10 miles of North Freedom since 1966, made on 42 separate days. Of these, 40 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.25 inches, fell on June 6, 2011. The most recent report is from May 15, 2025. June has the most reports, 15.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in North Freedom
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Baraboo, WI, 7 miles northeast of North Freedom at 823 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 60°F; January is the coolest, at 28°F and 10°F. June is the wettest at 5.6 inches of precipitation on average and January and February the driest at 1.4 inches; the year adds up to 39.1 inches over 71 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 11 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 169 nights a year. Snowfall averages 42.7 inches a year, most of it in January. That 39.1 inches is more than at 154 of the 165 Wisconsin stations used on this site (93%). Prairie Du Sac, 7 miles southeast, has its own station (Sauk City Wwtp, WI): 36.3 inches a year, 2.8 less than here, and a July average high of 82°F against 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 28 | 10 | 1.4 | 4 | 11.3 |
| Feb | 32 | 13 | 1.4 | 4 | 10.1 |
| Mar | 44 | 23 | 2.2 | 5 | 5.9 |
| Apr | 57 | 34 | 4.2 | 7 | 2.6 |
| May | 70 | 46 | 4.3 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 79 | 56 | 5.6 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 83 | 60 | 4.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 81 | 58 | 4.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 74 | 50 | 3.9 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 61 | 38 | 2.9 | 6 | 0.4 |
| Nov | 46 | 28 | 2.2 | 4 | 2.1 |
| Dec | 33 | 17 | 1.7 | 4 | 10.3 |
| Year | 57 | 36 | 39.1 | 71 | 42.7 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Baraboo, WI (823 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 North Freedom
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 69 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of North Freedom: 48 thunderstorm wind reports, 9 floods, 5 flash floods, 5 heavy rain events and 2 lightning strikes. They killed 1 person and injured 6, and the NWS estimated $3.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on July 16, 2023. June has had the most flash floods, 4 of 5. Of the 374 Wisconsin cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 168 have had fewer than North Freedom.
June 1, 2014: heavy rain event 7 miles from the centre of North Freedom — 1 killed, 2 injured.
May 31, 1998: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of North Freedom — 4 injured, $1.1 million damage.
August 24, 2007: lightning strike 10 miles from the centre of North Freedom — $1.9 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 North Freedom's ZIP code 53951 have filed 19 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 2000, and were paid $487,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 32% 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, 47 have fewer than North Freedom.
Sauk County, which includes North Freedom, has been named in 15 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1976, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 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 Sauk County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding and strong wind; Relatively Low for lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $35.6 million a year, the 23rd highest of 72 Wisconsin counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $20.4 million (57%), 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 North Freedom
- Prairie Du Sac, WI7 mi
- Baraboo, WI8 mi
- Sauk City, WI10 mi
- Reedsburg, WI12 mi
- Lodi, WI15 mi
- Mazomanie, WI15 mi
- Wisconsin Dells, WI18 mi
- Black Earth, WI19 mi
- Spring Green, WI19 mi
- Dane, WI19 mi
- La Valle, WI19 mi
- Poynette, WI21 mi
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