Dodge County, Wisconsin

County storm and disaster record · FIPS 55027 · population 89,297 · 876 sq mi

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 1,084 records for Dodge County, Wisconsin from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 765 days; the most frequent are severe thunderstorm wind events (286 records). The deadliest single record is the December 24, 2008 winter weather, filed for the forecast zone Dodge, which covers the county: 2 deaths and 1 injury. FEMA has issued 13 declarations naming the county since 1974, 11 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm” on April 5, 2011.

The record, 1950 to 2026

Storm records filed for the county each year (2026 to June 30, 2026). Before 1996 NOAA recorded only tornadoes (from 1950), thunderstorm wind and hail (from 1955).

  • recorded, no damage figure
  • under $100,000
  • $100,000 or more
  • $1 million or more
  • $10 million or more, or a death
  • $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
  • a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
  • a year with a death
  • 1955: wind and hail recorded from 1955
  • 1996: all 48 event types from 1996
Storm records
1,084on 765 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
Deaths recorded
974 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
$235Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
Tornadoes
70strongest F3
FEMA declarations
13latest 2020

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026 (file revision 20260918); damage converted to 2025 dollars with the BLS CPI-U. Search the record at NCEI. BLS consumer price index.

What hazards hit Dodge County most?

The most frequent records are severe thunderstorm wind events: 286 since 1955. 63% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1955 fell in June and July. The rank column places the county among Wisconsin's counties by days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land over each hazard's complete period.

Dodge County: records by hazard, 1950 to June 30, 2026
HazardRecordsDaysFirst, lastKilledInjuredDamageRank in state
Severe thunderstorm wind 286 183 1955-2026 0 15 $11M 17 of 72
Winter storms 237 236 1996-2026 5 15 $296K 20 of 72
Hail 199 113 1955-2026 1 2 $5.4M 18 of 72
Fog, smoke and funnel clouds 91 83 1999-2024 2 0 – 16 of 72
Tornadoes 70 48 1951-2026 0 37 $110M 8 of 72
High wind and dust storms 50 50 1997-2026 0 1 $1.9M 21 of 72
Floods 43 32 1996-2026 0 0 $106M 32 of 72
Heat 39 39 1998-2026 0 0 – 19 of 72
Extreme cold 37 37 1996-2026 1 0 $21K 21 of 72
Drought 18 18 2002-2012 0 0 $470K 51 of 72
Lightning 8 8 1998-2020 0 2 $335K 26 of 72
Heavy rain 5 4 2003-2014 0 2 – 49 of 72
Wildfires 1 1 2006-2006 0 0 – 9 of 72

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (county and forecast-zone records attributed to the county; a zone record shows its own totals on each county it covers). Days: dates with at least one record of the hazard in the county. Ranks: days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer), since 1950 for tornadoes, 1955 for hail and thunderstorm wind, 1996 for the rest.

How many tornadoes has Dodge County had?

NOAA records 70 tornadoes in Dodge County from 1951 to 2026, the strongest rated F3, with 0 deaths and 37 injuries recorded in the county. That is 8th of 72 Wisconsin counties by days with tornadoes per 1,000 square miles since 1950. A tornado that crossed a county line is counted in each county it touched, with the length of its path inside the county.

Counted as whole tornadoes rather than county records, the Storm Prediction Center's database holds 68 tornadoes whose track touched Dodge County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 70: they file a crossing tornado once per county segment, and the two databases differ on some tracks); along their whole tracks they killed 2 people, 0 of them in Dodge County.

The deadliest and strongest tornadoes that touched Dodge County, whole tracks
DateTornadoRatingPathKilled
1974-04-21 15:30, as SPC files itKekoskeeF358.6 mi2
2004-06-23 19:33, as SPC files itMarkesan to WaupunF333.3 mi0
1980-04-07 15:35, as SPC files itRandolphF31.2 mi0
1977-06-05 20:30, as SPC files itKekoskee to New BerlinF369.5 mi0
1974-04-21 15:00, as SPC files itBrownsvilleF322.2 mi0

Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Wisconsin.

