NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Racine, 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 Racine, Wisconsin since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1900. Since 1950, 61 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 61
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
1 deaths in all
What the records show for Racine
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Racine; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 59 mph winds when its centre crossed the city. Racine 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 61 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 3 times; the most recent, on January 7, 2008, came within 19 miles. The deadliest, an F2 on October 8, 1958, killed 1 person. Of the 61, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 21 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 13. The most recent tornado was on October 12, 2022. Of the 416 Wisconsin cities, 64% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Racine. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 69 times since 1960, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Racine has more hail reports within 10 miles than 63% of the 416 Wisconsin cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Racine
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | overhead | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Racine: 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 Racine
By decade
- 2020s3
- 2010s9
- 2000s9(1 EF3+)
- 1990s3
- 1980s8
- 1970s14(1 EF3+)
- 1960s9(1 EF3+)
- 1950s6
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 7, 2008 | EF3 | 19 mi | 10.78 mi | 0 / 15 |
| Jun 5, 1977 | F3 | 20 mi | 69.5 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Jul 19, 1963 | F3 | 25 mi | 10.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 8, 1958 | F2 | 25 mi | 81 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Jul 22, 2010 | EF2 | 21 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 18, 1997 | F2 | 25 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 19, 1996 | F2 | 20 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 20, 1976 | F2 | 20 mi | 0.8 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Aug 25, 1975 | F2 | 19 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 28, 1972 | F2 | 18 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 29, 1969 | F2 | 14 mi | 13.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 21, 1966 | F2 | 13 mi | 33.1 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 61, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Racine
The Storm Prediction Center has 69 hail reports within 10 miles of Racine since 1960, made on 37 separate days. Of these, 44 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4 inches (softball size), fell on June 23, 1960. The most recent report is from May 15, 2025. May has the most reports, 31.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Racine
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Racine Batten Airport, WI, 2 miles north of Racine at 674 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 81°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 31°F and 16°F. June is the wettest at 4.0 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.1 inches; the year adds up to 31.9 inches over 64 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 126 nights a year. That 31.9 inches is more than at 26 of the 165 Wisconsin stations used on this site (16%). Franksville, 9 miles west, has its own station (Union Grove, WI): 35.2 inches a year, 3.3 more than here, and the same July average high, 81°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31 | 16 | 1.3 | 3 |
| Feb | 34 | 19 | 1.1 | 3 |
| Mar | 43 | 28 | 2.1 | 5 |
| Apr | 54 | 37 | 3.7 | 8 |
| May | 66 | 46 | 3.5 | 8 |
| Jun | 76 | 57 | 4.0 | 7 |
| Jul | 81 | 63 | 2.9 | 5 |
| Aug | 80 | 63 | 3.4 | 6 |
| Sep | 73 | 55 | 3.2 | 6 |
| Oct | 61 | 43 | 2.9 | 6 |
| Nov | 47 | 32 | 2.2 | 4 |
| Dec | 36 | 22 | 1.6 | 4 |
| Year | 57 | 40 | 31.9 | 64 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Racine Batten Airport, WI (674 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 Racine
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 81 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Racine: 62 thunderstorm wind reports, 10 flash floods, 4 floods, 3 lightning strikes and 2 heavy rain events. They killed 3 people and injured 5, and the NWS estimated $75.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on August 21, 2002. August has had the most flash floods, 4 of 10. Of the 374 Wisconsin cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 269 have had fewer than Racine.
June 30, 2011: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Racine — 1 killed, 3 injured, $100,000 damage.
August 9, 2025: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Racine — 1 killed, $60.0 million damage.
September 26, 2011: flood 9 miles from the centre of Racine — 1 killed, $7,000 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
Flood insurance policyholders in Racine's 4 ZIP codes have filed 80 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $859,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Storm in 2008: 49 claims (61% of all) and $762,000. 64% 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, 111 have fewer than Racine.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Storm2008 | 49 | $762,000 |
Racine County, which includes Racine, has been named in 17 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 severe storms, 4 floods, 4 snowstorms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on June 30, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Racine County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for hail, inland flooding and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes and coastal flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $63.8 million a year, the 8th highest of 72 Wisconsin counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $30.4 million (48%), 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 Racine
- Mount Pleasant, WI3 mi
- Franksville, WI9 mi
- Caledonia, WI9 mi
- Kenosha, WI11 mi
- Oak Creek, WI11 mi
- Union Grove, WI12 mi
- South Milwaukee, WI13 mi
- Pleasant Prairie, WI15 mi
- Cudahy, WI15 mi
- Franklin, WI15 mi
- Kansasville, WI16 mi
- St Francis, WI17 mi
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