NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Sparta, 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
No tropical storm or hurricane has passed within 75 miles of Sparta, Wisconsin since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 58 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 58
- EF3 or stronger
- 1
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Sparta
The strongest of the 58 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F3 on May 5, 1965; its path came within 10 miles. Of the 58, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 26 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 17. The most recent tornado was on June 26, 2025. Of the 416 Wisconsin cities on this site, 70% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Sparta. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 77 times since 1963, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Sparta has more hail reports within 10 miles than 69% of the 416 Wisconsin cities.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Sparta
By decade
- 2020s9
- 2010s10
- 2000s7
- 1990s6
- 1980s5
- 1970s5
- 1960s12(1 EF3+)
- 1950s4
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 5, 1965 | F3 | 10 mi | 65.2 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Jun 15, 2022 | EF2 | 16 mi | 22.86 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 22, 2011 | EF2 | 13 mi | 64.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 22, 2011 | EF2 | 23 mi | 13.79 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 8, 1988 | F2 | 6 mi | 27 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 26, 1986 | F2 | in town | 5.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 5, 1980 | F2 | 20 mi | 70.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 10, 1979 | F2 | 15 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 18, 1971 | F2 | 14 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 4, 1964 | F2 | 13 mi | 9.7 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 14, 1961 | F2 | 24 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 28, 1960 | F2 | 7 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 58, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Sparta
The Storm Prediction Center has 77 hail reports within 10 miles of Sparta since 1963, made on 51 separate days. Of these, 41 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on June 6, 2011. The most recent report is from May 15, 2025. July has the most reports, 24.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Sparta
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Sparta, WI, 2 miles south of Sparta at 782 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 6°F. June is the wettest at 5.3 inches of precipitation on average and January and February the driest at 1.1 inches; the year adds up to 35.6 inches over 68 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 11 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 165 nights a year. That 35.6 inches is more than at 108 of the 165 Wisconsin stations used on this site (65%). West Salem, 15 miles west, has its own station (La Crosse WFO, WI): 37.4 inches a year, 1.8 more than here, and a July average high of 80°F against 82°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 25 | 6 | 1.1 | 4 |
| Feb | 30 | 9 | 1.1 | 3 |
| Mar | 42 | 21 | 1.8 | 5 |
| Apr | 56 | 33 | 3.7 | 7 |
| May | 68 | 45 | 4.6 | 9 |
| Jun | 78 | 56 | 5.3 | 8 |
| Jul | 82 | 59 | 4.1 | 7 |
| Aug | 80 | 57 | 4.3 | 7 |
| Sep | 72 | 48 | 3.7 | 6 |
| Oct | 59 | 36 | 2.6 | 5 |
| Nov | 43 | 24 | 2.0 | 4 |
| Dec | 30 | 13 | 1.3 | 4 |
| Year | 55 | 34 | 35.6 | 68 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Sparta, WI (782 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 Sparta
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 96 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Sparta: 71 thunderstorm wind reports, 8 floods, 7 flash floods, 6 lightning strikes and 4 heavy rain events. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $30.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 101 mph, on June 27, 1998. August has had the most flash floods, 3 of 7. Of the 374 Wisconsin cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 217 have had fewer than Sparta.
August 28, 2018: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Sparta — $26.7 million damage.
June 7, 2008: flood 4 miles from the centre of Sparta — $932,000 damage.
NWS: “Ponding of water was reported just south of Sparta, about one mile south of Interstate 90. Across the county about 10 percent of the corn crop was damaged or destroyed.”
September 21, 2016: flash flood 6 miles from the centre of Sparta — $913,000 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 Sparta's ZIP code 54656 have filed 29 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $882,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 10% 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, 67 have fewer than Sparta.
Monroe County, which includes Sparta, 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 Covid-19 Pandemic, on April 4, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Monroe 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 $30.5 million a year, the 28th highest of 72 Wisconsin counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $13.9 million (46%), 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 Sparta
- Bangor, WI10 mi
- West Salem, WI15 mi
- Cashton, WI15 mi
- Tomah, WI16 mi
- Melrose, WI17 mi
- Wilton, WI18 mi
- Black River Falls, WI21 mi
- Onalaska, WI22 mi
- Westby, WI22 mi
- Warrens, WI22 mi
- Holmen, WI22 mi
- La Crosse, WI23 mi
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