Every tornado record filed for Dodge County (70)
The 60 most recent of 70 tornadoes in Dodge County
DatePlaceCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-06-10 Lomira, Dodge County EF0 0.72 mi x 75 yd 0 0 $104K
2026-04-13 South Beaver Dam, Dodge County EF0 0.27 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $15K
2025-07-16 Hustisford, Dodge County EF0 3.04 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $3K
2025-07-16 Beaver Dam, Dodge County EF0 0.09 mi x 30 yd 0 0 $1K
2025-05-15 Brownsville, Dodge County EF1 1.5 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $45K
2025-05-15 Theresa, Dodge County EF1 2.1 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $10K
2025-05-15 Horicon, Dodge County EF2 8.28 mi x 300 yd 0 0 $3.4M
2025-05-15 Dodge Co Airport, Dodge County EF1 4.21 mi x 75 yd 0 0 $1.2M
2025-05-15 North Lowell, Dodge County EF2 11.48 mi x 500 yd 0 1 $2.5M
2025-05-15 Reeseville, Dodge County EF1 6.62 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $135K
2018-08-28 Nasbro, Dodge County EF1 2.68 mi x 100 yd 0 0 –
2018-08-28 Nasbro, Dodge County EF2 3.19 mi x 150 yd 0 0 $204K
2011-06-19 Herman Center, Dodge County EF0 0.1 mi x 20 yd 0 0 –
2008-07-10 Waupun Airport, Dodge County EF1 1.02 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $27K
2008-06-12 Mayville, Dodge County EF0 0.09 mi x 20 yd 0 0 –
2008-06-07 South Randolph, Dodge County EF1 2.42 mi x 75 yd 0 0 $411K
2008-06-07 Lost Lake, Dodge County EF0 1.5 mi x 25 yd 0 0 –
2006-06-18 Rubicon, Dodge County F0 1.2 mi x 25 yd 0 0 –
2004-06-23 Waupun, Dodge County F3 16.7 mi x 400 yd 0 0 $13M
2003-07-06 Theresa, Dodge County F0 0.1 mi x 25 yd 0 0 –
2003-07-06 Kekoskee, Dodge County F0 0.1 mi x 25 yd 0 0 –
2003-07-06 Horicon, Dodge County F0 0.1 mi x 25 yd 0 0 –
2001-06-11 Rubicon, Dodge County F0 2.9 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $42K
2001-06-11 Fox Lake, Dodge County F1 8 mi x 75 yd 0 0 $1.2M
2000-06-01 Horicon, Dodge County F2 14.9 mi x 125 yd 0 0 $2.6M
1995-08-16 Reesville, Dodge County F0 0.1 mi x 10 yd 0 0 –
1989-05-24 Dodge County F1 2.2 mi x 73 yd 0 0 $250K step
1989-05-24 Dodge County F1 1.5 mi x 73 yd 0 0 $250K step
1988-06-22 Dodge County F1 2 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $250K step
1988-05-08 Dodge County F0 0.5 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $3K step
1987-07-21 Dodge County F0 0.1 mi x 23 yd 0 0 $3K step
1986-07-12 Dodge County F0 0.1 mi x 23 yd 0 0 $250 step
1986-07-12 Dodge County F0 0.1 mi x 23 yd 0 0 $3K step
1984-07-23 Dodge County F1 2.5 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $250K step
1984-06-08 Dodge County F2 11 mi x 50 yd 0 1 $2.5M step
1983-08-21 Dodge County F0 0.1 mi x 20 yd 0 0 $3K step
1983-07-19 Dodge County F0 0.1 mi x 7 yd 0 0 $3K step
1982-07-14 Dodge County F1 0.1 mi x 67 yd 0 0 $25K step
1981-07-20 Dodge County F0 0 0 –
1981-06-15 Dodge County F1 0.1 mi x 17 yd 0 0 $25K step
1981-04-03 Dodge County F1 0 0 $25K step
1980-08-07 Dodge County F1 6.6 mi x 67 yd 0 0 $250K step
1980-04-07 Dodge County F2 0 0 $250K step
1980-04-07 Dodge County F2 10.2 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $250K step
1980-04-07 Dodge County F2 11.5 mi x 70 yd 0 16 $2.5M step
1980-04-07 Dodge County F3 1.2 mi x 67 yd 0 4 $250K step
1979-08-09 Dodge County F0 0 0 –
1979-08-09 Dodge County F0 0 0 –
1979-08-09 Dodge County F0 0 0 –
1979-08-09 Dodge County F0 0 0 –
1979-08-09 Dodge County F0 0 0 –
1978-06-17 Dodge County F2 16.5 mi x 33 yd 0 0 $2.5M step
1977-08-13 Dodge County 0 0 –
1977-06-05 Dodge County F3 25.4 mi x 400 yd 0 6 $2.5M step
1977-06-05 Dodge County F1 8.2 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $25K step
1977-05-31 Dodge County F1 2 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $25K step
1976-04-15 Dodge County F1 14.1 mi x 33 yd 0 0 $250K step
1974-04-21 Dodge County F3 18.6 mi x 200 yd 0 6 $2.5M step
1974-04-21 Dodge County F3 22.2 mi x 200 yd 0 0 $2.5M step
1972-09-20 Dodge County F1 2 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $250K step

A damage figure marked "step" is a record from before 1993: NOAA then filed damage by category, and the figure is the category as entered, in the dollars of that year, not an estimate of the loss.

