NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Wales, 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 Wales, Wisconsin since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1900. Since 1950, 120 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 120
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
5 deaths in all
What the records show for Wales
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Wales; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 24 miles away. Wales is tied for the most tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles among the 416 Wisconsin cities on this site. The strongest of the 120 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on April 27, 1984; its path came within 2 miles, and it killed 1 person. The deadliest, an F2 on April 11, 1965, killed 3 people. Of the 120, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 46 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 28. The most recent tornado was on May 26, 2024. Wales has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 87% of the 416 Wisconsin cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 159 times since 1969, with stones up to 3.75 inches. Wales has more hail reports within 10 miles than 92% of the 416 Wisconsin cities.
Compare Wales's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Wales
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Wales: 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 Wales
By decade
- 2020s19
- 2010s12
- 2000s15
- 1990s4
- 1980s23(2 EF3+)
- 1970s16(1 EF3+)
- 1960s20
- 1950s11
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 1984 | F4 | 2 mi | 6.5 mi | 1 / 14 |
| Jun 5, 1980 | F3 | 8 mi | 10.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 5, 1977 | F3 | 10 mi | 69.5 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Apr 11, 1965 | F2 | 21 mi | 14.5 mi | 3 / 28 |
| Mar 27, 1991 | F2 | 21 mi | 32 mi | 1 / 5 |
| Jul 22, 2010 | EF2 | 13 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 21, 2010 | EF2 | 10 mi | 5.22 mi | 0 / 15 |
| Sep 28, 1986 | F2 | 13 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 15, 1981 | F2 | 6 mi | 28.7 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Aug 4, 1980 | F2 | 21 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 6, 1980 | F2 | 16 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 5, 1980 | F2 | 15 mi | 6.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 120, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Wales
The Storm Prediction Center has 159 hail reports within 10 miles of Wales since 1969, made on 84 separate days. Of these, 94 were 1 inch across or larger, and 6 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3.75 inches, fell on August 2, 2015. The most recent report is from May 15, 2025. May has the most reports, 47.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Wales
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Waukesha Wwtp, WI, 7 miles east of Wales at 789 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 81°F and low of 60°F; January is the coolest, at 28°F and 12°F. June is the wettest at 4.9 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 1.6 inches; the year adds up to 36.1 inches over 71 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 143 nights a year. Snowfall averages 36.9 inches a year, most of it in January. That 36.1 inches is more than at 117 of the 165 Wisconsin stations used on this site (71%). Delafield, 4 miles north, has its own station (Oconomowoc Wwtp, WI): 36.9 inches a year, 0.8 more than here, and a July average high of 82°F against 81°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 28 | 12 | 1.6 | 5 | 10.4 |
| Feb | 32 | 15 | 1.7 | 4 | 10.1 |
| Mar | 43 | 24 | 1.9 | 5 | 4.6 |
| Apr | 55 | 35 | 3.7 | 7 | 1.1 |
| May | 67 | 46 | 4.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 77 | 56 | 4.9 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 81 | 60 | 4.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 80 | 59 | 4.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 73 | 51 | 3.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 60 | 40 | 2.9 | 6 | 0.1 |
| Nov | 45 | 28 | 2.2 | 5 | 1.8 |
| Dec | 33 | 18 | 1.7 | 5 | 8.8 |
| Year | 56 | 37 | 36.1 | 71 | 36.9 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Waukesha Wwtp, WI (789 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 Wales
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 215 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Wales: 177 thunderstorm wind reports, 13 flash floods, 12 lightning strikes, 7 heavy rain events and 6 floods. They killed 2 people and injured 6, and the NWS estimated $79.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 110 mph, on June 21, 2011. June 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 Wales.
June 12, 2008: flash flood in Wales — 1 killed, $25,000 damage.
NWS: “Heavy rains led to flash flooding that generated water levels of 2 to 4 feet deep on many low-lying roads, especially near existing lakes. Several vehicles stalled in the deep water and were damaged.”
April 15, 2026: lightning strike 7 miles from the centre of Wales — 1 killed.
September 12, 2019: lightning strike 9 miles from the centre of Wales — 3 injured, $2.5 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
Waukesha County, which includes Wales, has been named in 19 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 floods, 6 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 snowstorms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on June 30, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Waukesha County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes and hail; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding, strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $138.3 million a year, the 3rd highest of 72 Wisconsin counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $68.2 million (49%), 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.