Sauk County, Wisconsin severe weather history spans 500 recorded events between 1957 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 48.4% of all recorded events. It ranks #876 nationally and #15 in Wisconsin.
500
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
20
Direct injuries
$53.6M
Property damage
The record
What the Sauk County, Wisconsin severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Sauk County, Wisconsin severe weather history averages 7.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 160 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 86 events fall before 1990 and 414 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is flash flood, with $34.6M 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 Sauk County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 242 | 0 | $3.0M | 70 | 1957–2026 |
| Hail | 147 | 0 | $984K | 4.25 | 1966–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 35 | 0 | $34.6M | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Flood | 25 | 0 | $6.4M | 0 | 1997–2019 |
| Tornado | 24 | 0 | $6.5M | F2 | 1959–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 12 | 0 | $7K | 0 | 2000–2020 |
| Lightning | 10 | 0 | $2.0M | 0 | 1997–2008 |
| Funnel Cloud | 5 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2004–2024 |
Decade by decade
Sauk 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: 21 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005-08-18 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 14.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1994-07-04 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 8.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1989-06-26 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1979-08-09 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 1967-03-31 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1966-08-15 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 34.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1965-05-25 | EF2 | 0 | 8 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2006-06-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 16.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 2005-08-18 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2005-08-18 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 6.5 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Sauk County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 26, 1965 | Tornado | 0 | 8 | $25K | |
| May 31, 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | COUNTYWIDE | 0 | 4 | $914K |
| Jun 26, 1989 | Tornado | 0 | 4 | $25K | |
| Jun 18, 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | REEDSBURG | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 6, 1999 | Lightning | LAKE DELTON | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 26, 1989 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 1 | $0 | |
| Aug 15, 1966 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $250K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Flood levels continued to rapidly rise on the Baraboo River with near record crests reached in La Valle during the late morning hours on August 29th, and near record in Reedsburg late in the afternoon on August 29th. Evacuations continued in the early morning hours in La Valle on August 29th, while 10-15 persons were evacuated during the early morning hours on August 30th in Rock Springs and North Freedom. Many state and county highways, and bridges, were closed in the aforementioned communities near and along the Baraboo River. The Baraboo River also began to flood farther downstream in the Baraboo area. Other roads, bridges, and lowland areas across northern Sauk County remained flooded and closed from the heavy rains of the last several days. Overall, 116 homes sustained minor flood damage from late August into early September mainly in the communities of La Valle, Reedsburg, Rock Springs, and North Freedom. Many businesses also sustained minor flood damage in these communities.
Flood levels were quickly rising on the lower Baraboo River basin and falling in the upper portions of the river basin. A near record crest of 27.6 feet occurred in Rock Springs during the late afternoon of August 31st, while a new record crest did occur in North Freedom at 25.3 feet. The river was approaching crest in West Baraboo late on August 31st. Many state and county highways, and bridges, were closed in the communities near and along the Baraboo River. Many homes and businesses sustained minor flood damage in these communities.
A hailstorm dumped hail stones with diameters from 1.00 to 1.75 inch from Reedsburg to Baraboo, with most of the activity in the Reedsburg area. Hundreds of vehicles were damaged by the hail stones. Three insurance companies reported 375 claims totaling about $900,000.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
66,009
Population (ACS)
$259K
Median home value
15
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 |
| Oct 18, 2018 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, AND LANDSLIDES | DR |
| Jun 14, 2008 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Aug 26, 2007 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Sauk County, Wisconsin?
500 events are on record between 1957 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $53.6M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Sauk County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 242 recorded events — 48.4% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Sauk County?
25 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 21 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Sauk County?
15 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Sauk County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Sauk County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Sauk County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 72 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Sauk 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
- St. Croix County 428
- Sawyer County 382
- Rusk County 202
- Shawano County 287
- Rock County 735
- Sheboygan County 276
Cite this page
“Sauk County, Wisconsin.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/wisconsin/sauk-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.