NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Wisconsin Dells, 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 Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 91 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 91
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Wisconsin Dells
The highest rating among the 91 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 3 times; the most recent, on August 16, 1963, came within 24 miles. Of the 91, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 24 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 24. The most recent tornado was on July 16, 2025. Wisconsin Dells has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 64% of the 416 Wisconsin cities on this site. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 53 times since 1980, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Of the 416 Wisconsin cities, 52% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Wisconsin Dells.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Wisconsin Dells
By decade
- 2020s5
- 2010s4
- 2000s15
- 1990s16
- 1980s21
- 1970s11
- 1960s15(3 EF3+)
- 1950s4
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 16, 1963 | F3 | 24 mi | 9.6 mi | 0 / 13 |
| Aug 16, 1963 | F3 | 24 mi | 9.6 mi | 0 / 13 |
| Aug 16, 1963 | F3 | 24 mi | 9.6 mi | 0 / 13 |
| Aug 18, 2005 | F2 | 20 mi | 14.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 23, 2004 | F2 | 19 mi | 11 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 4, 1994 | F2 | 21 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 8, 1993 | F2 | 23 mi | 28 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 26, 1989 | F2 | 23 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 8, 1988 | F2 | 24 mi | 20 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 16, 1984 | F2 | 17 mi | 17 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Jul 10, 1984 | F2 | 23 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 19, 1980 | F2 | 19 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 91, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Wisconsin Dells
The Storm Prediction Center has 53 hail reports within 10 miles of Wisconsin Dells since 1980, made on 38 separate days. Of these, 28 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on August 29, 1984. The most recent report is from September 19, 2025. May has the most reports, 13.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Wisconsin Dells
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Wisconsin Dells, WI, 3 miles south of Wisconsin Dells at 835 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 60°F; January is the coolest, at 26°F and 8°F. June is the wettest at 5.1 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 1.3 inches; the year adds up to 37.4 inches over 71 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 10 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 168 nights a year. Snowfall averages 40.7 inches a year, most of it in January. That 37.4 inches is more than at 132 of the 165 Wisconsin stations used on this site (80%). Baraboo, 11 miles south, has its own station (Baraboo, WI): 39.1 inches a year, 1.7 more than here, and the same July average high, 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 26 | 8 | 1.3 | 4 | 11.5 |
| Feb | 31 | 11 | 1.4 | 4 | 10.2 |
| Mar | 43 | 22 | 2.3 | 5 | 5.9 |
| Apr | 57 | 33 | 4.1 | 8 | 2.0 |
| May | 69 | 45 | 4.4 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 79 | 56 | 5.1 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 83 | 60 | 4.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 81 | 57 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 73 | 49 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 60 | 37 | 2.8 | 6 | 0.4 |
| Nov | 44 | 26 | 2.2 | 5 | 2.0 |
| Dec | 32 | 15 | 1.8 | 4 | 8.7 |
| Year | 57 | 35 | 37.4 | 71 | 40.7 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Wisconsin Dells, WI (835 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 Wisconsin Dells
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 92 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Wisconsin Dells: 81 thunderstorm wind reports, 4 flash floods, 4 floods, 2 heavy rain events and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $45.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on June 1, 2000.
June 9, 2008: flash flood 4 miles from the centre of Wisconsin Dells — $37.4 million damage.
NWS: “Sauk County experienced 4 flash flood events over a 3-day period. Two of the events started on June 7th, one on June 8th, and the last one on June 9th.”
August 28, 2018: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Wisconsin Dells — $6.0 million damage.
September 24, 2010: flood 1 mile from the centre of Wisconsin Dells — $1.4 million damage.
NWS: “66 feet during the evening of Monday, September 27th. 50 feet on 09/14/1938.”
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
Adams County, which includes Wisconsin Dells, has been named in 12 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1976, 9 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 severe storms, 3 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 Adams County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail and strong wind; Relatively Low for inland flooding, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $19.7 million a year, the 42nd highest of 72 Wisconsin counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $9.6 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.
Cities near Wisconsin Dells
- Lyndon Station, WI7 mi
- Baraboo, WI11 mi
- Oxford, WI13 mi
- Reedsburg, WI13 mi
- Mauston, WI17 mi
- Portage, WI17 mi
- North Freedom, WI18 mi
- Adams, WI18 mi
- La Valle, WI18 mi
- Friendship, WI23 mi
- Prairie Du Sac, WI23 mi
- Westfield, WI23 mi
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