Tornadoes and Flooding in Wisconsin, July 25, 1997

Name: Tornadoes and Flooding in Wisconsin, July 25, 1997
Start: 1997-07-25T18:24
End: 1997-07-25T23:00
Location: Wisconsin

July 25, 1997 · NWS MKX · 14 events in 3 counties and zones

Severe thunderstorms caused scattered tree and power line damage before becoming explosive and dropping two tornadoes in Dane County near Waunakee. Two funnel clouds were also reported.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 5 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 1
Property damage: $524,000
Crop damage: $2,000
Events: 14

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.

Severe thunderstorms caused scattered tree and power line damage before becoming explosive and dropping two tornadoes in Dane County near Waunakee. Two funnel clouds were also reported. The first tornado moved east-northeast along Highway 19 just west of Waunakee, damaging 3 homes and 2 outbuildings and destroying a barn and a garage. The second, larger tornado, touched down just west of Highway 113 southeast of Waunakee, and then moved east-southeast across a housing development along and near River Road. It eventually crossed the Yahara River swamp area, hopped and skipped across the Cherokee development, and lifted east of W. Sherman Ave in the northern part of Maple Bluff. This second tornado injured 1 person, damaged 17 homes, and 3 farm buildings. One home sustained major damage, and a pole barn was destroyed. After nightfall the storm's forces took the form of damaging lightning, heavy rains and additional destructive winds. The Jefferson County fair closed early due to the storms. Six inches of rain in 3 hours caused urban street flooding in Dane County with standing water 6 to 8 inches deep in roads around Sun Prairie. Later, heavy rain measuring 1.93 inches caused street flooding in Sheboygan (Sheboygan Co) and flooded the basement of the public High School. Also in Sheboygan, lightning struck a home's TV antenna and shorted out an amplifier.

The radar

The Milwaukee radar (KMKX), 35 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:25 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

7 thunderstorm wind, 2 tornado, 2 funnel cloud, 2 flood, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Jefferson

When: July 25, 6:24 PM CST
Where: Jefferson County, 1 mi SE of Cambridge
Property damage: $2,000
Coordinates: 42.980, -88.980

Tornado, Dane

When: July 25, 6:38 PM CST to 6:41 PM CST
Where: Dane County, Waunakee to 2 mi W of Waunakee
Rating: F1
Path length: 1 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Property damage: $130,000
Crop damage: $1,000
Coordinates: 43.180, -89.480

Thunderstorm Wind, Jefferson

When: July 25, 6:50 PM CST
Where: Jefferson County, 1 mi WSW of Busseyville
Property damage: $400
Coordinates: 42.900, -89.000

Thunderstorm Wind, Dane

When: July 25, 7:05 PM CST
Where: Dane County, Madison
Property damage: $500
Coordinates: 43.070, -89.420

Funnel Cloud, Dane

When: July 25, 7:05 PM CST
Where: Dane County, De Forest
Coordinates: 43.067, -89.418 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Funnel Cloud, Jefferson

When: July 25, 7:18 PM CST
Where: Jefferson County, Lake Mills
Coordinates: 43.021, -88.776 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Tornado, Dane

When: July 25, 7:22 PM CST to 7:33 PM CST
Where: Dane County, Waunakee to 3 mi NW of Madison Truax Arpt
Rating: F1
Path length: 2.7 mi
Path width: 175 yd
Injuries: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $389,000
Crop damage: $1,000
Coordinates: 43.150, -89.400

Thunderstorm Wind, Jefferson

When: July 25, 7:30 PM CST
Where: Jefferson County, 2 mi NE of Concord
Property damage: $500
Coordinates: 43.080, -88.570

Thunderstorm Wind, Jefferson

When: July 25, 7:45 PM CST
Where: Jefferson County, 1 mi N of Hebron
Property damage: $300
Coordinates: 42.930, -88.700

Flood, Sheboygan

When: July 25, 8:00 PM CST to 11:00 PM CST
Where: Sheboygan County, Plymouth
Property damage: $700
Coordinates: 43.756, -87.800 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Dane

When: July 25, 8:00 PM CST to 9:30 PM CST
Where: Dane County, Sun Prairie
Coordinates: 43.067, -89.418 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm Wind, Dane

When: July 25, 8:02 PM CST
Where: Dane County, Marshall
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Property damage: $400
Coordinates: 43.170, -89.050

Thunderstorm Wind, Jefferson

When: July 25, 8:06 PM CST
Where: Jefferson County, 2 mi NE of Cold Spg
Property damage: $200
Coordinates: 42.900, -88.750

Lightning, Sheboygan

When: July 25, 10:00 PM CST
Where: Sheboygan County, Sheboygan
Property damage: $500
Coordinates: 43.756, -87.800 (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.
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.
Funnel Cloud: A rotating column of cloud extending from a thunderstorm that did not reach the ground.
Flood: Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.
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

Every storm in Wisconsin in 1997 Every state in 1997 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Wisconsin, 1997 Warnings in Wisconsin, July 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: 5612452, 5612453, 5612454, 5612451, 5612456, 5612457, 5612455, 5612458, 5612461, 5612459, 5612464, 5612462, 5612463, 5612460.