Sauk County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Sauk County: 0.
2. Weak tornadoes were under-recorded before Doppler radar coverage became national in the early 1990s, so earlier decades read low. Ratings use the Fujita scale before February 2007 and the Enhanced Fujita scale after.

Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, 1950 to 2025.

Smoke overhead

1. A smoke day is a date on which a smoke plume traced by NOAA Hazard Mapping System analysts from satellite imagery covered this place's point (the county's population centre or the city centre). Counts here are of medium or heavy smoke. Since 2018 analysts have often drawn light smoke as one area over most of the continent, so light-smoke counts are not comparable from year to year. The plumes show smoke anywhere in the air above, not air quality at the ground, and smoke hidden by cloud is missed.

NOAA Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, 2011 to 2026, retrieved October 30, 2026.

Claims by ZIP code

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).

OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026. NOAA Storm Events through 2026.

River crests

River gauges

1. Crests are the highest and the recent crests the National Weather Service lists for each river gauge in the county that has a flood stage, not every flood. Flood categories use each gauge's current flood stages; crests from before levees, dams or channel changes may not be comparable. Crests measured on an old datum are left out of the rankings.

NOAA National Water Prediction Service gauge records, retrieved October 30, 2026.

1. The Palmer Drought Severity Index is computed by NOAA each month from the county's average temperature and precipitation, relative to the county's own climate. Zero is normal; -3 or lower is severe drought and -4 or lower extreme drought. It describes the long-term balance of moisture, not water supply or crop losses.

NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, 1895 to September 2026, issued October 6, 2026.

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. Jun 9, 2008Flash Flood$22.4 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Sauk County experienced 4 flash flood events over a 3-day period. Two of the events started on June 7th, one on June 8th, and the last one on June 9th. In each case, flash flooding caused home and business damage as well as crop losses. Roads were blocked or washed out (STH 154 and CTH C), and bridges were damaged. Many vehicles stalled. Locations in the Baraboo River Valley sustained considerable damage as the river crested at all-time levels. Collectively, each of these 4 flash floods resulted in home and business damage along with some crop losses. It was nearly impossible to break down the damages by flash flood event. Therefore, the collective breakdown is provided in the…

2. Jun 1, 2000Flash Flood$9.3 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   One would be hard pressed to find another day like June 1, 2000 in terms of depth and range of severe, convective weather events across south-central and southeast Wisconsin. Tornadoes, widespread and localized flash flooding, funnel clouds, damaging hurricane-force, straight-line winds associated with a wicked squall-line, large hail stones, urban/small flooding, lightning strikes, and significant mainstem river flooding were reported. As in the preceding weeks, a quasi-stationary front over northern Illinois served as a boundary for warm, moist, unstable air to be pulled north over the cooler air over Wisconsin. Leftover flooding (from the evening of May 31, 2000) and isolated…

3. Aug 29, 2018Flood$4.9 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Flood levels continued to rapidly rise on the Baraboo River with near record crests reached in La Valle during the late morning hours on August 29th, and near record in Reedsburg late in the afternoon on August 29th. Evacuations continued in the early morning hours in La Valle on August 29th, while 10-15 persons were evacuated during the early morning hours on August 30th in Rock Springs and North Freedom. Many state and county highways, and bridges, were closed in the aforementioned communities near and along the Baraboo River. The Baraboo River also began to flood farther downstream in the Baraboo area. Other roads, bridges, and lowland areas across northern Sauk County remained…

4. Jun 1, 2004Flood, Sauk$2.1 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Scattered to widespread heavy rains across south-central and southeast Wisconsin during the period of June 9-12, 2004 kept many rivers and streams at or above flood stage for a good part, or most of the month. Monthly rainfall totals generally ranged from 4 to 7 inches across south-central and southeast Wisconsin, with some scattered spots in Sauk, Columbia, Dodge, Walworth, Racine, and Kenosha Counties picking up 7 to 9.5 inches, or 50 to 100% above normal. In some cases, stretches of some rivers actually went above flood stage in May, 2004. Refer to flood and flash flood events in May, 2004, for additional information. During June, 2004, the high water levels kept much of the…

5. Aug 24, 2007Lightning$1.9 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Lightning struck a commerical peg farm near Sauk City, killing about 1900 pigs. The exact location of the farm isn't known.

