Thunderstorm Wind, Dane
- When
- July 27, 6:55 AM CST
- Where
- Dane County, Fitchburg
- Property damage
- $2,000
- Coordinates
- 42.950, -89.470
Damaging Winds and Lightning Strike in Wisconsin, July 27, 1997
Early morning thunderstorms caused scattered tree and power line damage. A lightning bolt struck a tree just southeast of Allen Grove (Walworth Co) and tragically killed 8 dairy cows standing under the tree.
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
- $14,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 4
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.
Early morning thunderstorms caused scattered tree and power line damage. A lightning bolt struck a tree just southeast of Allen Grove (Walworth Co) and tragically killed 8 dairy cows standing under the tree.
The radar
The Milwaukee radar (KMKX), 75 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 12:53 UTC.
Event by event
3 thunderstorm wind, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
Thunderstorm Wind, Jefferson
- When
- July 27, 7:20 AM CST
- Where
- Jefferson County, 2 mi E of Lake Mills
- Property damage
- $900
- Coordinates
- 43.080, -88.870
Thunderstorm Wind, Jefferson
- When
- July 27, 7:35 AM CST
- Where
- Jefferson County, 2 mi S of Ft Atkinson
- Property damage
- $700
- Coordinates
- 42.900, -88.850
Lightning, Walworth
- When
- July 27, 8:00 AM CST
- Where
- Walworth County, 2 mi SE of Allen Grove
- Property damage
- $10,000
- Coordinates
- 42.669, -88.542 (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
- Heat in Pennsylvania, July 27 to 28, 1997
- Hail in Colorado, July 27, 1997
- Flash Flood and Hail in West Virginia, July 27, 1997
- Damaging Wind in South Dakota, July 27, 1997
- Damaging Wind in South Dakota, July 27, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Wind in South Dakota, July 27, 1997
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Ohio, July 27, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Michigan, July 27, 1997
- Damaging Winds in Georgia, July 27, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Wind in South Dakota, July 27, 1997
- Flash Flooding and Lightning Strike in Colorado, July 27, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Iowa, July 27, 1997
More
Every storm in Wisconsin in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings 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: 5612486, 5612487, 5612574, 5612575.