555
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$70.2M
Property damage
Hail in Dane County, Wisconsin: 555 recorded events between 1958 and 2026. The strongest on record measured 4. That places the county #68 nationally and #1 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Hail in Dane County, Wisconsin: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for hail in Dane County is the 2020s, when 214 of the county's 555 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 Dane County archive, hail makes up 42.5% of all recorded severe weather across 10 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #68 for this hazard and #1 within Wisconsin, putting it in the 97.9 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Apr is the peak month for hail in Dane County with 166 recorded events, while Dec 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.
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 14, 2026 | LONDON | 1.5 | $0 |
| Apr 14, 2026 | COTTAGE GROVE | 2.5 | $0 |
| Apr 14, 2026 | COTTAGE GROVE ARPT | 1.75 | $0 |
| Apr 14, 2026 | COTTAGE GROVE ARPT | 1.75 | $0 |
| Apr 14, 2026 | SEMINARY SPGS | 2.75 | $0 |
| Apr 14, 2026 | SEMINARY SPGS | 2.5 | $0 |
| Apr 14, 2026 | SUN PRAIRIE | 1.25 | $0 |
| Apr 14, 2026 | TOKEN CREEK | 1 | $0 |
| Apr 14, 2026 | BURKE | 4 | $0 |
| Apr 14, 2026 | NORTH MADISON | 3.5 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Dane County
- Thunderstorm Wind 480
- Tornado 75
- Lightning 54
- Flash Flood 47
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Large hail damage many homes and vehicles, resulting in an estimated 200 claims. Some of the homes that sustained hail damage were just recently repaired due to damage inflicted by the April 13, 2006, hailstorm that dumped hail up to 3 to 4 inches in diameter on a path west to east across Dane County.
Trained spotters reported a 1 to 2 mile-wide swath of damage from hail showers that extended from north of Dodgeville, near Cross Plains, to just east northeast of Monona, dissipating near Interstate 90. Hundreds of vehicles were damaged; many homes had siding, window and screen damage; many trees were stripped of their leaves.
A severe thunderstorm produced large hail up to 1.5 inches that fell in a 3-mile wide swath that extended for 13 miles from Dane County Regional Airport (KMSN) to 6 miles northeast of Sun Prairie. Locally, the hail duration lasted about 5 minute based on eye-witness accounts. At least 12 cars were damaged with broken windows and dents. One severe weather spotter reported minor damage to his home's siding and door, so it is assumed that several homes were damaged, and probably more than 12 vehicles were damage. The loss estimated takes this assumption into account.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many hail events are on record in Dane County, Wisconsin?
555 hail events are recorded in Dane County between 1958 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest hail recorded in Dane County?
The strongest hail on record in Dane County measured 4.
Where does the hail data for Dane 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
“Hail in Dane County, Wisconsin.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/wisconsin/dane-county/hail/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.