6. Aug 30, 2018Flood$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Flood levels were quickly rising on the lower Baraboo River basin and falling in the upper portions of the river basin. A near record crest of 27.6 feet occurred in Rock Springs during the late afternoon of August 31st, while a new record crest did occur in North Freedom at 25.3 feet. The river was approaching crest in West Baraboo late on August 31st. Many state and county highways, and bridges, were closed in the communities near and along the Baraboo River. Many homes and businesses sustained minor flood damage in these communities.

7. May 31, 1998Thunderstorm Wind$914,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   During the early morning hours of Sunday, May 31st, southcentral and southeast Wisconsin experienced an unprecedented, widespread downburst wind event known as a "derecho." Incredibly powerful, hurricane-force straight-line winds, with peak gusts of 100 to 128 mph tore through 12 counties in this part of the state, while another 8 counties had peak gusts of 60 to 80 mph. Residents noted that the strongest winds only lasted a minute or two, but gusty winds hung on for 15 to 30 minutes. Meteorologically, a solid squall line developed in southern Minnesota and gathered strength as it raced east with a translational speed of 50 to 60 mph across southcentral and southeast Wisconsin.…

8. Oct 4, 2006Hail$900,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A hailstorm dumped hail stones with diameters from 1.00 to 1.75 inch from Reedsburg to Baraboo, with most of the activity in the Reedsburg area. Hundreds of vehicles were damaged by the hail stones. Three insurance companies reported 375 claims totaling about $900,000.

9. Aug 18, 2005Tornado$600,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   This tornado spun up from the same supercell thunderstorm that spawned the "Viola" tornado earlier in Vernon and Richland counties. This Sauk County tornado spun up at 1633CST about 3.6 miles northeast of Leland, or about 1/4 mile south of the intersection of Ruff and Pine Hollow Roads. The tornado headed east-southeast for about 11.1 miles in Sauk County, and crossed the Columbia County line at 1655CST about 4.5 miles north-northeast of Prairie du Sac, between Wiegans Bay and a boat launch site. This tornado crossed CTH C about 0.5 mile west of Stones Pocket Road, and moved through old Badger Ammunition Plant just south of the greatest density of roads within the Plant grounds.…

10. Jun 25, 2006Flash Flood$500,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Thunderstorms with torrential downpours produced rainfalls of 3 to 6 inches (radar estimated) in west-central Sauk County. Specifically, 4.67 inches of rain fell in Hill Point from 1315CST to 1430CST. Several shoulder gravel washouts occurred on a couple roads in the west-central part of the county as well as on some residential driveways. Several roads had water depths of 1 to 2 feet on low spots. The area that was affected the most was a 2 mile by 10 mile band in the Civil Towns of Ironton and Washington. In this area, four roads had a low spot washed away from the floods. One farm lost 4 acres of a hay/alfalfa crop.

1. Storm Events records before 1996 cover only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail. Damage figures are as reported by the National Weather Service at the time, not adjusted for inflation.

NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026, issued October 26, 2026.

All-time high

103°F3 times, most recently Jul 7, 2012

All-time low

−45°FJan 30, 1951

Warmest night

79°F3 times, most recently Jun 23, 2025

Coldest day

−14°FJan 15, 1972

Wettest day

7.78 inJul 18, 1993

Snowiest day

13.0 inMar 5, 1959

Hottest year

2024mean 50.9°F

Coldest year

1979mean 41.4°F

Wettest year

201852.69 in

Driest year

195816.89 in

Snowiest season

95.1 in2007-08

Station Baraboo Wwtp (USC00470516), 813 ft elevation, 7.1 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1893 to October 23, 2026; 97.7% of days in the last 30 years are complete. Records at a single station can differ from a city’s official threaded record, which may combine several stations.

NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily.

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).

OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries, retrieved October 30, 2026. Statewide declarations are not listed.

Neighbouring counties

• Tornadoes NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, through 2025.
• Tropical cyclones NOAA National Hurricane Center HURDAT2 (Atlantic; Northeast and Central Pacific), through 2025.
• Wildfire USGS/USFS Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity, through 2026.
• Storm events NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, through 2026.
• Flood insurance OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026.
• Declarations OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Weather records NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily, station USC00470516.
• River crests NOAA National Weather Service, National Water Prediction Service river gauges, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Drought NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, through September 2026.
• Smoke NOAA NESDIS Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Earthquakes USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat), retrieved October 30, 2026.

Joins, thresholds and known limits are set out in the methodology. Found an error? Report it. Page built October 30, 2026.