Lafayette County, Wisconsin
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 55065 · population 16,579 · 634 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 771 records for Lafayette County, Wisconsin from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 620 days; the most frequent are winter storm records (207 records). 418 of them are forecast-zone records, which the National Weather Service files once per zone: a county covered by several zones receives each one, so a single storm can add several records on the same day. The deadliest single record is the March 28, 2009 winter weather, filed for the forecast zone Lafayette, which covers the county: 1 death and 1 injury. FEMA has issued 14 declarations naming the county since 1969, 12 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mud” on October 7, 2017.
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
- 771on 620 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 219 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $88Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 36strongest F3
- FEMA declarations
- 14latest 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 Lafayette County most?
The most frequent records are winter storm records: 207 since 1996. 54% of its winter storm records since 1996 fell in December and January. 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.
| Hazard | Records | Days | First, last | Killed | Injured | Damage | Rank in state |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter storms | 207 | 204 | 1996-2026 | 1 | 5 | $34K | 15 of 72 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 179 | 126 | 1955-2026 | 0 | 1 | $8.2M | 22 of 72 |
| Hail | 80 | 49 | 1969-2026 | 0 | 0 | $26M | 51 of 72 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 72 | 72 | 1998-2013 | 0 | 0 | – | 13 of 72 |
| Floods | 48 | 38 | 1996-2025 | 0 | 0 | $8.8M | 18 of 72 |
| Heat | 44 | 44 | 1998-2026 | 0 | 0 | – | 14 of 72 |
| Extreme cold | 39 | 38 | 1996-2026 | 1 | 0 | $1K | 13 of 72 |
| High wind and dust storms | 38 | 38 | 1997-2026 | 0 | 1 | $1.2M | 20 of 72 |
| Tornadoes | 36 | 27 | 1958-2026 | 0 | 12 | $43M | 16 of 72 |
| Drought | 17 | 17 | 2002-2012 | 0 | 0 | $164K | 32 of 72 |
| Lightning | 7 | 7 | 1997-2007 | 0 | 0 | $128K | 24 of 72 |
| Heavy rain | 4 | 4 | 2000-2003 | 0 | 0 | – | 40 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 Lafayette County had?
NOAA records 36 tornadoes in Lafayette County from 1958 to 2026, the strongest rated F3, with 0 deaths and 12 injuries recorded in the county. That is 16th 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 38 tornadoes whose track touched Lafayette County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 36: they file a crossing tornado once per county segment, and the two databases differ on some tracks); along their whole tracks they killed 0 people.
| Date | Tornado | Rating | Path | Killed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988-05-08 15:00, as SPC files it | Shullsburg | F3 | 16 mi | 0 |
| 1967-04-16 13:50, as SPC files it | Browntown | F3 | 27.8 mi | 0 |
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Wisconsin.
Every tornado record filed for Lafayette County (36)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-17 | Woodford, Lafayette County | EF0 1.23 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $5K |
| 2026-05-15 | Benton, Lafayette County | EF0 4.76 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $55K |
| 2024-06-22 | Lamont, Lafayette County | EF2 6.49 mi x 500 yd | 0 | 0 | $941K |
| 2024-06-22 | Belmont, Lafayette County | EF0 5.57 mi x 75 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2023-03-31 | Leslie, Lafayette County | EF1 1.74 mi x 75 yd | 0 | 0 | $291K |
| 2023-03-31 | Ipswich, Lafayette County | EF1 5.5 mi x 75 yd | 0 | 0 | $969K |
| 2018-06-26 | Argyle, Lafayette County | EF0 1.79 mi x 47 yd | 0 | 0 | $18K |
| 2018-06-26 | Platte Mounds, Lafayette County | EF0 0.5 mi x 40 yd | 0 | 0 | $1K |
| 2014-06-16 | Leslie, Lafayette County | EF1 4.35 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | $1.9M |
| 2014-06-16 | Leslie, Lafayette County | EF1 0.65 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $37K |
| 2010-06-21 | Gratiot, Lafayette County | EF1 2.22 mi x 75 yd | 0 | 0 | $20K |
| 2009-07-27 | Gratiot, Lafayette County | EF0 0.09 mi x 25 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2009-07-24 | New Digging, Lafayette County | EF0 4.16 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $83K |
| 2009-07-24 | Seymour Corners, Lafayette County | EF0 3.36 mi x 75 yd | 0 | 0 | $151K |
| 2007-06-01 | Dunbarton, Lafayette County | EF0 0.23 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2007-06-01 | Shullsburg, Lafayette County | EF0 0.1 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2003-05-10 | Belmont, Lafayette County | F1 7.8 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 1 | $321K |
| 2000-06-01 | Calamine, Lafayette County | F1 0.5 mi x 75 yd | 0 | 0 | $171K |
| 1998-05-15 | Benton, Lafayette County | F2 20 mi x 150 yd | 0 | 11 | $3.3M |
| 1994-07-04 | Woodford, Lafayette County | F1 0.5 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $1.1M |
| 1994-07-04 | Dickeyville, Lafayette County | F1 3 mi x 300 yd | 0 | 0 | $1.1M |
| 1988-05-08 | Lafayette County | F1 9 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $250K step |
| 1988-05-08 | Lafayette County | F3 16 mi x 123 yd | 0 | 0 | $250K step |
| 1987-08-16 | Lafayette County | F1 0.1 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $250K step |
| 1984-07-10 | Lafayette County | F0 0.1 mi x 27 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1984-06-07 | Lafayette County | F2 6 mi x 40 yd | 0 | 0 | $250K step |
