56
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
24
Direct injuries
$60.4M
Property damage
Tornado in Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin: 56 recorded events between 1954 and 2018. The strongest on record measured F5. That places the county #292 nationally and #4 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Fond du Lac County is the 2010s, when 15 of the county's 56 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Fond du Lac County archive, tornado makes up 12.7% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #292 for this hazard and #4 within Wisconsin, putting it in the 89.9 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Aug is the peak month for tornado in Fond du Lac County with 17 recorded events, while Jan is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
| Date | Scale | Path length | Max width | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-07-18 | EF5 | 13.3 mi | 400 yd | Touched down here |
| 1974-04-21 | EF4 | 26.0 mi | 200 yd | Touched down here |
| 1974-04-21 | EF3 | 58.6 mi | 200 yd | Crossed in |
| 2004-06-23 | EF3 | 7.6 mi | 300 yd | Crossed in |
| 2004-06-23 | EF3 | 33.3 mi | 400 yd | Crossed in |
| 1977-06-05 | EF3 | 69.5 mi | 400 yd | Touched down here |
| 1974-04-21 | EF3 | 22.2 mi | 200 yd | Crossed in |
| 1996-07-18 | EF2 | 6.4 mi | 200 yd | Crossed in |
| 2018-08-28 | EF2 | 3.9 mi | 150 yd | Crossed in |
| 1993-06-08 | EF2 | 28.0 mi | 1,000 yd | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 21, 1974 | F3 | 1 | 5 | $2.5M | |
| Jul 19, 1996 | MARYTOWN | F2 | 1 | 1 | $450K |
| Jul 19, 1996 | OAKFIELD | F5 | 0 | 12 | $39.5M |
| Jun 6, 1977 | F3 | 0 | 2 | $2.5M | |
| Aug 22, 1964 | F2 | 0 | 2 | $3K | |
| Jun 2, 1990 | F2 | 0 | 1 | $2.5M | |
| Aug 20, 1968 | F2 | 0 | 1 | $25K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 28, 2018 | DUNDEE | EF0 | $0 |
| Aug 28, 2018 | DOTYVILLE | EF1 | $0 |
| Aug 28, 2018 | EDEN | EF1 | $0 |
| Aug 28, 2018 | BYRON | EF1 | $0 |
| Aug 28, 2018 | SOUTH BYRON | EF1 | $0 |
| Aug 28, 2018 | SOUTH BYRON | EF1 | $0 |
| Aug 28, 2018 | SOUTH BYRON | EF1 | $0 |
| Aug 28, 2018 | OAKFIELD | EF0 | $0 |
| Aug 28, 2018 | LADOGA | EF1 | $0 |
| Aug 28, 2018 | LADOGA | EF0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Fond du Lac County
- Thunderstorm Wind 222
- Hail 98
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
This tornado was a continuation of the tornado that moved through the southern part of the city of Markesan (Green Lake Co.). It entered Fond du Lac County just south of Lake Maria Road, about 4.7 miles SW of Alto. It moved east-southeast on a line toward Waupun at F3 strength (estimated 175-200 mph), and actually merged with the Lake Maria tornado that moved east out of extreme southeastern Green Lake County. The merger took place just east of a dogleg/bend of Oak Grove Rd., about 2.2 miles SSW of Alto. The civil Town of Alto reported that 19 residential homes had major damage and 1 was destroyed. One business had major damage. Fourteen farms were affected with a tally of 8 ag-buildings/homes with minor damage, 19 with major damage, and 16 destroyed. Crop damage was severe. Public sector damage (roads/bridges) was about $225K. In the city of Waupun (Fond du Lac side), 4 homes had major damage, and roughly 150 had minor roof/siding damage due to severe tree damage. Average path width was about 300 yards.
This tornado was a continuation of the tornado that moved east from the Lake Maria area of extreme southeastern Green Lake County. It maintained its F3 strength (175-200 mph) and moved east along Marshview Rd, only to merge with the F3 tornado moving east/southeast out of the Markesan area of southeast Green Lake County. The merger took place just east of a dogleg/bend of Oak Grove Rd., about 2.2 miles SSW of Alto. The civil Town of Alto reported that 8 residential homes had major damage. Four farms were affected with a tally of 8 ag-buildings/homes with minor damage, 19 with major damage, and 16 destroyed. Crop damage was severe. Public sector damage (roads/bridges) was about $100K. Average path width was about 275 yards.
A tornado, rated as F1 with winds of about 78 to 87 knots (90 to 100 mph) damaged three, large, cover-all, dairy barns. Severe damage was noted on the western-most barn. In addition, some trees were uprooted or had limbs ripped off. The three barns were part of Fond du Lac's largest dairy farm. Luckily, only one of the 1400 dairy cows was injured.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin?
56 tornado events are recorded in Fond du Lac County between 1954 and 2018, causing 2 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Fond du Lac County?
The strongest tornado on record in Fond du Lac County measured F5.
Where does the tornado data for Fond du Lac County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Tornado in Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/wisconsin/fond-du-lac-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.