Thunderstorm Wind, Wood
- When
- April 5, 6:20 PM CST
- Where
- Wood County, 2 mi W of Pittsville
- Property damage
- $40,000
- Coordinates
- 44.450, -90.170
Damaging Winds and Lightning Strike in Wisconsin, April 5, 1997
A small line of thunderstorms produced strong winds across Wood, Portage and western Waushara counties. The most significant damage occurred 2 miles west of Pittsville, where several barns and outbuildings were blown down.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $45,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 5
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 GRB wrote it up.
A small line of thunderstorms produced strong winds across Wood, Portage and western Waushara counties. The most significant damage occurred 2 miles west of Pittsville, where several barns and outbuildings were blown down. Scattered trees and power lines were also levelled. A house was set fire by lightning in the Whiting (Portage county) area.
The radar
The La Crosse radar (KARX), 107 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:19 UTC.
Event by event
4 thunderstorm wind, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
Thunderstorm Wind, Waushara
- When
- April 5, 6:45 PM CST
- Where
- Waushara County, Hancock
- Property damage
- $2,000
- Coordinates
- 44.130, -89.520
Thunderstorm Wind, Portage
- When
- April 5, 6:50 PM CST
- Where
- Portage County, Bancroft
- Property damage
- $1,000
- Coordinates
- 44.320, -89.520
Thunderstorm Wind, Portage
- When
- April 5, 6:55 PM CST
- Where
- Portage County, 10 mi W of Stevens Pt
- Property damage
- $2,000
- Coordinates
- 44.520, -89.770
Lightning, Portage
- When
- April 5, 7:00 PM CST
- Where
- Portage County, Whiting
- Coordinates
- 44.476, -89.501 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Thunderstorm Wind
- Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
- Lightning
- A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Blizzard in North Dakota, April 5 to 6, 1997
- Blizzard in South Dakota, April 5 to 6, 1997
- Blizzard in Minnesota, April 5 to 6, 1997
- Flood in North Dakota, April 5 to 8, 1997
- Flash Flood in Arkansas, April 5, 1997
- Flash Flood in Louisiana, April 5, 1997
- Flood in Minnesota, April 5 to 8, 1997
- Flood in Minnesota, April 5 to 9, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Wisconsin, April 5, 1997
- Lightning Strike in Louisiana, April 5, 1997
- Flash Flood in Louisiana, April 5, 1997
- Blizzard in Nebraska, April 5 to 6, 1997
More
Every storm in Wisconsin in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Wisconsin, April 1997
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: 5600409, 5600413, 5600410, 5600411, 5600412.