| 1972-09-20 | Lafayette County | F1 1 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1971-07-25 | Lafayette County | F1 1 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1971-06-01 | Lafayette County | F1 23.6 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1970-09-09 | Lafayette County | F2 6.6 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1969-06-29 | Lafayette County | F2 10.4 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | $250K step |
| 1967-06-11 | Lafayette County | F1 0.5 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1967-04-16 | Lafayette County | F3 27.8 mi x 500 yd | 0 | 0 | $2.5M step |
| 1963-09-02 | Lafayette County | F1 70.7 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 0 | $250K step |
| 1963-09-02 | Lafayette County | F2 9.9 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1958-05-31 | Lafayette County | F2 1.3 mi x 33 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 Lafayette County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the June 24, 2026 thunderstorm wind ($1,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-30 | Excessive HeatLafayette County · forecast zone Lafayette | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-29 | HeatLafayette County · forecast zone Lafayette | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-24 | Thunderstorm WindElk Grove, Lafayette County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $1K |
| 2026-06-17 | TornadoWoodford, Lafayette County | EF0 1.23 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $5K |
| 2026-06-10 | Thunderstorm WindDarlington, Lafayette County | 76 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-15 | TornadoBenton, Lafayette County | EF0 4.76 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $55K |
| 2026-04-17 | HailSeymour Corners, Lafayette County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-04-17 | HailSouth Wayne, Lafayette County | 0.75 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-03-31 | High WindLafayette County · forecast zone Lafayette | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-03-16 | BlizzardLafayette County · forecast zone Lafayette | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-12 | High WindLafayette County · forecast zone Lafayette | 54 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $15K |
| 2026-01-23 | Extreme Cold/Wind ChillLafayette County · forecast zone Lafayette | 0 | 0 | – |
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
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009-03-28 | Winter WeatherLafayette County · forecast zone Lafayette Strong low pressure tracked northeast from southeast Missouri to southeast Lower Michigan during the night of March 28th into the morning of March 29th. Maximum snowfall totals of 4 inches were recorded over Fond Du Lac, Iowa and northern Lafayette counties. Specifid accumulations included 4.1 inches 2NE of Darlington ... | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 1996-01-30 | Cold/Wind ChillLafayette County · forecast zone Lafayette After the previous day's ground blizzard, very cold arctic air poured into Southern Wisconsin on northwest winds of 10 to 25 mph. Wind chills dropped to 35 to 45 below zero. Maximum temperatures only made it to 3 above zero in Milwaukee (Milwaukee county) after overnight lows across Southern Wisconsin of 5 below to 15 ... | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 1998-05-15 | TornadoBenton, Lafayette County A supercell thunderstorm, after dropping a couple tornadoes in northeast Iowa, eventually moved northeast into Lafayette county, creating another tornado. This tornado touched down just southwest of Benton and hopped/skipped northeast for 20 miles. It caused moderate to severe damage to 40 different farms and their ... | F2 20 mi x 150 yd | 0 | 11 | $3.3M |
| 2008-12-24 | Winter WeatherLafayette County · forecast zone Lafayette 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 ... | 0 | 4 | – | |
| 2018-07-13 | Thunderstorm WindGratiot, Lafayette County Downburst winds of 80 mph rolled and damaged 10 large campers. Nearby corn was flattened. | 70 kt wind | 0 | 1 | $236K |
| 2003-05-10 | TornadoBelmont, Lafayette County A tornado spun up 5.0 miles southwest of the village Belmont (Lafayette Co.), near the intersection of Pine Tree and Field Drive, and proceeded to track northeast to near Belmont before dissipating 2.7 miles northeast of Belmont (just southeast of the intersection of Cottage Inn Road and Bethel Grove Rd). Just east of ... | F1 7.8 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 1 | $321K |
| 1997-04-06 | High WindLafayette County · forecast zone Lafayette Strong gradient winds, enhanced by scattered snow showers,resulted in high winds which forced the collapse of a barn 1.5 miles southeast of South Wayne. Several of the milk cows inside the barn were killed, and 20 of them were trapped. The high winds also flipped over a pickup truck pulling a hay wagon about 3 miles ... | 0 | 1 | $138K |
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009-07-24 | HailBenton, Lafayette County | 2.75 in hail | 0 | 0 | $9.5M |
| 2006-04-13 | HailDarlington, Lafayette County | 2.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | $3.5M |
| 1998-05-15 | TornadoBenton, Lafayette County | F2 20 mi x 150 yd | 0 | 11 | $3.3M |
| 2004-06-01 | FloodLafayette County · forecast zone Lafayette | 0 | 0 | $2.3M | |
| 2014-06-16 | TornadoLeslie, Lafayette County | EF1 4.35 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | $1.9M |
| 1998-05-31 | Thunderstorm WindCountywide, Lafayette County | 0 | 0 | $1.8M | |
| 2011-07-11 | Thunderstorm WindBelmont, Lafayette County | 65 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $1.6M |
| 1999-05-16 | Flash FloodSouth Portion, Lafayette County | 0 | 0 | $1.3M |
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 16, 1967 (tornado, Lafayette 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 Lafayette 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).
