Tornadoes · United States · Wisconsin

Tornadoes in Dane County, Wisconsin

80 tornadoes have crossed Dane County since 1950, 2 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 1st of the 72 counties in Wisconsin with a tornado on record, an average of 1.1 a year. They have killed 4 people and injured 109. None was rated F4 or above.

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The United States rated tornadoes on Ted Fujita’s F scale until 31 January 2007 and on the Enhanced Fujita scale after it. Both run from 0 to 5, and both rate the damage rather than measure the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

  1. F0 / EF040 to 72 mph on the F scale, 65 to 85 mph on the EF scale

    Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.

  2. F1 / EF173 to 112 mph on the F scale, 86 to 110 mph on the EF scale

    Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.

  3. F2 / EF2113 to 157 mph on the F scale, 111 to 135 mph on the EF scale

    Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.

  4. F3 / EF3158 to 206 mph on the F scale, 136 to 165 mph on the EF scale

    Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.

  5. F4 / EF4207 to 260 mph on the F scale, 166 to 200 mph on the EF scale

    Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.

  6. F5 / EF5261 to 318 mph on the F scale, over 200 mph on the EF scale

    Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.

  7. Unrated

    The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.

Now

Tornadoes
80
Deaths
4
Injuries
109
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
F3, August 2, 1967

The deadliest in Dane County

  1. F3, Dane County, WisconsinAugust 2, 19672 killed, 5 injured
  2. F3, Dane and Jefferson counties, WisconsinAugust 18, 20051 killed, 23 injured
  3. F2, Green, Dane, Rock and Jefferson counties, WisconsinMarch 27, 19911 killed, 5 injured

The strongest

  1. F3, Dane and Jefferson counties, WisconsinAugust 18, 2005F3, 18.6 mi (30 km)
  2. F3, Dane County, WisconsinJune 17, 1992F3, 16.0 mi (26 km)
  3. F3, Dane County, WisconsinJune 4, 1975F3, 2.3 mi (4 km)
  4. EF3, Dane County, WisconsinJune 16, 2014EF3, 1.0 mi (2 km)
  5. F3, Dane County, WisconsinAugust 2, 1967F3, 0.1 mi (0 km)
  6. F2, Green, Dane, Rock and Jefferson counties, WisconsinMarch 27, 1991F2, 32.0 mi (51 km)
  7. F2, Rock, Dane and Jefferson counties, WisconsinMay 8, 1988F2, 27.0 mi (43 km)
  8. EF2, Rock, Dane and Jefferson counties, WisconsinFebruary 8, 2024EF2, 25.9 mi (42 km)
  9. F2, Iowa and Dane counties, WisconsinSeptember 2, 1963F2, 22.5 mi (36 km)
  10. F2, Dane County, WisconsinMay 30, 1985F2, 21.0 mi (34 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 42 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Dane County. Each year links to every tornado in Wisconsin that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20262EF1
20251EF0
202431EF2
20231EF1
20221EF1
20214EF1
20181EF0
20171EF0
20145EF3
20112EF0
20106EF1
20085EF1
20061F0
20054123F3
20045F1
20031F0
199721F1
19941F0
19931F0
1992130F3
1991215F2
19894F1
198821F2
19861F1
19851F2
19841F2
19811F2
19761F2
19751F3
19741F1
19731F1
19721F1
19712F1
197022F2
19693F2
19681F2
1967225F3
19661F1
1965140F1
196311F2
19581F0
19551F2

