Flooding and Damaging Winds in Wisconsin, June 15, 1997

Name: Flooding and Damaging Winds in Wisconsin, June 15, 1997
Start: 1997-06-15T15:30
End: 1997-06-15T21:35
Location: Wisconsin

June 15, 1997 · NWS MKX · 23 events in 11 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 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: $77,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 23

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.

Several rounds of thunderstorms moved rapidly northeast through south central and southeast Wisconsin resulting in primarily wind damage to trees, tree limbs and power lines. In addition, a tree fell on a home in Sun Prairie (Dane Co.) and windows were blown out of a building on the UW campus in Madison. A porch was blown down at a residence northeast of Lamont (Lafayette Co.). Urban street flooding occurred in New Glarus due to 4.5 to 5.0 inches of rain in 3 hours. No damage was noted due to this flooding. Flag poles were bent and flags blown off in La Valle (Sauk Co.) besides the usual reports of large branches downed. In the Spring Green area a couple farm outbuildings and a residence were damaged. Strong thunderstorm winds split a large tree in in Chenequa (Waukesha Co.) which then fell on a residents porch and injured a woman. Intense rainfall also resulted in urban street flooding in North Freedom (Sauk Co.).

The radar

The La Crosse radar (KARX), 89 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:32 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

21 thunderstorm wind, 2 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Sauk

When: June 15, 3:30 PM CST
Where: Sauk County, La Valle
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 43.580, -90.130

Thunderstorm Wind, Sauk

When: June 15, 4:10 PM CST
Where: Sauk County, Reedsburg
Property damage: $1,000
Coordinates: 43.530, -90.000

Flood, Sauk

When: June 15, 4:10 PM CST to 4:25 PM CST
Where: Sauk County, North Freedom
Coordinates: 43.427, -89.948 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm Wind, Marquette

When: June 15, 4:10 PM CST
Where: Marquette County, 4 mi ENE of Oxford
Property damage: $1,000
Coordinates: 43.800, -89.500

Thunderstorm Wind, Iowa

When: June 15, 4:15 PM CST
Where: Iowa County, Dodgeville
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 42.970, -90.130

Thunderstorm Wind, Marquette

When: June 15, 4:15 PM CST
Where: Marquette County, 6 mi SSE of Glenoak
Property damage: $1,000
Coordinates: 43.670, -89.280

Thunderstorm Wind, Sauk

When: June 15, 4:20 PM CST
Where: Sauk County, 2 mi S of Lake Delton
Property damage: $1,000
Coordinates: 43.550, -89.780

Thunderstorm Wind, Sauk

When: June 15, 4:20 PM CST to 4:40 PM CST
Where: Sauk County, Spring Green
Property damage: $15,000
Coordinates: 43.180, -90.070

Thunderstorm Wind, Green Lake

When: June 15, 4:20 PM CST
Where: Green Lake County, 1 mi W of Green Lake
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 43.830, -88.970

Thunderstorm Wind, Waukesha

When: June 15, 4:30 PM CST
Where: Waukesha County, Chenequa
Injuries: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 43.120, -88.370

Thunderstorm Wind, Dane

When: June 15, 4:30 PM CST
Where: Dane County, Roxbury
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 43.250, -89.670

Thunderstorm Wind, Dodge

When: June 15, 4:45 PM CST
Where: Dodge County, 1 mi N of Lowell
Property damage: $1,000
Coordinates: 43.350, -88.800

Thunderstorm Wind, Dane

When: June 15, 4:50 PM CST to 5:05 PM CST
Where: Dane County, Madison to Sun Prairie
Property damage: $20,000
Coordinates: 43.070, -89.420

Flood, Green

When: June 15, 5:00 PM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where: Green County, New Glarus
Coordinates: 42.680, -89.602 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm Wind, Lafayette

When: June 15, 5:10 PM CST
Where: Lafayette County, Belmont
Property damage: $1,000
Coordinates: 42.730, -90.330

Thunderstorm Wind, Iowa

When: June 15, 5:25 PM CST
Where: Iowa County, 2 mi E of Arena
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 43.170, -89.880

Thunderstorm Wind, Lafayette

When: June 15, 5:25 PM CST
Where: Lafayette County, 3 mi NE of Lamont
Property damage: $5,000
Coordinates: 42.730, -89.950

Thunderstorm Wind, Iowa

When: June 15, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Iowa County, 1 mi SE of Ridgeway
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 42.980, -89.970

Thunderstorm Wind, Rock

When: June 15, 6:17 PM CST
Where: Rock County, 2 mi N of Milton
Property damage: $1,000
Coordinates: 42.800, -88.950

Thunderstorm Wind, Green

When: June 15, 6:30 PM CST
Where: Green County, Attica
Property damage: $2,000
Coordinates: 42.770, -89.480

Thunderstorm Wind, Rock

When: June 15, 8:52 PM CST
Where: Rock County, Footville
Property damage: $1,000
Coordinates: 42.670, -89.200

Thunderstorm Wind, Rock

When: June 15, 9:10 PM CST
Where: Rock County, 7 mi E of Janesville
Property damage: $1,000
Coordinates: 42.680, -88.880

Thunderstorm Wind, Walworth

When: June 15, 9:13 PM CST to 9:35 PM CST
Where: Walworth County, Walworth to 2 mi of Delavan
Property damage: $5,000
Coordinates: 42.570, -88.600

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.
Flood: Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.

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, June 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: 5602419, 5602420, 5602423, 5602620, 5602425, 5602627, 5602421, 5602422, 5602621, 5602424, 5602622, 5602625, 5602628, 5602631, 5602623, 5602624, 5602630, 5602629, 5602632, 5602626, 5602417, 5602418, 5602426.