Tornadoes · United States · Wisconsin

Tornadoes in Grant County, Wisconsin

63 tornadoes have crossed Grant County since 1950, 1 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 4th of the 72 counties in Wisconsin with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.2 years. They have killed 2 people and injured 37. 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
63
Deaths
2
Injuries
37
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
F3, May 30, 1985

The deadliest in Grant County

  1. F3, Clayton and Grant counties, Iowa and WisconsinMay 30, 19852 killed, 27 injured

The strongest

  1. F3, Clayton and Grant counties, Iowa and WisconsinMay 30, 1985F3, 34.0 mi (55 km)
  2. F3, Dubuque, Jo Daviess and Grant counties, Iowa and Illinois and WisconsinJune 19, 1993F3, 14.0 mi (23 km)
  3. EF3 Boscobel tornado, WisconsinAugust 7, 2021EF3, 9.4 mi (15 km)
  4. F2, Grant and Lafayette counties, WisconsinJune 4, 1969F2, 24.4 mi (39 km)
  5. F2, Grant and Iowa counties, WisconsinMay 30, 1985F2, 16.0 mi (26 km)
  6. F2, Grant and Lafayette counties, WisconsinSeptember 9, 1970F2, 15.7 mi (25 km)
  7. F2, Grant County, WisconsinMay 25, 1957F2, 15.6 mi (25 km)
  8. F2, Grant County, WisconsinMay 8, 1988F2, 10.0 mi (16 km)
  9. F2, Grant County, WisconsinMay 8, 1988F2, 7.5 mi (12 km)
  10. F2, Grant County, WisconsinMay 19, 1959F2, 4.9 mi (8 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 30 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Grant County. Each year links to every tornado in Wisconsin that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20261EF1
20242EF1
20211EF3
20202EF1
20182EF0
201435EF2
20131EF0
20121EF2
20091EF0
20082EF0
20075EF0
20051F1
199811F0
19961F0
19942F1
19935F3
19911F0
19887F2
19852227F3
19801F1
197312F1
19722F1
19716F1
19702F2
196952F2
19671F0
19661F2
19591F2
19571F2
19541F1

Every tornado that crossed Grant County

63 tornadoes, newest first. 3 of them touched down in a neighboring state and ran in, so the record files them under that state rather than Wisconsin. The 1 at the top is this year's, from the surveying office rather than SPC's published database, and its rating is marked as preliminary.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
June 17, 20265:45 PM CDTEF1Grant21.7150
July 15, 20246:14 PM CDTEF1Grant0.330$35,000
June 22, 20245:37 PM CDTEF0Grant0.240
August 7, 20214:29 PM CDTEF3Boscobel tornado9.41,100$430,000
August 10, 202012:32 PM CDTEF0Grant0.650$15,000
March 28, 20208:35 PM CDTEF1Grant6.2120$180,000
June 26, 201810:42 AM CDTEF0Grant0.110
May 9, 20181:31 PM CDTEF0Grant1.670$25,000
June 29, 201410:00 PM CDTEF1Grant8.2600$410,000
June 16, 201410:49 PM CDTEF1Grant0.525$540,000
June 16, 201410:45 PM CDTEF2Grant3.81005$21 million
May 29, 20135:46 PM CDTEF0Clayton to WI6.410$20,000
September 4, 20127:37 PM CDTEF2Grant0.775$420,000
April 26, 20096:45 PM CDTEF0Grant0.115
June 12, 20082:29 PM CDTEF0Grant0.350$3,000
June 7, 20081:52 PM CDTEF0Grant0.130$750
June 3, 20073:40 PM CDTEF0Grant0.330
June 3, 20073:30 PM CDTEF0Grant0.220$1,000
June 3, 20073:22 PM CDTEF0Grant0.330$800
May 26, 20076:15 PM CDTEF0Grant0.340
March 31, 20076:18 PM CDTEF0Grant0.350$8,000
August 18, 20054:40 PM CDTF1Richland4.055$200,000
June 18, 19985:10 PM CDTF0Grant0.1401$200,000
June 16, 19968:00 PM CDTF0Grant2.030
July 4, 19941:35 PM CDTF1Grant3.0300$50,000 to $500,000
June 12, 199412:42 AM CDTF1Grant5.0300$5,000 to $50,000
July 8, 199312:10 AM CDTF1Grant0.573$5,000 to $50,000
July 8, 199311:30 PM CDTF1Grant0.250$5,000 to $50,000
June 19, 19935:22 PM CDTF0Grant1.050
June 19, 19935:21 PM CDTF0Grant0.123
June 19, 19934:42 PM CDTF3Dubuque to IL, WI14.0300$50,000 to $500,000
April 8, 19912:19 PM CDTF0Grant0.723$50 to $500
May 8, 19884:15 PM CDTF2Grant7.5200$50,000 to $500,000
May 8, 19884:15 PM CDTF1Grant1.230
May 8, 19884:00 PM CDTF1Grant0.533$50 to $500
May 8, 19883:55 PM CDTF2Grant10.040$50,000 to $500,000
May 8, 19883:54 PM CDTF1Grant10.040
May 8, 19883:52 PM CDTF1Grant1.530
May 8, 19883:48 PM CDTF1Grant0.520$5,000 to $50,000
May 30, 198511:50 PM CDTF2Grant16.0500$50,000 to $500,000
May 30, 198510:22 PM CDTF3Clayton to WI34.01,500227$5 million to $50 million
August 19, 19804:30 AM CDTF1Grant0.850$50,000 to $500,000
June 26, 19737:00 PM CDTF1Richland24.0502$50,000 to $500,000
September 28, 19724:30 PM CDTF1Lafayette0.150$500 to $5,000
May 1, 19728:00 PM CDTF0Grant0.550$500 to $5,000
October 30, 197110:00 PM CDTF1Grant1.050$500 to $5,000
September 9, 19712:50 PM CDTF1Grant1.050
June 24, 19717:45 PM CDTF1Grant34.250$5,000 to $50,000
June 7, 19712:05 AM CDTF1Grant4.3100$5,000 to $50,000
May 18, 197111:30 PM CDTF1Grant2.0100$5,000 to $50,000
May 18, 19719:02 PM CDTF1Grant2.0100
September 9, 19707:40 PM CDTF1Grant7.8200$5,000 to $50,000
September 9, 19706:15 PM CDTF2Grant15.7200$50,000 to $500,000
June 29, 19695:30 PM GMT-5F1Grant1.0100$5,000 to $50,000
June 26, 196910:00 AM GMT-5F2Grant2.01002$5,000 to $50,000
June 4, 19692:45 PM GMT-5F2Grant24.4200$50,000 to $500,000
June 4, 19692:00 PM GMT-5F2Grant4.1200$50,000 to $500,000
May 31, 19692:00 PM GMT-5F1Grant16.050$500 to $5,000
June 7, 19677:00 PM GMT-5F0Grant0.310
July 13, 19664:00 PM GMT-5F2Grant2.7200$50,000 to $500,000
May 19, 19596:15 PM GMT-5F2Grant4.9200$5,000 to $50,000
May 25, 19575:30 PM GMT-5F2Grant15.6400$5,000 to $50,000
April 26, 19545:00 PM GMT-5F1Grant1.333$500 to $5,000

Nearby

Warnings in force in Grant CountyThe forecast for Grant CountyThe live radar over Grant 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.