55
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
12
Direct injuries
$27.9M
Property damage
Tornado in Grant County, Wisconsin: 55 recorded events between 1954 and 2024. The strongest on record measured F3. That places the county #308 nationally and #5 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Grant County, Wisconsin: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Grant County is the 1970s, when 11 of the county's 55 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 Grant County archive, tornado makes up 6.7% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #308 for this hazard and #5 within Wisconsin, putting it in the 89.4 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jun is the peak month for tornado in Grant County with 20 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985-05-30 | EF3 | 34.0 mi | 1,500 yd | Crossed in |
| 2021-08-07 | EF3 | 9.4 mi | 1,100 yd | Touched down here |
| 1993-06-19 | EF3 | 14.0 mi | 300 yd | Crossed in |
| 1970-09-09 | EF3 | 4.7 mi | 300 yd | Crossed in |
| 2014-06-16 | EF2 | 3.8 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 2012-09-04 | EF2 | 0.7 mi | 75 yd | Touched down here |
| 1988-05-08 | EF2 | 10.0 mi | 40 yd | Touched down here |
| 1988-05-08 | EF2 | 7.5 mi | 200 yd | Touched down here |
| 1985-05-30 | EF2 | 16.0 mi | 500 yd | Touched down here |
| 1980-06-05 | EF2 | 70.2 mi | 67 yd | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 17, 2014 | PLATTEVILLE | EF2 | 0 | 5 | $20.5M |
| May 31, 1985 | F3 | 0 | 2 | $2.5M | |
| Jun 27, 1973 | F1 | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| Jun 26, 1969 | F2 | 0 | 2 | $25K | |
| Jun 18, 1998 | LANCASTER | F0 | 0 | 1 | $200K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 15, 2024 | KIELER | EF1 | $35K |
| Jun 22, 2024 | CORNELIA | EF0 | $0 |
| Aug 7, 2021 | BOSCOBEL | EF3 | $430K |
| Aug 10, 2020 | MC CARTNEY | EF0 | $15K |
| Mar 29, 2020 | ROCKVILLE | EF1 | $180K |
| Jun 26, 2018 | GEORGETOWN | EF0 | $0 |
| May 9, 2018 | FENNIMORE | EF0 | $25K |
| Jun 30, 2014 | FENNIMORE | EF1 | $410K |
| Jun 17, 2014 | PLATTEVILLE | EF1 | $540K |
| Jun 17, 2014 | PLATTEVILLE | EF2 | $20.5M |
Other hazards here
More from Grant County
- Thunderstorm Wind 331
- Hail 252
- Flash Flood 69
- Flood 65
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A second tornado (EF1) hit the northeast corner of Platteville, near the Golf and Country Club. The track was about 1/2 mile long with a 50 yard width. Damage included some trees knocked down and a roof off an apartment building.
A NWS storm survey confirmed that an EF3 tornado occurred across northern Grant County. The tornado started in Boscobel where damage to trees, power poles and power lines occurred. The tornado then moved east/southeast before dissipating south of Blue River. Along the path, six homes sustained enough damage to be considered total losses while numerous other had minor to moderate damage. No injuries were reported.
A slow moving tornado formed on the edge of a passing severe thunderstorm between Patch Grove and Bloomington. The tornado was mainly confined to one landowner near Hickory and Maine Roads in rural Grant County. Several outbuildings, a barn, and the home were demolished or heavily damaged. Trees on the property were also sheared off or blown over. Considering the roof was torn off and several walls were down or damaged, the tornado was rated an EF2 but it's possible the slow movement allowed the tornado to remain nearly stationary long enough to cause worse damage. Interviews by local residents and video evidence suggests the tornado may have moved to the northwest at times as well.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Grant County, Wisconsin?
55 tornado events are recorded in Grant County between 1954 and 2024, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Grant County?
The strongest tornado on record in Grant County measured F3.
Where does the tornado data for Grant 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 Grant County, Wisconsin.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/wisconsin/grant-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.