NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Plainfield, 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 Plainfield, Wisconsin since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Cristobal in 2020. Since 1950, 70 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 70
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
11 deaths in all
What the records show for Plainfield
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Plainfield; the strongest was Cristobal in 2020, a tropical storm with 39 mph winds when its centre passed 12 miles away. Plainfield is tied for the most tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles among the 416 Wisconsin cities on this site. The strongest of the 70 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on September 26, 1951; its path came within 13 miles, and it killed 6 people. Of the 70, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 19 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 21. The most recent tornado was on May 15, 2025. Of the 416 Wisconsin cities, 53% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Plainfield. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 33 times since 1964, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 416 Wisconsin cities, 79% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Plainfield.
Compare Plainfield's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Plainfield
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | CristobalJun 10 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Plainfield: 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 Plainfield
By decade
- 2020s3
- 2010s10
- 2000s6
- 1990s18(2 EF3+)
- 1980s9
- 1970s11
- 1960s6
- 1950s7(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 26, 1951 | F4 | 13 mi | 26.4 mi | 6 / 3 |
| Aug 27, 1994 | F3 | 14 mi | 10.5 mi | 2 / 22 |
| Aug 29, 1992 | F3 | 10 mi | 28 mi | 1 / 30 |
| Apr 3, 1956 | F2 | 2 mi | 18.2 mi | 2 / 2 |
| May 22, 2011 | EF2 | 9 mi | 64.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 10, 2011 | EF2 | 12 mi | 17.08 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 23, 2004 | F2 | 14 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 27, 1994 | F2 | 21 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 16, 1992 | F2 | 11 mi | 11 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 10, 1984 | F2 | 25 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 27, 1984 | F2 | 10 mi | 5.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 13, 1976 | F2 | 16 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 70, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Plainfield
The Storm Prediction Center has 33 hail reports within 10 miles of Plainfield since 1964, made on 26 separate days. Of these, 20 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on September 20, 2017. The most recent report is from May 15, 2025. July has the most reports, 7.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Plainfield
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Hancock Exp Farm, WI, 7 miles south of Plainfield at 1,092 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 82°F and low of 59°F; January is the coolest, at 25°F and 7°F. June is the wettest at 5.0 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.0 inches; the year adds up to 34.4 inches over 68 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 7 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 160 nights a year. Snowfall averages 43.1 inches a year, most of it in January. That 34.4 inches is more than at 80 of the 165 Wisconsin stations used on this site (48%). Wild Rose, 16 miles east, has its own station (Waupaca, WI): 33.8 inches a year, 0.6 less than here, and the same July average high, 82°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 25 | 7 | 1.1 | 4 | 12.8 |
| Feb | 30 | 10 | 1.0 | 3 | 8.2 |
| Mar | 41 | 21 | 1.9 | 5 | 8.3 |
| Apr | 55 | 33 | 3.6 | 7 | 2.7 |
| May | 68 | 45 | 4.2 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 77 | 55 | 5.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 82 | 59 | 4.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 79 | 57 | 4.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 72 | 49 | 3.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 58 | 37 | 2.7 | 6 | 0.3 |
| Nov | 43 | 26 | 2.0 | 4 | 3.3 |
| Dec | 30 | 14 | 1.4 | 4 | 7.5 |
| Year | 55 | 34 | 34.4 | 68 | 43.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Hancock Exp Farm, WI (1,092 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 Plainfield
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 31 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Plainfield: 28 thunderstorm wind reports and 3 floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $5.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on April 10, 2011.
June 11, 2001: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Plainfield — $5.0 million damage.
March 15, 2019: flood 6 miles from the centre of Plainfield — $105,000 damage.
NWS: “Runoff from rainfall and snow melt combined to flood roads and low-lying areas, mainly in and around Park Ridge, Plover, Bancroft and Almond. The runoff also caused flooding of other low-lying and poor drainage areas.”
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
Waushara County, which includes Plainfield, has been named in 10 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 7 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 Waushara 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; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $14.2 million a year, the 54th highest of 72 Wisconsin counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $5.9 million (42%), 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.