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Storms That Hit

NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database

Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Potosi, 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 Potosi, Wisconsin since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1900. Since 1950, 106 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.

Hurricanes
0

within 75 mi, since 1851

Tropical storms
1

below hurricane strength

Tornadoes
106

within 25 mi, since 1950

EF3 or stronger
4

2 deaths in all

What the records show for Potosi

None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Potosi; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 45 miles away. Potosi is tied for the most tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles among the 416 Wisconsin cities on this site. The highest rating among the 106 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 4 times; the most recent, on June 19, 1993, came within 14 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on May 30, 1985, killed 2 people. Of the 106, 10 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 37 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 38. The most recent tornado was on July 15, 2024. Potosi has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 76% of the 416 Wisconsin cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 54 times since 1962, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 416 Wisconsin cities, 50% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Potosi.

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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Potosi

Tropical systems that passed within 75 miles of Potosi, Wisconsin, newest first
YearStormClosestStrength when closestPeak
1900Unnamed 1900 stormSep 1145 miTropical storm (52 mph)Category 4

Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Potosi: 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 Potosi

By decade

  • 2020s11
  • 2010s14
  • 2000s12
  • 1990s17(1 EF3+)
  • 1980s17(2 EF3+)
  • 1970s16(1 EF3+)
  • 1960s15
  • 1950s4
Strongest tornadoes near Potosi, Wisconsin
DateRatingDistancePathKilled / injured
May 30, 1985F319 mi34 mi2 / 27
Jun 19, 1993F314 mi14 mi0 / 0
May 8, 1988F325 mi16 mi0 / 0
Sep 9, 1970F312 mi4.7 mi0 / 0
Jun 16, 2014EF29 mi3.76 mi0 / 5
Sep 4, 2012EF221 mi0.72 mi0 / 0
May 15, 1998F218 mi20 mi0 / 11
May 8, 1988F217 mi7.5 mi0 / 0
May 8, 1988F221 mi10 mi0 / 0
May 30, 1985F220 mi16 mi0 / 0
Jun 7, 1984F219 mi11 mi0 / 0
Jun 5, 1980F217 mi70.2 mi0 / 0

The strongest 12 of 106, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.

Hail in Potosi

The Storm Prediction Center has 54 hail reports within 10 miles of Potosi since 1962, made on 38 separate days. Of these, 32 were 1 inch across or larger, and 7 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently April 18, 2025. The most recent report is from August 16, 2025. May has the most reports, 18.

Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.

Weather by month in Potosi

The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Lancaster 4 WSW, WI, 10 miles northwest of Potosi at 1,040 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 81°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 25°F and 9°F. June is the wettest at 5.9 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 1.2 inches; the year adds up to 38.5 inches over 68 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 4 days a year, almost all from July to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 150 nights a year. Snowfall averages 37.4 inches a year, most of it in January. That 38.5 inches is more than at 149 of the 165 Wisconsin stations used on this site (90%). Platteville, 11 miles east, has its own station (Platteville, WI): 40.2 inches a year, 1.7 more than here, and a July average high of 82°F against 81°F.

Monthly climate normals 1991–2020 at Lancaster 4 WSW, WI
MonthHigh °FLow °FPrecip. inDays ≥ 0.1"Snow in
Jan2591.2310.0
Feb30131.348.9
Mar43252.054.9
Apr57373.871.6
May68484.480.2
Jun77585.980.0
Jul81625.070.0
Aug79603.960.0
Sep72524.060.0
Oct59392.950.5
Nov44282.442.6
Dec31161.748.7
Year563738.56837.4

Averages for 1991–2020 at Lancaster 4 WSW, WI (1,040 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.

Wisconsin weather by month, station by station →

Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Potosi

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 128 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Potosi: 63 thunderstorm wind reports, 41 floods, 16 flash floods, 7 heavy rain events and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $8.5 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 92 mph, on May 21, 2024. July has had the most flash floods, 8 of 16. Of the 374 Wisconsin cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 345 have had fewer than Potosi.

  • June 1, 2008: flood 9 miles from the centre of Potosi — $6.4 million damage.

  • July 11, 2011: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Potosi — $660,000 damage.

  • May 21, 2024: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Potosi — $450,000 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 Potosi, 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 Potosi

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