Hail, Jefferson
- When
- August 24, 9:07 PM CST
- Where
- Jefferson County, Jefferson
- Measured
- 2 in hail
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 43.000, -88.800
Hail and Lightning Strike in Wisconsin, August 24, 1998
A cluster of thunderstorms moved east and briefly pulsed to severe weather limits, and dumped large hail over parts of southeastern Wisconsin. Another thunderstorm's lightning struck a 139 year-old historical church in Beloit.
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
- $3.5 million
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 3
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.
A cluster of thunderstorms moved east and briefly pulsed to severe weather limits, and dumped large hail over parts of southeastern Wisconsin. Another thunderstorm's lightning struck a 139 year-old historical church in Beloit. The resultant fire destroyed the structure, and it's most of the contents were a total loss.
The radar
The Milwaukee radar (KMKX), 21 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 03:08 UTC.
Event by event
2 hail, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
Hail, Waukesha
- When
- August 24, 9:33 PM CST
- Where
- Waukesha County, 2 mi E of Dousman
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Reported by
- GENERAL PUBLIC
- Coordinates
- 43.020, -88.430
Lightning, Rock
- When
- August 24, 10:32 PM CST
- Where
- Rock County, Beloit
- Property damage
- $3.5 million
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 42.671, -89.072 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Hail
- Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
- 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
- Flash Flood and Hail in New York, August 24, 1998
- Damaging Wind in Indiana, August 24, 1998
- Rip Current in New York, August 24, 1998
- Flash Flood and Hail in Ohio, August 24, 1998
- Damaging Winds and High Wind in Illinois, August 24, 1998
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Indiana, August 24, 1998
- Flooding in Texas, August 24 to 25, 1998
- Damaging Wind in South Dakota, August 24, 1998
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Iowa, August 24, 1998
- Damaging Winds in Maine, August 24, 1998
- Flash Flooding in Puerto Rico, August 24, 1998
- Tornado and Damaging Winds in Illinois, August 24, 1998
More
Every storm in Wisconsin in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in Wisconsin, August 1998
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: 5664525, 5664526, 5664527.