Dane County, Wisconsin severe weather history spans 1,306 recorded events between 1955 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 42.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #61 nationally and #1 in Wisconsin.
1,306
Recorded events
6
Direct deaths
78
Direct injuries
$264.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Dane County, Wisconsin severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Dane County, Wisconsin severe weather history averages 18.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 353 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 183 events fall before 1990 and 1,123 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Dane County, Wisconsin record is tornado, responsible for 4 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $93.8M in reported property damage. In total, 10 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Dane County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 555 | 0 | $70.2M | 4 | 1958–2026 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 480 | 0 | $14.2M | 87 | 1956–2026 |
| Tornado | 75 | 4 | $93.8M | F3 | 1955–2026 |
| Lightning | 54 | 1 | $3.1M | 0 | 1996–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 47 | 1 | $48.3M | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Flood | 33 | 0 | $35.0M | 0 | 1997–2026 |
| Heavy Rain | 30 | 0 | $72K | 0 | 2000–2025 |
| Funnel Cloud | 29 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2026 |
| Dust Devil | 2 | 0 | $500 | 0 | 2011–2013 |
| Strong Wind | 1 | 0 | $20K | 0 | 1997–1997 |
Decade by decade
Dane County, Wisconsin severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
79 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 70 touched down inside it and 9 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984-06-07 | EF5 | 9 | 200 | 36.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1967-08-02 | EF3 | 2 | 5 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2005-08-18 | EF3 | 1 | 23 | 18.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2014-06-16 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1992-06-17 | EF3 | 0 | 30 | 16.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1975-06-04 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 2.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1991-03-27 | EF2 | 1 | 5 | 32.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2024-02-08 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 25.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 2014-06-16 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1988-05-08 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 7.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Dane County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 2, 1967 | Tornado | 2 | 5 | $25K | |
| Aug 18, 2005 | Tornado | FITCHBURG | 1 | 23 | $34.3M |
| Mar 27, 1991 | Tornado | 1 | 5 | $2.5M | |
| Aug 20, 2018 | Flash Flood | SPRINGFIELD CORNERS | 1 | 0 | $1.0M |
| Aug 27, 2007 | Lightning | DOWNTOWN MADISON | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 17, 1992 | Tornado | 0 | 30 | $25.0M | |
| Jul 17, 1997 | Lightning | MADISON | 0 | 6 | $0 |
| Aug 21, 2018 | Lightning | CROSS PLAINS | 0 | 2 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The widespread flash flooding of creeks and streets in Middleton, Verona, and the west side of Madison resulted in dozens of flooded or stranded vehicles, over 50 water rescues, and hundreds of citizens stranded in place. One drowning death occurred when a man attempted to escape the flood waters by exiting his vehicle. Many city streets were closed including major thoroughfares. 70 residences in the village of Shorewood Hills suffered water damage with 15 families displaced from their homes. Basement flooding was common in Madison and suburbs to the west and south. Water rescues were also executed just west of Verona on County Highway PD due to flash flooding of the Sugar River. Some rural roads south of Madison and Verona were closed due to flooding from the Sugar River or other creeks, including portions of highway 69. Flood waters at Morey Airport in Middleton tipped over a 500 gallon tank of gasoline and a 1,000 gallon tank of jet fuel. The gas tank leaked and was contained by a containment berm.
A Tornado severely damaged the Country View Elementary school, which will have to be rebuilt. At least 30 homes sustained major damage, 19 of which were rendered uninhabitable. Many trees down. Estimated winds up to 140 mph.
Heavy rains resulted in flash flooding as water reached depths of 3 feet or more and several cars stalled. This was the last of 6 flash floods in Dane County on 3 different days. The first one occurred on June 7th, the next two on June 8th, and the last three on June 12th. In all six cases, damage to homes, businesses, and crops was noted. It was nearly impossible to break down the damages by flash flood event. Therefore, the collective breakdown is provided in this last June 12th flash flood StormData entry for Dane County.||Some farm fields remained flooded into early July. The breakdown for residential home losses were: 2020 minimally affected, 248 with minor damage, 109 with major damage, and 3 destroyed (total of $6.797 million). The breakdown for business losses were: 152 with minor damage, and 3 with major damage (total of $677 thousand). Crop losses were estimated at $64.6 million. Public sector damage was about $6.067 million. Several roads and bridges sustained damage.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
572,674
Population (ACS)
$395K
Median home value
19
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 4, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Oct 18, 2018 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, AND LANDSLIDES | DR |
| Apr 5, 2011 | Snowstorm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | DR |
| Jun 14, 2008 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Mar 19, 2008 | Snowstorm | RECORD SNOW AND NEAR RECORD SNOW | EM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Madison 103
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Dane County, Wisconsin?
1,306 events are on record between 1955 and 2026, causing 6 direct deaths and $264.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Dane County?
Hail, with 555 recorded events — 42.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Dane County?
79 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 70 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Dane County?
19 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Dane County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Dane County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Dane County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 94 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Dane County, Wisconsin severe weather history data come from?
Every figure is drawn from United States federal public-domain records: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events for the event archive, NOAA SPC SVRGIS for mapped tornado paths, FEMA for disaster declarations and risk ratings, and the U.S. Census for population context. Dates are shown in UTC and recent entries may still be revised by NOAA.
Nearby
Neighbouring counties
- Crawford County 381
- Dodge County 621
- Columbia County 503
- Door County 252
- Clark County 486
- Douglas County 307
Cite this page
“Dane County, Wisconsin.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/wisconsin/dane-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.