Thunderstorm Wind, Iowa
- When
- June 25, 3:45 PM CST
- Where
- Iowa County, Clyde
- Property damage
- $2,000
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 43.120, -90.220
Tornado and Hail in Wisconsin, June 25, 1998
Severe thunderstorms packing winds between 60 and 70 mph and producing hail between 1 and 2 inches in diameter caused significant damage to property and crops. Kenosha and Racine counties experienced some of the worst destruction with 40,000 homes and businesses left without power due to the high number of trees and power lines downed.
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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $1.2 million
- Crop damage
- $8,000
- Events
- 17
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.
Severe thunderstorms packing winds between 60 and 70 mph and producing hail between 1 and 2 inches in diameter caused significant damage to property and crops. Kenosha and Racine counties experienced some of the worst destruction with 40,000 homes and businesses left without power due to the high number of trees and power lines downed. In the city of Racine a tree fell on a home and another tree crushed an automobile. In Kenosha county, siding was ripped off the side of a Bristol business and metal signs were blown down on Interstate 94. Hidden among the thunderstorms was a lone F2 tornado that took aim on northern Rock county, destroying 3 homes and damaging 4 others. A barn and 2 sheds were also destoyed. Three garages and 3 cars were damaged and a 20 foot beam was found anchored in the ground at a 45-degree angle in the storms aftermath. Fortunately there were no deaths or injuries. This tornado touched down just southwest of a railroad track 2.3 miles west/northwest of Leyden and lifted just east of Highway 184, 1 mile north/northeast of Leyden. Eyewitness reports suggest that this slow moving tornado had a second vortex at one time, and at another time it was nearly stationary for a couple minutes. The slow movement enhanced the destruction. At least 3 individuals video-taped it. Maximum winds were estimated to be about 150 mph.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
11 thunderstorm wind, 3 hail, 1 tornado, 1 funnel cloud, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
Thunderstorm Wind, Iowa
- When
- June 25, 6:00 PM CST
- Where
- Iowa County, Ridgeway
- Property damage
- $3,000
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 43.000, -89.980
Tornado, Rock
- When
- June 25, 6:05 PM CST to 6:20 PM CST
- Where
- Rock County, Leyden to 2 mi NNE of Leyden
- Rating
- F2
- Path length
- 2.5 mi
- Path width
- 100 yd
- Property damage
- $845,000
- Crop damage
- $3,000
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 42.750, -89.180
Funnel Cloud, Green
- When
- June 25, 6:10 PM CST
- Where
- Green County, 3 mi NE of Albany
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 42.680, -89.602 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Hail, Green
- When
- June 25, 6:15 PM CST
- Where
- Green County, 2 mi NW of Brodhead
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Crop damage
- $500
- Reported by
- GENERAL PUBLIC
- Coordinates
- 42.630, -89.400
Hail, Rock
- When
- June 25, 6:18 PM CST to 6:20 PM CST
- Where
- Rock County, Janesville to Milton
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Crop damage
- $1,000
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 42.680, -89.020
Hail, Rock
- When
- June 25, 6:48 PM CST
- Where
- Rock County, Janesville
- Measured
- 2 in hail
- Crop damage
- $3,000
- Reported by
- AMATEUR RADIO
- Coordinates
- 42.680, -89.020
Thunderstorm Wind, Jefferson
- When
- June 25, 7:00 PM CST
- Where
- Jefferson County, Palmyra
- Property damage
- $2,000
- Reported by
- NWS EMPLOYEE(OFF DUTY)
- Coordinates
- 42.880, -88.600
Thunderstorm Wind, Rock
- When
- June 25, 7:25 PM CST to 7:30 PM CST
- Where
- Rock County, Janesville to Emerald Grove
- Measured
- 56 kt (64 mph)
- Property damage
- $4,000
- Reported by
- EMERGENCY MANAGER
- Coordinates
- 42.680, -89.020
Thunderstorm Wind, Walworth
- When
- June 25, 7:44 PM CST
- Where
- Walworth County, 3 mi W of Elkhorn
- Measured
- 60 kt (69 mph)
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 42.670, -88.620
Thunderstorm Wind, Green
- When
- June 25, 7:45 PM CST
- Where
- Green County, Juda
- Property damage
- $5,000
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 42.580, -89.500
Thunderstorm Wind, Walworth
- When
- June 25, 7:50 PM CST
- Where
- Walworth County, Lake Geneva
- Property damage
- $3,000
- Reported by
- NWS EMPLOYEE(OFF DUTY)
- Coordinates
- 42.600, -88.430
Thunderstorm Wind, Kenosha
- When
- June 25, 8:05 PM CST to 8:10 PM CST
- Where
- Kenosha County, Silver Lake to Paddock Lake
- Property damage
- $50,000
- Reported by
- EMERGENCY MANAGER
- Coordinates
- 42.550, -88.170
Thunderstorm Wind, Kenosha
- When
- June 25, 8:05 PM CST
- Where
- Kenosha County, Kenosha Muni Arpt
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph)
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 42.600, -87.920
Thunderstorm Wind, Racine
- When
- June 25, 8:10 PM CST to 8:20 PM CST
- Where
- Racine County, Burlington to Kansasville
- Property damage
- $75,000
- Reported by
- EMERGENCY MANAGER
- Coordinates
- 42.670, -88.270
Thunderstorm Wind, Kenosha
- When
- June 25, 8:25 PM CST to 8:30 PM CST
- Where
- Kenosha County, Bristol to Kenosha
- Property damage
- $200,000
- Reported by
- DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
- Coordinates
- 42.550, -88.050
Lightning, Racine
- When
- June 25, 8:30 PM CST
- Where
- Racine County, 2 mi N of Racine
- Property damage
- $3,000
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 42.730, -87.812 (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.
- Tornado
- A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.
- Funnel Cloud
- A rotating column of cloud extending from a thunderstorm that did not reach the ground.
- 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
- Heat in Pennsylvania, June 25 to 26, 1998
- Heat in New Jersey, June 25 to 26, 1998
- Heat in Wisconsin, June 25, 1998
- Heat in Delaware, June 25 to 26, 1998
- Lightning Strike in Florida, June 25, 1998
- Flash Flood in New York, June 25 to 26, 1998
- Tornado and Hail in Michigan, June 25, 1998
- Damaging Winds in Vermont, June 25, 1998
- Damaging Winds in Wisconsin, June 25, 1998
- Hail in Idaho, June 25, 1998
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Wisconsin, June 25, 1998
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Florida, June 25, 1998
More
Every storm in Wisconsin in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Wisconsin, 1998Warnings in Wisconsin, June 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: 5656229, 5656230, 5656233, 5656245, 5656231, 5656232, 5656234, 5656236, 5656235, 5656239, 5656238, 5656237, 5656242, 5656243, 5656240, 5656244, 5656241.