Damaging Winds and Lightning Strikes in Wisconsin, July 26, 1997

Name: Damaging Winds and Lightning Strikes in Wisconsin, July 26, 1997
Start: 1997-07-26T14:55
End: 1997-07-26T17:25
Location: Wisconsin

July 26, 1997 · NWS MKX · 21 events in 10 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 3 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: 0
Property damage: $489,000
Crop damage: $5,000
Events: 21

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.

Late afternoon thunderstorms reached severe limits with numerous reports of wind damage to trees and power lines. Hardest hit was Dane County where wires were down in 500 places and 15,000 customers experienced power outages. Eleven homes were damaged in Sun Prairie and a barn was levelled just north of town. Nine farm buildings were reported to be destroyed. A total of 26 homes and 2 businesses sustained minor damage from this storm event in Dane County. A gustnado was also reported in Sun Prairie. Next hardest hit was Jefferson County where a new High School in Ft. Atkinson still under construction suffered major damage to two walls, and a lightning strike started an attic fire in a nearby residential home. In Sauk County a total of 8000 customers experienced power outages with at least 3 homes and a truck and trailor damaged by trees and/or tree limbs felled by severe winds. About 4000 Columbia County residents lost electrical services due to trees and large limbs damaging power lines. Along the south shore of Lake Wisconsin in Columbia County, the powerful winds damaged 4 boats and destoyed a pier. Further east, tobacco and corn crops were damaged. Waukesha County also experienced widespread tree and power line damage as the storms pushed through with 12,000 customers experiencing power outages in western Waukesha County due to felled trees and power lines. A new pickup was damaged and 4 tents and an amusement ride was damaged in Dousman. (Waukesha Co). Hail up to 3/4 inch in diameter was reported in Lake Mills (Jefferson Co), and 0.88 inch hail was reported in western Kenosha county. Also in Kenosha County, powerful winds stripped roof shingles off of several homes near Highway 50. More lightning joined the weather havoc in Jefferson County with an attic fire in one Watertown home and damage to appliances in another.

The radar

The La Crosse radar (KARX), 89 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:57 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

18 thunderstorm wind, 3 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Sauk

When: July 26, 2:55 PM CST to 3:00 PM CST
Where: Sauk County, La Valle to Reedsburg
Property damage: $50,000
Coordinates: 43.580, -90.130

Thunderstorm Wind, Columbia

When: July 26, 3:12 PM CST to 3:18 PM CST
Where: Columbia County, Okee to Arlington
Property damage: $20,000
Crop damage: $5,000
Coordinates: 43.350, -89.580

Thunderstorm Wind, Sauk

When: July 26, 3:15 PM CST to 3:30 PM CST
Where: Sauk County, Lake Delton to Merrimac
Property damage: $50,000
Coordinates: 43.580, -89.780

Thunderstorm Wind, Columbia

When: July 26, 3:20 PM CST
Where: Columbia County, Portage
Property damage: $2,000
Coordinates: 43.550, -89.450

Thunderstorm Wind, Columbia

When: July 26, 3:32 PM CST
Where: Columbia County, Columbus
Property damage: $400
Coordinates: 43.330, -89.020

Thunderstorm Wind, Dane

When: July 26, 3:40 PM CST
Where: Dane County, Waunakee to 2 mi of Marshall
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph)
Property damage: $151,000
Coordinates: 43.200, -89.480

Thunderstorm Wind, Jefferson

When: July 26, 4:00 PM CST
Where: Jefferson County, Lake Mills
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 43.080, -88.900

Lightning, Jefferson

When: July 26, 4:15 PM CST
Where: Jefferson County, Lake Mills
Property damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 43.021, -88.776 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm Wind, Dodge

When: July 26, 4:15 PM CST
Where: Dodge County, Watertown
Property damage: $600
Coordinates: 43.200, -88.720

Lightning, Jefferson

When: July 26, 4:22 PM CST
Where: Jefferson County, Watertown
Property damage: $15,000
Coordinates: 43.021, -88.776 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm Wind, Jefferson

When: July 26, 4:25 PM CST
Where: Jefferson County, Jefferson to Ft Atkinson
Property damage: $159,000
Coordinates: 43.000, -88.800

Lightning, Jefferson

When: July 26, 4:27 PM CST
Where: Jefferson County, Watertown
Property damage: $5,000
Coordinates: 43.021, -88.776 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm Wind, Jefferson

When: July 26, 4:34 PM CST
Where: Jefferson County, Sullivan to 4 mi of Sullivan
Measured: 51 kt (59 mph)
Coordinates: 42.980, -88.530

Thunderstorm Wind, Jefferson

When: July 26, 4:45 PM CST
Where: Jefferson County, Palmyra
Property damage: $700
Coordinates: 42.880, -88.600

Thunderstorm Wind, Waukesha

When: July 26, 4:45 PM CST to 4:48 PM CST
Where: Waukesha County, Oconomowoc to Eagle
Property damage: $15,000
Coordinates: 43.120, -88.480

Thunderstorm Wind, Walworth

When: July 26, 4:45 PM CST
Where: Walworth County, Darien
Property damage: $900
Coordinates: 42.600, -88.700

Thunderstorm Wind, Walworth

When: July 26, 5:05 PM CST
Where: Walworth County, East Troy
Property damage: $600
Coordinates: 42.780, -88.400

Thunderstorm Wind, Racine

When: July 26, 5:10 PM CST
Where: Racine County, Waterford
Property damage: $1,000
Coordinates: 42.770, -88.220

Thunderstorm Wind, Walworth

When: July 26, 5:15 PM CST
Where: Walworth County, Lake Geneva
Property damage: $1,000
Coordinates: 42.600, -88.430

Thunderstorm Wind, Milwaukee

When: July 26, 5:18 PM CST to 5:20 PM CST
Where: Milwaukee County, Milwaukee to Shorewood
Property damage: $1,000
Coordinates: 43.030, -87.970

Thunderstorm Wind, Kenosha

When: July 26, 5:22 PM CST to 5:25 PM CST
Where: Kenosha County, Slades Corners to Paddock Lake
Property damage: $2,000
Coordinates: 42.580, -88.280

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

Every storm in Wisconsin in 1997 Every state in 1997 This day in weather history 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: 5612465, 5612467, 5612466, 5612485, 5612468, 5612469, 5612470, 5612471, 5612473, 5612474, 5612472, 5612475, 5612476, 5612477, 5612478, 5612479, 5612480, 5612484, 5612481, 5612483, 5612482.