Dodge County, Wisconsin severe weather history spans 621 recorded events between 1951 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 45.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #533 nationally and #8 in Wisconsin.
621
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
53
Direct injuries
$58.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Dodge County, Wisconsin severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Dodge County, Wisconsin severe weather history averages 8.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 173 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 118 events fall before 1990 and 503 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $35.8M in reported property damage. In total, 8 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Dodge County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 281 | 0 | $5.9M | 111 | 1955–2026 |
| Hail | 197 | 0 | $3.6M | 2.5 | 1955–2026 |
| Tornado | 69 | 0 | $35.8M | F3 | 1951–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 22 | 0 | $12.9M | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Funnel Cloud | 21 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2000–2024 |
| Flood | 18 | 0 | $38K | 0 | 1998–2026 |
| Lightning | 8 | 0 | $224K | 0 | 1998–2020 |
| Heavy Rain | 5 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2003–2014 |
Decade by decade
Dodge County, Wisconsin severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
71 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 64 touched down inside it and 7 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974-04-21 | EF3 | 2 | 18 | 58.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-06-23 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 33.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 1980-04-07 | EF3 | 0 | 4 | 1.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1977-06-05 | EF3 | 0 | 8 | 69.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1974-04-21 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 22.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1965-04-11 | EF2 | 3 | 28 | 14.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2025-05-15 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 11.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-05-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 8.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2018-08-28 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2000-06-01 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 17.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Dodge County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 7, 1980 | Tornado | 0 | 16 | $2.5M | |
| May 31, 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | COUNTYWIDE | 0 | 8 | $3.7M |
| Jun 6, 1977 | Tornado | 0 | 6 | $2.5M | |
| Apr 21, 1974 | Tornado | 0 | 6 | $2.5M | |
| Jul 30, 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | BEAVER DAM | 0 | 5 | $0 |
| Apr 7, 1980 | Tornado | 0 | 4 | $250K | |
| May 23, 1966 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $250K | |
| May 20, 2004 | Heavy Rain | WAUPUN | 0 | 2 | $0 |
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 east-southeast from Markesan (Green Lake Co.) through the southwest corner of Fond du Lac County (civil Town of Alto). In Dodge County it maintained its F3 strength (175-200 mph) as it moved east-southeast through the city of Waupun and through rural areas of northern Dodge County to a point 2 miles southeast of Lomira, where it dissipated just west of U.S. Highway 41. Many homes and vehicles in the Dodge County portion of Waupun were damaged. Toward Lomira, several dozens of agricultural buildings and homes were damage. Numerous trees were uprooted from Waupun to near Lomira, and some crop damage was noted. Estimated damage in Waupun was about $3M, and $2.5M in the civil Towns of Lomira and Le Roy. Average path width was about 300 yards.
Heavy rains resulted in flash flooding across much of south-central Dodge County. Water depths on road surfaces reached 3 feet or more and there were gravel washouts. Some farm fields remained flooded into early July. The breakdown for residential home losses were: 75 with minor damage, and 7 destroyed (total of $4.065 million). The breakdown for business losses were: 12 with minor damage, 6 with major damage, and 2 destroyed (total of $1.1 million). Crop losses were estimated at 8 million. Public sector damage was about $1.4 million. There were several roads and bridges that sustained damage.
Tornado began southwest of Mayville just west of Highway 28 which was also captured on video as a potential multi-vortex tornado. Some of the more intense damage occurred shortly after the tornado developed and crossed County Rd TW on into southwest Mayville in an industrial area. A farmhouse on Cty RW lost a portion of its roof and some farm sheds. The tornado then moved through the industrial area in southwest Mayville. The Mayville Engineering Company was hit on its northwest corner. The winds from the tornado breached a large garage door on the west side which then pushed the large north end wall down. The tornado then went through the Gleason Reel Corporation and destroyed the southern portion of the building. It then went through a neighborhood near the St. John/Graceland cemetary before crossing Main St/Rock River. The tornado then went through the east side of Mayville near the Mayville Golf Course. It then continued to the northeast through mainly rural areas before ending NW of Theresa.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
88,742
Population (ACS)
$232K
Median home value
13
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 4, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| 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 |
| Sep 13, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Dodge County, Wisconsin?
621 events are on record between 1951 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $58.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Dodge County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 281 recorded events — 45.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Dodge County?
71 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 64 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Dodge County?
13 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Dodge County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Dodge County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Dodge County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 70 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Dodge 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
- Dane County 1,306
- Door County 252
- Crawford County 381
- Douglas County 307
- Columbia County 503
- Dunn County 353
Cite this page
“Dodge County, Wisconsin.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/wisconsin/dodge-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.