Tornadoes · United States · Wisconsin

Tornadoes in Jefferson County, Wisconsin

51 tornadoes have crossed Jefferson County since 1950, 1 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 6th of the 72 counties in Wisconsin with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.5 years. They have killed 5 people and injured 65. 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
51
Deaths
5
Injuries
65
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
F3, August 18, 2005

The deadliest in Jefferson County

  1. F2, Jefferson County, WisconsinApril 11, 19653 killed, 28 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, Jefferson and Waukesha counties, WisconsinJune 5, 1980F3, 10.7 mi (17 km)
  3. F2, Green, Dane, Rock and Jefferson counties, WisconsinMarch 27, 1991F2, 32.0 mi (51 km)
  4. F2, Jefferson and Waukesha counties, WisconsinJune 15, 1981F2, 28.7 mi (46 km)
  5. F2, Rock, Dane and Jefferson counties, WisconsinMay 8, 1988F2, 27.0 mi (43 km)
  6. EF2, Rock, Dane and Jefferson counties, WisconsinFebruary 8, 2024EF2, 25.9 mi (42 km)
  7. F2, Jefferson County, WisconsinApril 11, 1965F2, 14.5 mi (23 km)
  8. F2, Jefferson County, WisconsinSeptember 28, 1986F2, 9.0 mi (14 km)
  9. F2, Jefferson County, WisconsinJune 5, 1980F2, 6.2 mi (10 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 24 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Jefferson County. Each year links to every tornado in Wisconsin that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20261EF1
202451EF2
20233EF1
20223EF0
20214EF1
20192EF1
20105EF1
20081EF0
20057123F3
20042F1
20021F0
19991F0
19971F0
1991115F2
19881F2
198621F2
198113F2
19802F3
19791F1
19741F1
197223F1
197121F1
19671F0
19651328F2

Every tornado that crossed Jefferson County

51 tornadoes, newest first. 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
April 13, 202612:45 AM CDTEF1Dane5.975
June 22, 20247:30 PM CDTEF1Jefferson2.0150$6,000
June 22, 20247:10 PM CDTEF1Jefferson4.5300$3.0 million
May 26, 20245:27 PM CDTEF0Jefferson5.530$15,000
May 26, 20245:15 PM CDTEF0Rock14.450$64,000
February 8, 20245:39 PM CSTEF2Rock25.97501$6.8 million
July 28, 202310:28 PM CDTEF1Jefferson1.390
March 31, 20238:26 PM CDTEF1Jefferson2.850$300,000
March 31, 20238:07 PM CDTEF0Jefferson1.475$100,000
October 12, 202211:42 AM CDTEF0Jefferson0.825
October 12, 202211:18 AM CDTEF0Jefferson0.425
October 12, 202211:13 AM CDTEF0Jefferson0.525
July 29, 20211:23 AM CDTEF1Jefferson4.7150
July 29, 20211:07 AM CDTEF0Jefferson3.625
July 29, 20211:07 AM CDTEF1Jefferson7.7200
July 29, 20211:05 AM CDTEF0Jefferson6.0100
October 1, 20199:42 PM CDTEF1Jefferson12.8100
October 1, 20199:25 PM CDTEF0Jefferson7.180
July 22, 20106:38 PM CDTEF0Jefferson3.975
July 22, 20106:22 PM CDTEF0Jefferson2.875
July 22, 20105:35 PM CDTEF0Jefferson0.130
July 22, 20105:10 PM CDTEF0Jefferson5.730
June 21, 20108:15 PM CDTEF1Jefferson1.3100$620,000
June 7, 20083:49 PM CDTEF0Jefferson0.150
August 18, 20057:45 PM CDTF0Jefferson0.250$10,000
August 18, 20057:44 PM CDTF1Jefferson3.075$20,000
August 18, 20057:37 PM CDTF1Jefferson1.450$350,000
August 18, 20057:27 PM CDTF1Jefferson1.250$30,000
August 18, 20057:20 PM CDTF1Jefferson0.750$30,000
August 18, 20057:15 PM CDTF0Jefferson0.550$50,000
August 18, 20056:15 PM CDTF3Dane18.6600123$34 million
July 11, 20047:41 PM CDTF0Jefferson0.125
June 23, 20049:23 PM CDTF1Jefferson7.8150$150,000
August 13, 20025:02 PM CDTF0Jefferson4.550$10,000
June 6, 19994:25 PM CDTF0Jefferson0.130$3,000
September 19, 19975:55 PM CDTF0Jefferson0.150$650,000
March 27, 19911:50 PM CSTF2Green32.044015$500,000 to $5 million
May 8, 19885:30 PM CDTF2Rock27.0173$50,000 to $500,000
September 28, 19865:23 PM CDTF2Jefferson9.01001$500,000 to $5 million
July 12, 19862:24 PM CDTF0Jefferson0.223
June 15, 19812:02 PM CDTF2Jefferson28.7503$50,000 to $500,000
June 5, 198012:25 AM CDTF3Jefferson10.7100$50,000 to $500,000
June 5, 198012:10 AM CDTF2Jefferson6.210$5,000 to $50,000
August 9, 197910:09 PM CDTF1Jefferson0.110$5,000 to $50,000
June 20, 19747:08 PM CDTF1Jefferson0.550
July 19, 19722:15 PM CDTF1Jefferson2.0503$50,000 to $500,000
July 14, 19728:00 PM CDTF1Waukesha34.0100$50,000 to $500,000
June 24, 19719:25 PM CDTF1Jefferson2.0100$500 to $5,000
June 18, 19714:20 PM CDTF1Jefferson4.31001$5,000 to $50,000
June 12, 19674:20 PM GMT-5F0Jefferson0.510
April 11, 19652:30 PM GMT-6F2Jefferson14.51,320328$500,000 to $5 million

Nearby

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