Racine County, Wisconsin severe weather history spans 434 recorded events between 1957 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 44.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,119 nationally and #20 in Wisconsin.
434
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
23
Direct injuries
$45.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Racine County, Wisconsin severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Racine County, Wisconsin severe weather history averages 6.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 157 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 66 events fall before 1990 and 368 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Racine County, Wisconsin record is flood, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is flood, with $23.6M 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 Racine County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 191 | 0 | $4.9M | 87 | 1961–2026 |
| Hail | 122 | 0 | $203K | 3 | 1964–2026 |
| Tornado | 27 | 0 | $9.8M | F2 | 1957–2026 |
| Flood | 27 | 1 | $23.6M | 0 | 1997–2026 |
| Lightning | 26 | 1 | $1.2M | 0 | 1996–2009 |
| Flash Flood | 17 | 0 | $5.4M | 0 | 1998–2026 |
| Funnel Cloud | 15 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–2009 |
| Heavy Rain | 7 | 0 | $16K | 0 | 2002–2023 |
| Strong Wind | 1 | 0 | $1K | 38 | 1997–1997 |
| Waterspout | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2001–2001 |
Decade by decade
Racine County, Wisconsin severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
25 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 19 touched down inside it and 6 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972-09-28 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1969-06-29 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 13.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1966-03-21 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 33.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1959-10-08 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 2.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1957-04-19 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 2.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 2015-08-18 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-11-22 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 10.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-10-26 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 2010-06-27 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 4.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-10-26 | EF1 | 0 | 2 | 5.4 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Racine County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 26, 2011 | Flood | IVES GROVE | 1 | 0 | $6K |
| Jun 30, 1997 | Lightning | CALEDONIA | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| May 29, 2006 | Lightning | BURLINGTON | 0 | 5 | $0 |
| Jun 9, 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | STURTEVANT | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Oct 26, 2010 | Tornado | STURTEVANT | 0 | 2 | $1.0M |
| May 29, 2006 | Lightning | BURLINGTON | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Oct 8, 1959 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $25K | |
| Sep 27, 1959 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Heavy rains resulted in flash flooding of a construction zone on the west frontage road of I-94 between STH 20 and CTH C. A 76-year-old Dousman man died when his car stalled in the flood waters after driving into a flooded ditch in the construction zone. The preliminary cause of death was from a heart attack and hypothermia, suffered when the victim apparently tried to leave the marooned car and walk for help. His body was found in the flood water about 100 yards from his car.
The Fox River crested in Burlington at a record level of 16.15 feet on July 13th after 4-8 inches of rain in the Fox River Basin. The city of Burlington is divided in half at this river stage from east to west. Bridges and streets in downtown Burlington are blocked off and closed, including Bridge Street. Floodwaters affect homes on the following streets north of E. Jefferson St. in Burlington: North Spring St., North Main St., East Washington St., North Wisconsin St., and Capital Street. Riverside Park and Veterans Park is flooded. Floodwaters affect a portion of Brever Road 4 miles south of Burlington. Floodwaters also approach highway 83. Various road closures over the southwest half of Racine County continued due to flooding. The power was out for much of Burlington for a few days.
Heavy rains resulted in flash flooding across much of Racine County, especially in the city of Racine. 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: 10 minimally affected, 30 with minor damage, and 15 with major damage (total of $400 thousand for home losses). There were no business losses. Crop losses were estimated at $1.5 million. Public sector damage was about $1.748 million. There were several roads and bridges that sustained damage.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
197,532
Population (ACS)
$251K
Median home value
17
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 30, 2026 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Apr 4, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Mar 11, 2020 | Flood | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND FLOODING | DR |
| Apr 5, 2011 | Snowstorm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | DR |
| Jun 14, 2008 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Racine County, Wisconsin?
434 events are on record between 1957 and 2026, causing 2 direct deaths and $45.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Racine County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 191 recorded events — 44.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Racine County?
25 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 19 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Racine County?
17 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Racine County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Racine County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Racine County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 85 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Racine 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
- Price County 347
- Richland County 268
- Portage County 331
- Rock County 735
- Polk County 367
- Rusk County 202
Cite this page
“Racine County, Wisconsin.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/wisconsin/racine-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.