Skip to content
Storms That Hit

NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database

Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Prairie Du Sac, 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 Prairie Du Sac, Wisconsin since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1900. Since 1950, 86 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 6 of them rated EF3 or stronger.

Hurricanes
0

within 75 mi, since 1851

Tropical storms
1

below hurricane strength

Tornadoes
86

within 25 mi, since 1950

EF3 or stronger
6

11 deaths in all

What the records show for Prairie Du Sac

None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Prairie Du Sac; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 55 mph winds when its centre passed 67 miles away. Prairie Du Sac is tied for the most tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles among the 416 Wisconsin cities on this site. The strongest of the 86 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on June 7, 1984; its path came within 10 miles, and it killed 9 people. Of the 86, 12 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 41 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 29. The most recent tornado was on July 16, 2025. Prairie Du Sac has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 59% of the 416 Wisconsin cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 40 times since 1975, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 416 Wisconsin cities, 69% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Prairie Du Sac.

Compare Prairie Du Sac's storm record with another city →

ShareXFacebookWhatsAppEmail

Tropical storms and hurricanes near Prairie Du Sac

Tropical systems that passed within 75 miles of Prairie Du Sac, Wisconsin, newest first
YearStormClosestStrength when closestPeak
1900Unnamed 1900 stormSep 1167 miTropical storm (55 mph)Category 4

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

By decade

  • 2020s10
  • 2010s11(1 EF3+)
  • 2000s20
  • 1990s6
  • 1980s12(1 EF3+)
  • 1970s9
  • 1960s13(4 EF3+)
  • 1950s5
Strongest tornadoes near Prairie Du Sac, Wisconsin
DateRatingDistancePathKilled / injured
Jun 7, 1984F510 mi36 mi9 / 200
Aug 2, 1967F320 mi0.1 mi2 / 5
Jun 16, 2014EF324 mi0.96 mi0 / 0
Aug 16, 1963F32 mi9.6 mi0 / 13
Aug 16, 1963F32 mi9.6 mi0 / 13
Aug 16, 1963F32 mi9.6 mi0 / 13
Jun 29, 2014EF217 mi29.07 mi0 / 0
Jun 16, 2014EF223 mi0.22 mi0 / 0
Aug 18, 2005F22 mi14.5 mi0 / 0
Jul 4, 1994F21 mi8 mi0 / 0
Jun 26, 1989F220 mi0.3 mi0 / 0
May 8, 1988F210 mi7 mi0 / 1

The strongest 12 of 86, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.

Hail in Prairie Du Sac

The Storm Prediction Center has 40 hail reports within 10 miles of Prairie Du Sac since 1975, made on 29 separate days. Of these, 27 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 9 days, most recently May 15, 2025. The most recent report is from May 15, 2025. April has the most reports, 13.

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

Weather by month in Prairie Du Sac

The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Sauk City Wwtp, WI, 4 miles south of Prairie Du Sac at 750 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 82°F and low of 59°F; January is the coolest, at 27°F and 8°F. June is the wettest at 5.3 inches of precipitation on average and January and February the driest at 1.3 inches; the year adds up to 36.3 inches over 75 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 9 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 160 nights a year. That 36.3 inches is more than at 118 of the 165 Wisconsin stations used on this site (72%). North Freedom, 7 miles northwest, has its own station (Baraboo, WI): 39.1 inches a year, 2.8 more than here, and a July average high of 83°F against 82°F.

Monthly climate normals 1991–2020 at Sauk City Wwtp, WI
MonthHigh °FLow °FPrecip. inDays ≥ 0.1"
Jan2781.34
Feb31111.35
Mar44231.95
Apr57343.98
May69464.39
Jun79565.39
Jul82594.27
Aug80584.17
Sep74493.97
Oct61382.46
Nov45262.24
Dec33151.55
Year573536.375

Averages for 1991–2020 at Sauk City Wwtp, WI (750 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 Prairie Du Sac

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 60 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Prairie Du Sac: 42 thunderstorm wind reports, 8 floods, 7 flash floods, 2 heavy rain events and 1 lightning strike. They killed 1 person and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $59.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on July 18, 2012. June has had the most flash floods, 4 of 7. Of the 374 Wisconsin cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 217 have had fewer than Prairie Du Sac.

  • June 1, 2014: heavy rain event 8 miles from the centre of Prairie Du Sac — 1 killed, 2 injured.

  • June 8, 2008: flash flood 5 miles from the centre of Prairie Du Sac — $55.7 million damage.

  • August 24, 2007: lightning strike 3 miles from the centre of Prairie Du Sac — $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

Sauk County, which includes Prairie Du Sac, 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 Prairie Du Sac

All Wisconsin cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Prairie Du Sac with another place →

ShareXFacebookWhatsAppEmail