Sun Prairie, WI Tornado History — 144 Tornadoes Since 1950
How many tornadoes has Sun Prairie, WI had?
Sun Prairie has had 144 tornadoes on record within 25 miles since 1950, including 13 violent (EF3+) tornadoes.
When was the most recent tornado near Sun Prairie?
The most recent tornado within 25 miles of Sun Prairie was an EF0 on July 16, 2025.
When is tornado season in Sun Prairie?
June is historically the peak month for tornadoes near Sun Prairie, with 45 on record. Spring through early summer (April–June) generally sees the highest activity across most of the central and southern United States.
At a Glance
Recent Tornado Activity Near Sun Prairie
The last 20 years of confirmed tornadoes within 25 miles — 51 total, averaging 2.5 per year over this window.
Preliminary tornado reports near Sun Prairie since December 29, 2025
These are 2 preliminary reports, not confirmed tornadoes. They have not yet been through an NWS damage survey, and are not counted in the confirmed totals above.
Preliminary reports are revised, merged, and sometimes withdrawn — historically about 23% are consolidated downward once surveys complete. Ratings are omitted until a survey assigns one.
Confirmed records above are complete through December 29, 2025. NOAA publishes the confirmed archive annually, so tornadoes after that date appear here first and move into the totals above once finalized.
Within 25 miles of Sun Prairie. Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center preliminary storm reports, updated daily.
Tornadoes by Decade
Tornadoes by Enhanced Fujita Rating
F0–F5 ratings (pre-2007) are grouped with their EF equivalents. The Enhanced Fujita scale replaced the original Fujita scale in February 2007.
Tornadoes by Month
Casualties on Record Near Sun Prairie
17 fatalities have been recorded within 25 miles of Sun Prairie since 1950, across 6 events. 376 injuries have been reported across all events. 1984 was the deadliest year on record.
The deadliest single event was a F5 on June 7, 1984, which caused 9 fatalities along a 36.0-mile track.
Notable Tornadoes Near Sun Prairie
About Tornadoes in Sun Prairie
This overview was written July 24, 2026. The tornado counts and notable-event figures elsewhere on this page reflect the latest data and may differ from this summary.
Sun Prairie is in south-central Wisconsin, just northeast of Madison, in a landscape of farmland and low glacial terrain. Although it lies toward the northern and eastern reaches of the country's main tornado belt, southern Wisconsin still sees its share of severe thunderstorms and tornadoes during the warmer months.
The tornado threat here follows the familiar Midwestern recipe. Warm, moist air advancing north from the Gulf of Mexico meets cooler air over the Upper Midwest, and when a vigorous jet stream adds wind shear, thunderstorms can rotate and spawn tornadoes. Because the region sits farther north, its most active stretch tends to run from late spring into summer, when the atmosphere has warmed enough to become strongly unstable; quieter cold-season months rarely produce tornadoes here.
Tornado intensity is measured on the Enhanced Fujita (EF) scale, which grades a tornado from EF0 to EF5 according to the damage it inflicts on buildings, trees, and other indicators. Most events are weak, but stronger tornadoes do occur in Wisconsin when conditions align. The detailed record for the Sun Prairie area — the number of tornadoes on record, how they distribute by decade and rating, and the notable events — is drawn from the NOAA Storm Prediction Center archive and can be found in the figures elsewhere on this page.