NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Platteville, 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 Platteville, Wisconsin since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1900. Since 1950, 103 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 6 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 103
- EF3 or stronger
- 6
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
2 deaths in all
What the records show for Platteville
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Platteville; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 53 mph winds when its centre passed 44 miles away. Platteville is tied for the most tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles among the 416 Wisconsin cities on this site. The strongest of the 103 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on July 3, 1983; its path came within 24 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on May 30, 1985, killed 2 people. Of the 103, 10 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 42 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 39. The most recent tornado was on July 15, 2024. Platteville has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 73% of the 416 Wisconsin cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 78 times since 1969, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Platteville has more hail reports within 10 miles than 69% of the 416 Wisconsin cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Platteville
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 44 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 Platteville: 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 Platteville
By decade
- 2020s13(1 EF3+)
- 2010s13
- 2000s16
- 1990s13(1 EF3+)
- 1980s15(3 EF3+)
- 1970s15(1 EF3+)
- 1960s13
- 1950s5
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 3, 1983 | F4 | 24 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 30, 1985 | F3 | 23 mi | 34 mi | 2 / 27 |
| Aug 7, 2021 | EF3 | 23 mi | 9.38 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 19, 1993 | F3 | 16 mi | 14 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 8, 1988 | F3 | 17 mi | 16 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 9, 1970 | F3 | 14 mi | 4.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 29, 2014 | EF2 | 21 mi | 5.05 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 29, 2014 | EF2 | 19 mi | 29.07 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 16, 2014 | EF2 | in town | 3.76 mi | 0 / 5 |
| May 15, 1998 | F2 | 11 mi | 20 mi | 0 / 11 |
| May 8, 1988 | F2 | 14 mi | 7.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 8, 1988 | F2 | 20 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 103, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Platteville
The Storm Prediction Center has 78 hail reports within 10 miles of Platteville since 1969, made on 36 separate days. Of these, 59 were 1 inch across or larger, and 16 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4 inches (softball size), fell on April 13, 2006. The most recent report is from April 18, 2025. April has the most reports, 31.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Platteville
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Platteville, WI, 1 mile east of Platteville at 990 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 82°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 26°F and 10°F. June is the wettest at 6.0 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 1.2 inches; the year adds up to 40.2 inches over 73 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 6 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 154 nights a year. Snowfall averages 42.8 inches a year, most of it in December. That 40.2 inches is more than at 163 of the 165 Wisconsin stations used on this site (99%). Potosi, 11 miles west, has its own station (Lancaster 4 WSW, WI): 38.5 inches a year, 1.7 less than here, and a July average high of 81°F against 82°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 26 | 10 | 1.2 | 4 | 11.0 |
| Feb | 31 | 14 | 1.5 | 4 | 9.8 |
| Mar | 43 | 25 | 2.1 | 5 | 6.1 |
| Apr | 57 | 35 | 4.0 | 8 | 1.6 |
| May | 69 | 47 | 4.7 | 8 | 0.1 |
| Jun | 78 | 58 | 6.0 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 82 | 62 | 5.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 80 | 60 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 73 | 51 | 4.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 60 | 39 | 2.8 | 6 | 0.4 |
| Nov | 45 | 28 | 2.3 | 5 | 1.9 |
| Dec | 32 | 17 | 1.8 | 5 | 11.9 |
| Year | 56 | 37 | 40.2 | 73 | 42.8 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Platteville, WI (990 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 Platteville
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 140 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Platteville: 97 thunderstorm wind reports, 19 floods, 13 flash floods and 11 heavy rain events. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $4.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on July 24, 2009. July has had the most flash floods, 6 of 13. Of the 374 Wisconsin cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 322 have had fewer than Platteville.
July 24, 2010: flood 4 miles from the centre of Platteville — $1.3 million damage.
NWS: “S. Highway 151 was closed at the SW Road interchange.”
July 11, 2011: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Platteville — $1.2 million damage.
July 21, 2017: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Platteville — $492,000 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 Platteville, 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 Platteville
- Cuba City, WI10 mi
- Potosi, WI11 mi
- Lancaster, WI13 mi
- Hazel Green, WI15 mi
- Shullsburg, WI17 mi
- Mineral Point, WI17 mi
- Fennimore, WI19 mi
- East Dubuque, IL19 mi
- Darlington, WI20 mi
- Dubuque, IA20 mi
- Dodgeville, WI24 mi
- Galena, IL24 mi
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