Every tornado that crossed Dane County

80 tornadoes, newest first. The 2 at the top are this year's, from the surveying office rather than SPC's published database, and their ratings are marked as preliminary.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
April 13, 202612:45 AM CDTEF1Dane5.975
June 17, 20267:10 PM CDTEF1Dane2.7300
July 16, 20251:15 PM CDTEF0Dane5.6100
June 22, 20247:10 PM CDTEF1Jefferson4.5300$3.0 million
May 21, 20247:49 PM CDTEF1Dane4.675$1.1 million
February 8, 20245:39 PM CSTEF2Rock25.97501$6.8 million
March 31, 20237:49 PM CDTEF1Dane4.875$100,000
March 5, 20229:48 PM CSTEF1Dane6.050$50,000
July 28, 202112:48 AM CDTEF0Dane3.575$10,000
July 28, 202112:47 AM CDTEF1Dane2.4125
July 28, 202112:41 AM CDTEF0Dane4.850
July 28, 202112:41 AM CDTEF1Dane2.8250
August 9, 20183:47 PM CDTEF0Dane0.725$50,000
October 7, 20174:59 PM CDTEF0Dane9.7100$250,000
June 29, 201411:27 PM CDTEF1Dane2.3500$50,000
June 18, 20147:27 AM CDTEF0Dane0.230
June 16, 201412:21 AM CDTEF1Dane1.5300$300,000
June 16, 201412:15 AM CDTEF2Dane0.2200$5.0 million
June 16, 201412:08 AM CDTEF3Dane1.0100$14 million
August 8, 20117:13 PM CDTEF0Dane1.220
June 8, 20117:41 PM CDTEF0Dane17.1100$100,000
July 22, 20107:10 PM CDTEF0Dane0.230
July 22, 20106:52 PM CDTEF1Dane1.575$5,000
July 22, 20106:02 PM CDTEF1Dane4.275$20,000
July 22, 20104:24 PM CDTEF0Dane3.030
July 22, 20104:08 PM CDTEF1Dane1.530$1,000
June 21, 20107:41 PM CDTEF1Dane0.240$15,000
June 12, 20086:19 PM CDTEF0Dane2.650
June 12, 20085:15 PM CDTEF1Green12.3100
June 7, 20084:40 PM CDTEF1Dane3.8150$429,000
June 7, 20083:38 PM CDTEF0Dane0.225
June 7, 20083:25 PM CDTEF0Dane0.525
June 18, 20062:22 PM CDTF0Dane0.120
August 18, 20057:10 PM CDTF1Dane1.6100$70,000
August 18, 20056:17 PM CDTF0Dane2.030
August 18, 20056:15 PM CDTF3Dane18.6600123$34 million
March 30, 20052:10 PM CSTF0Dane0.250$2,000
July 11, 20047:43 PM CDTF0Dane0.125
June 23, 20048:35 PM CDTF1Dane7.8200$1.5 million
June 23, 20048:23 PM CDTF0Dane0.125$3,000
May 23, 20046:59 PM CDTF0Dane1.325
May 23, 20046:55 PM CDTF0Dane1.025
May 30, 20035:25 PM CDTF0Dane3.125
July 25, 19978:22 PM CDTF1Dane2.71731$390,000
July 25, 19977:38 PM CDTF1Dane1.0100$130,000
July 4, 19945:55 PM CDTF0Dane0.123
June 8, 19937:59 PM CDTF0Dane4.050$50 to $500
June 17, 199212:00 PM CDTF3Dane16.040030$5 million to $50 million
May 22, 19913:30 PM CDTF0Dane0.123
March 27, 19911:50 PM CSTF2Green32.044015$500,000 to $5 million
June 14, 198912:15 PM CDTF0Dane0.123
June 14, 198912:10 PM CDTF0Dane0.250
June 14, 198912:01 PM CDTF1Dane0.250$50,000 to $500,000
June 14, 198911:28 AM CDTF1Dane0.250$50,000 to $500,000
May 8, 19885:30 PM CDTF2Rock27.0173$50,000 to $500,000
May 8, 19884:56 PM CDTF2Dane7.01001$5,000 to $50,000
July 11, 19865:00 PM CDTF1Dane0.850$50,000 to $500,000
May 30, 198512:20 AM CDTF2Dane21.0100$50,000 to $500,000
June 8, 19841:10 AM CDTF2Dane18.050$500,000 to $5 million
June 15, 198111:10 AM CDTF2Dane1.033$50,000 to $500,000
July 30, 19768:45 PM CDTF2Dane0.110
June 4, 19759:45 PM CDTF3Dane2.333$5,000 to $50,000
May 21, 19748:00 PM CDTF1Dane2.350$50,000 to $500,000
March 11, 19738:05 AM CSTF1Dane0.550
September 20, 19724:10 PM CDTF1Dane0.550$5,000 to $50,000
September 4, 19716:15 PM CDTF1Dane0.550$500 to $5,000
June 18, 19712:00 PM CDTF1Dane1.0100$5,000 to $50,000
October 9, 197011:45 AM CDTF2Rock14.4501$50,000 to $500,000
May 9, 19704:00 PM CDTF1Dane1.01001$5,000 to $50,000
June 29, 19699:30 PM GMT-5F2Iowa3.8100$50,000 to $500,000
June 4, 19695:00 PM GMT-5F2Dane4.9300$5,000 to $50,000
May 31, 19693:00 PM GMT-5F0Dane1.050$500 to $5,000
April 20, 196811:51 AM GMT-6F2Dane0.110$5,000 to $50,000
August 2, 19673:05 AM GMT-5F3Dane0.120025$5,000 to $50,000
June 11, 19673:00 PM GMT-5F2Dane1.310$50,000 to $500,000
July 10, 196611:00 PM GMT-5F1Dane0.110$5,000 to $50,000
April 11, 19652:00 PM GMT-6F1Green27.116740$500,000 to $5 million
September 2, 19637:30 PM GMT-5F2Iowa22.5101
October 9, 19585:45 PM GMT-5F0Dane1.050under $50
April 18, 19555:40 PM GMT-6F2Green9.2100$50,000 to $500,000

Nearby

Warnings in force in Dane CountyThe forecast for Dane CountyThe live radar over Dane CountyEvery county in Wisconsin

What this means

Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.

Sources

NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.