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, tornado records by county (path length in the county, maximum width); ratings as published: F scale before February 1, 2007, EF scale after. Whole-track figures: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database (1950-2025). SPC severe weather database.

When was the last damaging storm in Dodge County?

The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the June 10, 2026 tornado ($104,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).

Damage in a short path to the northeast across Lomira included several homes and mobile homes with roof damage, trees uprooted and limbs snapped.
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 1349921)
The 12 most recent records kept for Dodge County
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-06-30 Excessive HeatDodge County · forecast zone Dodge 0 0 –
2026-06-29 Excessive HeatDodge County · forecast zone Dodge 0 0 –
2026-06-24 Thunderstorm WindMayville, Dodge County 50 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-06-24 HailHerman Center, Dodge County 1.00 in hail 0 0 –
2026-06-24 HailWaupun Airport, Dodge County 1.00 in hail 0 0 –
2026-06-10 TornadoLomira, Dodge County EF0 0.72 mi x 75 yd 0 0 $104K
2026-06-10 Thunderstorm WindEast Waupun, Dodge County 70 kt wind 0 0 $35K
2026-06-10 Thunderstorm WindSouth Beaver Dam, Dodge County 70 kt wind 0 0 $35K
2026-06-10 Thunderstorm WindReeseville, Dodge County 52 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-06-10 Thunderstorm WindBeaver Dam, Dodge County 63 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-04-17 FloodRubicon, Dodge County 0 0 $5K
2026-04-17 Thunderstorm WindRichwood, Dodge County 56 kt wind 0 0 $15K

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database; every record of 2025-2026 is listed, earlier ones when they caused deaths, injuries or $250,000 of damage (2025 dollars), and every tornado.

The deadliest and costliest records

Records with deaths or injuries in Dodge County, most deaths first
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2008-12-24 Winter WeatherDodge County · forecast zone Dodge Yet another low pressure system moving from the Southern Plains to Lower Michigan dumped light to moderate snow amounts across south-central and southeast Wisconsin. Snow accumulations were generally 3 to 4 inches, but amounts tapered off to 2 inches near Lake Michigan from Milwaukee south to Kenosha. Northwest winds ... 2 1 –
2009-01-03 Winter WeatherDodge County · forecast zone Dodge Light freezing rain spread across south-central and southeast Wisconsin during the overnight hours of January 3rd. Ice accumulations on road and sidewalks ranged from 1/10 to 2/10 of an inch, but there were some isolated 1/4 inch amounts. However, ice accumulations on trees and fences were minimal. Some light snow and ... 1 5 –
2011-04-03 HailBeaver Dam, Dodge County A shower of 3/4 inch hail produced icy roads that caused a two-vehicle accident on State Highway 151 north of State Highway 33, north of Beaver Dam. A 26-year-old Green Bay woman was killed, and the male drivers of the two vehicles were injured. 0.75 in hail 1 2 $16K
2020-12-11 Winter WeatherDodge County · forecast zone Dodge Snow accumulation of 4-6 inches. One indirect death from a car accident on a slippery highway 60 in the Town of Rubicon. 1 0 –
2017-03-02 Winter WeatherDodge County · forecast zone Dodge A motorist lost control on snow-covered State Highway 33 in the town of Oak Grove, and crossed the centerline striking another vehicle. One motorist was killed. 1 0 –
2014-01-21 Cold/Wind ChillDodge County · forecast zone Dodge A man was found dead on a frozen retention pond around 1 pm. His vehicle was running nearby, and he was not wearing a coat. Hypothermia is believed to have played a significant role in his death. Wind chill temperatures were around 20 below zero in the morning hours. 1 0 –
2010-01-19 Dense FogDodge County · forecast zone Dodge Surface high pressure building into Wisconsin brought clear skies and light winds to most of the state during the morning hours of January 19th. These conditions were favorable for the formation of dense fog across portions of southern Wisconsin. While dense fog was more widespread in southwest Wisconsin, there were ... 1 0 –
2009-09-04 Dense FogDodge County · forecast zone Dodge The combination of high pressure over the Great Lakes Region, clear skies, light winds, and a moist layer of air near the ground allowed for the formation of dense fog overnight. Visibilities were reduced to 1/8 to 1/4 mile. Some airplain flights were delayed. Newspapers noted a few vehicle accidents. One occurred in ... 1 0 –
The costliest records in Dodge County since 1993, damage in 2025 dollars
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2004-06-01 FloodDodge County · forecast zone Dodge 0 0 $36M
1996-06-17 FloodDodge County · forecast zone Dodge 0 0 $21M
2008-06-08 Flash FloodReeseville, Dodge County 0 0 $14M
2004-06-23 TornadoWaupun, Dodge County F3 16.7 mi x 400 yd 0 0 $13M
2008-06-08 Flash FloodAlderley, Dodge County 0 0 $12M
2008-06-07 Flash FloodWatertown, Dodge County 0 0 $9.0M
2008-06-07 Flash FloodLebanon, Dodge County 0 0 $8.5M
1998-05-31 Thunderstorm WindCountywide, Dodge County 0 8 $6.8M

