Wisconsin, 1997

Lightning Strike in Wisconsin, June 21, 1997

June 21, 1997 · NWS GRB · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A 21 year old man was killed early in the morning when he was struck by lightning while taking a short work break from his job. He was observing the storm from the roof-top of his place of work when he was struck.

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.

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The toll

Deaths
1
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

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 21 year old man was killed early in the morning when he was struck by lightning while taking a short work break from his job. He was observing the storm from the roof-top of his place of work when he was struck. He died instantly of electrocution.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

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Event by event

1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.

Lightning, Calumet

When
June 21, 1:00 AM CST
Where
Calumet County, New Holstein
Deaths
1 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates
44.082, -88.218 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

EventDateAgeSexWhereKind
Lightning, Calumet1997-06-2121MaleBusinessDirect

What these are

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

More

Every storm in Wisconsin in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings 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: 5603570.