Rock County, Wisconsin severe weather history spans 735 recorded events between 1955 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 51.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #364 nationally and #4 in Wisconsin.
735
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
21
Direct injuries
$95.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Rock County, Wisconsin severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Rock County, Wisconsin severe weather history averages 10.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 206 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 92 events fall before 1990 and 643 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Rock County, Wisconsin record is lightning, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $41.3M in reported property damage. In total, 9 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Rock County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 375 | 0 | $10.6M | 100 | 1955–2025 |
| Hail | 173 | 0 | $4.5M | 3 | 1961–2026 |
| Flood | 58 | 0 | $145K | 0 | 1998–2026 |
| Tornado | 38 | 0 | $41.3M | F2 | 1955–2026 |
| Lightning | 38 | 1 | $4.5M | 0 | 1996–2022 |
| Flash Flood | 25 | 0 | $34.0M | 0 | 1996–2026 |
| Funnel Cloud | 13 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2026 |
| Heavy Rain | 13 | 0 | $177K | 0 | 2001–2020 |
| Strong Wind | 2 | 0 | $2K | 0 | 1997–1997 |
Decade by decade
Rock County, Wisconsin severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
35 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 31 touched down inside it and 4 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967-01-24 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 24.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 1991-03-27 | EF2 | 1 | 5 | 32.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2024-06-22 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 6.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-02-08 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 25.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-06-25 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1988-05-08 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 27.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-11-01 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1970-10-09 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 14.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1961-09-22 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 6.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1960-11-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Rock County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 30, 2014 | Lightning | DOWNTOWN JANESVILLE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 19, 1998 | Lightning | JANESVILLE | 0 | 5 | $0 |
| Aug 5, 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | EVANSVILLE | 0 | 2 | $5.0M |
| Jun 6, 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | EVANSVILLE | 0 | 2 | $3K |
| Aug 6, 1998 | Flash Flood | CLINTON | 0 | 2 | $250K |
| Jul 7, 1991 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 2 | $0 | |
| Feb 8, 2024 | Tornado | MAGNOLIA | 0 | 1 | $6.8M |
| Jul 23, 2009 | Lightning | CLINTON | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Around 700 911 calls mainly attributed to flash flooding. Flash flooding of streets and yards in Janesville with basement flooding in many homes. Many vehicles stranded in deep water. A bridge was washed out due to the flooding of Fisher Creek over Rockport Rd. Severe flooding of a church, and the basement of an elementary school. The school's mechanical systems and main power panel were destroyed. The school has been closed. RAJ stadium flooded. A train derailment in downtown Janesville with 3 locomotives off the tracks, due to a sinkhole. 1st responders conducted a water rescue of the engineer using a rope.
Beginning section of the second tornado to ever occur in February in Wisconsin. Storm chaser/spotter/public videos show the tornado beginning around 5:39pm south of Evansville. The tornado intensified as it tracked to the east of Evansville where it impacted 30 primary residences (2 destroyed, 10 major impacts, 13 minor impacts, 5 affected). Numerous barns and outbuildings were destroyed along the path as it tracked to the northwest of Edgerton. The main EF-2 damage was confined to a stretch from east of Evansville to just southwest of the Yahara River. There was one person in a car that was hit by the tornado that had injuries serious enough to warrant transportation to the hospital, but they were deemed minor and released. Almost every person that was impacted by the tornado that the damage surveyors talked to said that they received the warning via Wireless Emergency Alert on their cell phone and then went to their shelter to gather more information via TV, radio, social media. County wide estimates of damage was at about $2.5 million.
Tornado started in the center of Beloit in the Merrill Park area. The tornado uprooted numerous trees along its path through the eastern side of the city toward the Turtle area. The path then went east and appears to have crossed I-39 before ending in a field.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
164,350
Population (ACS)
$232K
Median home value
16
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 |
| Jun 14, 2008 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Mar 19, 2008 | Snowstorm | RECORD SNOW AND NEAR RECORD SNOW | EM |
| Aug 26, 2007 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Downtown Janesville 103
- Beloit 102
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Rock County, Wisconsin?
735 events are on record between 1955 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $95.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Rock County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 375 recorded events — 51.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Rock County?
35 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 31 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Rock County?
16 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Rock County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Rock County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Rock County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 86 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Rock 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
- Richland County 268
- Rusk County 202
- Racine County 434
- St. Croix County 428
- Price County 347
- Sauk County 500
Cite this page
“Rock County, Wisconsin.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/wisconsin/rock-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.