NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Waterloo, 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 Waterloo, Wisconsin since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1900. Since 1950, 142 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 9 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 142
- EF3 or stronger
- 9
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
10 deaths in all
What the records show for Waterloo
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Waterloo; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 45 miles away. Waterloo is tied for the most tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles among the 416 Wisconsin cities on this site. The strongest of the 142 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on September 26, 1951; its path came within 24 miles, and it killed 1 person. The deadliest, an F2 on April 11, 1965, killed 3 people. Of the 142, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 66 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 44. The most recent tornado was on July 16, 2025. Waterloo has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 98% of the 416 Wisconsin cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 75 times since 1956, with stones up to 4.25 inches. Waterloo has more hail reports within 10 miles than 67% of the 416 Wisconsin cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Waterloo
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 45 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 Waterloo: 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 Waterloo
By decade
- 2020s21
- 2010s17
- 2000s28(1 EF3+)
- 1990s9(1 EF3+)
- 1980s26(3 EF3+)
- 1970s23(2 EF3+)
- 1960s12(1 EF3+)
- 1950s6(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 26, 1951 | F4 | 24 mi | 9 mi | 1 / 9 |
| Apr 21, 1974 | F3 | 25 mi | 58.6 mi | 2 / 18 |
| Aug 2, 1967 | F3 | 23 mi | 0.1 mi | 2 / 5 |
| Aug 18, 2005 | F3 | 18 mi | 18.6 mi | 1 / 23 |
| Jun 17, 1992 | F3 | 19 mi | 16 mi | 0 / 30 |
| Jun 8, 1984 | F3 | 22 mi | 29 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 5, 1980 | F3 | 11 mi | 10.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 7, 1980 | F3 | 20 mi | 1.2 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Jun 4, 1975 | F3 | 10 mi | 2.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 11, 1965 | F2 | 10 mi | 14.5 mi | 3 / 28 |
| Mar 27, 1991 | F2 | 15 mi | 32 mi | 1 / 5 |
| May 15, 2025 | EF2 | 17 mi | 11.48 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 142, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Waterloo
The Storm Prediction Center has 75 hail reports within 10 miles of Waterloo since 1956, made on 56 separate days. Of these, 44 were 1 inch across or larger, and 7 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.25 inches, fell on April 13, 2006. The most recent report is from April 18, 2025. May has the most reports, 20.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Waterloo
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Waterloo Wwtp, WI, in Waterloo at 800 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 82°F and low of 61°F; January is the coolest, at 27°F and 11°F. June is the wettest at 5.6 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 1.4 inches; the year adds up to 38.3 inches over 73 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 147 nights a year. That 38.3 inches is more than at 146 of the 165 Wisconsin stations used on this site (88%). Lake Mills, 8 miles southeast, has its own station (Lake Mills Wwtp, WI): 37.0 inches a year, 1.3 less than here, and a July average high of 84°F against 82°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 27 | 11 | 1.4 | 4 |
| Feb | 31 | 14 | 1.6 | 4 |
| Mar | 43 | 24 | 2.0 | 5 |
| Apr | 57 | 35 | 3.9 | 7 |
| May | 69 | 46 | 4.2 | 8 |
| Jun | 79 | 57 | 5.6 | 9 |
| Jul | 82 | 61 | 4.4 | 6 |
| Aug | 81 | 59 | 4.1 | 7 |
| Sep | 73 | 50 | 3.9 | 7 |
| Oct | 61 | 38 | 3.0 | 7 |
| Nov | 45 | 28 | 2.4 | 5 |
| Dec | 33 | 18 | 1.8 | 5 |
| Year | 57 | 37 | 38.3 | 73 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Waterloo Wwtp, WI (800 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 Waterloo
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 85 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Waterloo: 62 thunderstorm wind reports, 11 flash floods, 10 floods, 1 heavy rain event and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $140.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on June 28, 2008. Of the 374 Wisconsin cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 293 have had fewer than Waterloo.
June 8, 2008: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Waterloo — $137.2 million damage.
August 17, 2018: flash flood 2 miles from the centre of Waterloo — $944,000 damage.
NWS: “Approximately 100 911 calls related to flash flooding in Watertown. Numerous streets in Watertown flooded and closed.”
August 19, 2007: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Waterloo — $600,000 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
Jefferson County, which includes Waterloo, has been named in 14 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 10 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 severe storms, 3 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 Jefferson County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $41.8 million a year, the 16th highest of 72 Wisconsin counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $22.7 million (54%), 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 Waterloo
- Marshall, WI5 mi
- Lake Mills, WI8 mi
- Deerfield, WI11 mi
- Columbus, WI11 mi
- Sun Prairie, WI13 mi
- Johnson Creek, WI13 mi
- Watertown, WI13 mi
- Cambridge, WI14 mi
- Cottage Grove, WI14 mi
- Fall River, WI16 mi
- Jefferson, WI16 mi
- Windsor, WI19 mi
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