Before 1993 NOAA filed damage by category, not amount, so the list above starts in 1993. The highest category filed here before then (entered as $2.5M, in the dollars of the day) holds: April 7, 1980 (tornado, Dodge County); April 21, 1974 (tornado, Dodge County); June 5, 1977 (tornado, Dodge County).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths and injuries direct and indirect; damage is property plus crops as estimated by the National Weather Service, converted to 2025 dollars.

Is it getting more frequent?

Records per decade for Dodge County's most frequent hazards. Counts rose everywhere after 1996, when NOAA began recording every event type, so compare decades within a hazard's complete period only (the shaded cells come before it).

Dodge County: records per decade (the 2020s to June 30, 2026)
Hazard1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020-26
Severe thunderstorm wind1693649647150
Winter storms––––13619469
Hail2461026594745
Fog, smoke and funnel clouds––––367201
Tornadoes271520112310
High wind and dust storms––––322223

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).

What time of year?

63% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1955 fell in June and July. The two busiest months are in violet.

The values, month by month

Jan 101 · Feb 77 · Mar 70 · Apr 93 · May 109 · Jun 179 · Jul 163 · Aug 90 · Sep 47 · Oct 37 · Nov 31 · Dec 87 (records).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.

Federal disaster declarations for Dodge County

FEMA's register lists 13 declarations that include Dodge County: 9 major disasters, 4 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for severe storm (4) and biological (2).

Declarations including Dodge County, newest first
DeclaredNumberTypeTitle
2020-04-04DR-4520BiologicalCovid-19 Pandemic
2020-03-13EM-3454BiologicalCovid-19
2011-04-05DR-1966SnowstormSevere Winter Storm and Snowstorm
2008-06-14DR-1768Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding
2008-03-19EM-3285SnowstormRecord Snow and Near Record Snow
2005-09-13EM-3249HurricaneHurricane Katrina Evacuation
2004-06-18DR-1526Severe StormSevere Storms and Flooding
2000-06-24DR-1332Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding
1993-07-02DR-994Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes & Flooding
1986-10-07DR-775FloodSevere Storms & Flooding
1976-06-17EM-3014DroughtDrought
1976-03-23DR-496FloodSevere Storms, Icing, Wind & Flooding
1974-04-26DR-431TornadoTornadoes

Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), declarations through October 2, 2026; one declaration is counted once however many areas it names. OpenFEMA dataset page.

How many floods has Dodge County had?

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 43 flood or flash flood records for Dodge County from 1996 to 2026, on 32 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Dodge County ranks 1694th of 2,942 U.S. counties.

The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $205,000 on 46 claims filed in Dodge County; the most in one year was 16 in 2008. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.

The values, year by year

1978: 1 · 1979: 2 · 1987: 1 · 1990: 3 · 1993: 2 · 1996: 2 · 1999: 4 · 2001: 1 · 2004: 4 · 2008: 16 · 2014: 3 · 2019: 7; the other years: 0.

Source: FEMA OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims, as of September 8, 2026; claims by year of loss, payments in the dollars of the year paid. OpenFEMA dataset page.

FEMA's modeled risk for Dodge County

FEMA's National Risk Index rates Dodge County Relatively Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $34.1 million. These are FEMA's model estimates of future loss from 18 hazards, not a count of what happened; they can differ from the record above.

National Risk Index ratings for Dodge County (December 2025 release), by FEMA's rating, then score
HazardRisk ratingExpected annual lossModeled frequency
HailRelatively Moderate$2.8M3.5 a year (modeled)
Cold WaveRelatively Moderate$6.9M5.7 a year (modeled)
TornadoRelatively Moderate$6.4Monce in about 2 years (modeled)
Strong WindRelatively Moderate$1.4M3.8 a year (modeled)
Winter WeatherRelatively Moderate$122K16 a year (modeled)
LightningRelatively Moderate$391K35 a year (modeled)
Heat WaveRelatively Low$1.2M2.9 modeled event-days a year
Riverine FloodingRelatively Low$14Mabout once a year (modeled)

Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.

Counties that share a border with Dodge County

  1. Dane County 1,787
  2. Waukesha County 1,260
  3. Jefferson County 1,097
  4. Dodge County 1,084
  5. Columbia County 928
  6. Washington County 882
  7. Fond du Lac County 873
  8. Green Lake County 606

Source: U.S. Census Bureau county adjacency file; NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1950. The Census Bureau's adjacency file.

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