NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Whitelaw, 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 Whitelaw, Wisconsin since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 65 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 65
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
2 deaths in all
What the records show for Whitelaw
The strongest of the 65 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on July 5, 1994; its path came within 6 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on April 21, 1974, killed 2 people. Of the 65, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 25 have come since 2000. August has had the most tornadoes, 16. The most recent tornado was on July 19, 2025. Of the 416 Wisconsin cities on this site, 60% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Whitelaw. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 33 times since 1970, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Of the 416 Wisconsin cities, 79% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Whitelaw.
Compare Whitelaw's storm record with another city →
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Whitelaw
By decade
- 2020s2
- 2010s15
- 2000s8
- 1990s8(1 EF3+)
- 1980s7
- 1970s10(1 EF3+)
- 1960s9
- 1950s6
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 5, 1994 | F4 | 6 mi | 3.5 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 21, 1974 | F3 | 20 mi | 58.6 mi | 2 / 18 |
| Apr 10, 2011 | EF2 | 24 mi | 1.52 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 5, 1994 | F2 | 8 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 4, 1981 | F2 | 24 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Jun 7, 1980 | F2 | 9 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 22, 1970 | F2 | 22 mi | 7.2 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 22, 1970 | F2 | 24 mi | 3.6 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Aug 16, 1968 | F2 | 23 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 30, 1967 | F2 | 16 mi | 5.9 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jul 8, 1965 | F2 | 23 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 8, 1964 | F2 | 21 mi | 30.6 mi | 0 / 5 |
The strongest 12 of 65, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Whitelaw
The Storm Prediction Center has 33 hail reports within 10 miles of Whitelaw since 1970, made on 29 separate days. Of these, 18 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on July 1, 2006. The most recent report is from August 3, 2023. July has the most reports, 8.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Whitelaw
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Manitowoc, WI, 10 miles southeast of Whitelaw at 584 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 77°F and low of 60°F; January is the coolest, at 27°F and 13°F. June is the wettest at 4.1 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.2 inches; the year adds up to 31.5 inches over 66 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 3 days a year, almost all from July. Lows fall below freezing on about 139 nights a year. Snowfall averages 34.6 inches a year, most of it in December. That 31.5 inches is more than at 15 of the 165 Wisconsin stations used on this site (9%). Reedsville, 7 miles southwest, has its own station (Brillion, WI): 32.2 inches a year, 0.7 more than here, and a July average high of 82°F against 77°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 27 | 13 | 1.8 | 5 | 7.8 |
| Feb | 29 | 16 | 1.2 | 4 | 10.0 |
| Mar | 39 | 25 | 1.8 | 4 | 3.2 |
| Apr | 50 | 34 | 3.3 | 7 | 1.4 |
| May | 62 | 44 | 3.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 72 | 54 | 4.1 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 77 | 60 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 76 | 60 | 3.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 69 | 53 | 2.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 56 | 42 | 2.9 | 6 | 0.2 |
| Nov | 43 | 30 | 2.0 | 5 | 0.9 |
| Dec | 32 | 20 | 1.7 | 4 | 11.1 |
| Year | 52 | 38 | 31.5 | 66 | 34.6 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Manitowoc, WI (584 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 Whitelaw
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 68 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Whitelaw: 62 thunderstorm wind reports, 3 flash floods and 3 floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $20.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on August 7, 2013.
June 12, 2008: flash flood 10 miles from the centre of Whitelaw — $20.2 million damage.
May 31, 1998: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Whitelaw — $150,000 damage.
May 31, 1998: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Whitelaw — $150,000 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
Manitowoc County, which includes Whitelaw, has been named in 9 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 6 of them major disasters (by incident: 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 severe storms, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on June 30, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Manitowoc County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for hail; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Low for inland flooding; Very Low for hurricanes and coastal flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $32.4 million a year, the 26th highest of 72 Wisconsin counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $15.0 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.