Tornado in Wisconsin, July 18, 1996

Name: Tornado in Wisconsin, July 18, 1996
Start: 1996-07-18T19:18
End: 1996-07-18T19:28
Location: Wisconsin

July 18, 1996 · NWS MKX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

6 miles south of Holy Cross where it intensified from F0 to F1. 4 miles NE of Knellsville.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
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Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $300,000
Crop damage: $230,000
Events: 1

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS MKX wrote it up.

A weak tornado touched down 1 mile NNW of Fredonia and then hopped and skipped to a point .6 miles south of Holy Cross where it intensified from F0 to F1. This tornado continued on the ground ESE near and south of Dixie Road to the Lake Michigan shoreline at a point 3.4 miles NE of Knellsville. It destroyed 4 barns and 3 machine sheds, and 1 garage. It also damaged 6 homes, 1 barn, 3 machine sheds, and 1 garage. There was also crop damage to about 500 acres along its path through rural areas. Several vehicles were also destroyed or damaged. There were no injuries or deaths. Total damage amounts were $300,000 in private/public property and $230,000 for crops. This tornado then became a waterspout as it continued ESE over Lake Michigan.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

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Event by event

1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Ozaukee

When: July 18, 7:18 PM CST to 7:28 PM CST
Where: Ozaukee County, Fredonia to 1 mi NE of Knellsville
Rating: F1
Path length: 7.6 mi
Path width: 125 yd
Property damage: $300,000
Crop damage: $230,000
Coordinates: 43.480, -87.950

What these are

Tornado: A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Wisconsin in 1996 Every state in 1996 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Wisconsin, 1996 Warnings in Wisconsin, July 1996

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5558517.