| Hazard | 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020-26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter storms | – | – | – | – | 8 | 59 | 82 | 58 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 2 | 2 | 5 | 17 | 36 | 44 | 50 | 23 |
| Hail | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 15 | 27 | 7 | 21 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | – | – | – | – | 3 | 51 | 18 | 0 |
| Floods | – | – | – | – | 6 | 15 | 24 | 3 |
| Heat | – | – | – | – | 6 | 10 | 20 | 8 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).
What time of year?
54% of its winter storm records since 1996 fell in December and January. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 94 · Feb 73 · Mar 65 · Apr 54 · May 58 · Jun 93 · Jul 108 · Aug 55 · Sep 36 · Oct 23 · Nov 28 · Dec 84 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Lafayette County
FEMA's register lists 14 declarations that include Lafayette County: 11 major disasters, 3 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for severe storm (7) and biological (2).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-04-04 | DR-4520 | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic |
| 2020-03-13 | EM-3454 | Biological | Covid-19 |
| 2017-10-07 | DR-4343 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, and Mud |
| 2011-04-05 | DR-1966 | Snowstorm | Severe Winter Storm and Snowstorm |
| 2008-06-14 | DR-1768 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding |
| 2005-09-13 | EM-3249 | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation |
| 2004-06-18 | DR-1526 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 2000-06-24 | DR-1332 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding |
| 1993-07-02 | DR-994 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes & Flooding |
| 1990-07-13 | DR-874 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes & Flooding |
| 1978-07-07 | DR-559 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Flooding, Hail & Tornadoes |
| 1976-06-17 | EM-3014 | Drought | Drought |
| 1976-03-23 | DR-496 | Flood | Severe Storms, Icing, Wind & Flooding |
| 1969-07-11 | DR-264 | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding |
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 Lafayette County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 48 flood or flash flood records for Lafayette County from 1996 to 2025, on 38 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Lafayette County ranks 1558th of 2,942 U.S. counties.
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $563,000 on 61 claims filed in Lafayette County; the most in one year was 28 in 1993. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1990: 18 · 1993: 28 · 1994: 3 · 1998: 1 · 2000: 2 · 2004: 1 · 2006: 1 · 2010: 3 · 2017: 1 · 2019: 3; 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 Lafayette County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Lafayette County Very Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $12.0 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.
| Hazard | Risk rating | Expected annual loss | Modeled frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cold Wave | Relatively Moderate | $5.0M | 5.8 a year (modeled) |
| Hail | Relatively Moderate | $1.1M | 3.6 a year (modeled) |
| Landslide | Relatively Low | $17K | once in about 3 years (modeled) |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Low | $598K | 4.8 a year (modeled) |
| Drought | Relatively Low | $122K | 5.2 modeled event-days a year |
| Tornado | Relatively Low | $1.2M | once in about 2 years (modeled) |
| Ice Storm | Relatively Low | $55K | about once a year (modeled) |
| Heat Wave | Very Low | $237K | 3.7 modeled event-days a year |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
Counties that share a border with Lafayette County
Source: U.S. Census Bureau county adjacency file; NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1950. The Census Bureau's adjacency file.
Next
- Tornadoes in WisconsinEvery Wisconsin tornado since 1950 and the counties with the most per square mile
- Winter storms in WisconsinThe state's winter storm records, by county, year and month
- The Wisconsin recordEvery hazard in the state, its deadliest events and its federal declarations
- FEMA's risk rating for each hazard in Lafayette CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Lafayette County's FEMA declarations (CSV)14 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis