Wisconsin, 1998Tornado and Hail in Wisconsin, May 15, 1998
May 15, 1998 · NWS MKX · 23 events in 13 counties and zones
After the F2 tornado tore through Lafayette county a series of severe thunderstorms pummeled southcentral and southeast Wisconsin with numerous reports of tree limb damage and trees downed, which in turn downed a few power lines. ).
Every event with a place to put it. 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
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- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 11
- Property damage
- $1.8 million
- Crop damage
- $140,000
- 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.
After the F2 tornado tore through Lafayette county a series of severe thunderstorms pummeled southcentral and southeast Wisconsin with numerous reports of tree limb damage and trees downed, which in turn downed a few power lines. The highest reported wind gust was 65 mph near Reedsburg (Sauk Co.). Other notable damage included roofs and doors ripped off of buildings in Mayville (Dodge Co.) and a deck ripped off a house in Ripon (Fond du Lac Co.) where several cars where also damaged by felled trees.
Event by event
20 thunderstorm wind, 2 hail, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
Tornado, Lafayette
- When
- May 15, 6:45 PM CST to 7:15 PM CST
- Where
- Lafayette County, Benton to 1 mi NNW of Calamine
- Rating
- F2
- Path length
- 20 mi
- Path width
- 150 yd
- Injuries
- 11 direct, 0 indirect
- Property damage
- $1.7 million
- Crop damage
- $140,000
- Coordinates
- 42.550, -90.400
A supercell thunderstorm, after dropping a couple tornadoes in northeast Iowa, eventually moved northeast into Lafayette county, creating another tornado. This tornado touched down just southwest of Benton and hopped/skipped northeast for 20 miles. It caused moderate to severe damage to 40 different farms and their outbuildings, and homes. Numerous power lines were downed. Eleven people were injured: 2 children near Cuba city, 3 children southwest of Truman, and 6 adults in a vehicle on Highway 81 south of Benton. Several farm fields sustained damage.
Thunderstorm Wind, Iowa
- When
- May 15, 7:15 PM CST
- Where
- Iowa County, Mineral Pt
- Property damage
- $6,000
- Coordinates
- 42.850, -90.180
Thunderstorm Wind, Sauk
- When
- May 15, 7:27 PM CST
- Where
- Sauk County, 3 mi SW of Reedsburg
- Measured
- 56 kt (64 mph)
- Property damage
- $500
- Coordinates
- 43.500, -90.050
Hail, Lafayette
- When
- May 15, 8:05 PM CST
- Where
- Lafayette County, 2 mi E of Darlington
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 42.680, -90.080
Thunderstorm Wind, Rock
- When
- May 15, 8:05 PM CST
- Where
- Rock County, 1 mi N of Janesville
- Property damage
- $500
- Coordinates
- 42.700, -89.020
Thunderstorm Wind, Columbia
- When
- May 15, 8:09 PM CST
- Where
- Columbia County, Portage to 2 mi SE of Wisconsin Dells
- Property damage
- $7,000
- Coordinates
- 43.550, -89.480
Thunderstorm Wind, Columbia
- When
- May 15, 8:25 PM CST
- Where
- Columbia County, 3 mi W of Columbus
- Property damage
- $3,000
- Coordinates
- 43.330, -89.080
Hail, Dane
- When
- May 15, 8:30 PM CST
- Where
- Dane County, Mt Horeb
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 43.000, -89.730
Thunderstorm Wind, Rock
- When
- May 15, 8:30 PM CST
- Where
- Rock County, Beloit
- Property damage
- $5,000
- Coordinates
- 42.520, -89.030
Thunderstorm Wind, Green
- When
- May 15, 8:30 PM CST
- Where
- Green County, New Glarus
- Property damage
- $3,000
- Coordinates
- 42.820, -89.630
Thunderstorm Wind, Green
- When
- May 15, 8:45 PM CST
- Where
- Green County, Brodhead
- Property damage
- $1,000
- Coordinates
- 42.620, -89.370
Thunderstorm Wind, Green Lake
- When
- May 15, 8:58 PM CST
- Where
- Green Lake County, Green Lake
- Property damage
- $2,000
- Coordinates
- 43.830, -88.950
Thunderstorm Wind, Jefferson
- When
- May 15, 9:00 PM CST
- Where
- Jefferson County, Lake Mills
- Measured
- 52 kt (60 mph)
- Property damage
- $500
- Coordinates
- 43.080, -88.900
Thunderstorm Wind, Fond du Lac
- When
- May 15, 9:06 PM CST
- Where
- Fond du Lac County, Ripon
- Property damage
- $20,000
- Coordinates
- 43.830, -88.830
Thunderstorm Wind, Dodge
- When
- May 15, 9:15 PM CST
- Where
- Dodge County, Mayville
- Property damage
- $30,000
- Coordinates
- 43.500, -88.550
Thunderstorm Wind, Walworth
- When
- May 15, 9:17 PM CST to 9:27 PM CST
- Where
- Walworth County, Walworth to Williams Bay
- Property damage
- $12,000
- Coordinates
- 42.530, -88.600
Thunderstorm Wind, Waukesha
- When
- May 15, 9:30 PM CST
- Where
- Waukesha County, 1 mi W of Eagle
- Property damage
- $1,000
- Coordinates
- 42.880, -88.480
Thunderstorm Wind, Dodge
- When
- May 15, 9:33 PM CST
- Where
- Dodge County, Juneau
- Property damage
- $1,000
- Coordinates
- 43.400, -88.700
Thunderstorm Wind, Walworth
- When
- May 15, 9:40 PM CST
- Where
- Walworth County, Elkhorn
- Property damage
- $4,000
- Coordinates
- 42.670, -88.550
Thunderstorm Wind, Walworth
- When
- May 15, 9:40 PM CST
- Where
- Walworth County, 2 mi W of Sharon
- Property damage
- $1,000
- Coordinates
- 42.500, -88.770
Thunderstorm Wind, Waukesha
- When
- May 15, 9:45 PM CST
- Where
- Waukesha County, Muskego
- Property damage
- $1,000
- Coordinates
- 42.900, -88.130
Thunderstorm Wind, Walworth
- When
- May 15, 9:45 PM CST
- Where
- Walworth County, 4 mi SE of Lake Geneva
- Property damage
- $1,000
- Coordinates
- 42.570, -88.380
Thunderstorm Wind, Walworth
- When
- May 15, 9:45 PM CST
- Where
- Walworth County, La Grange
- Property damage
- $1,000
- Coordinates
- 42.800, -88.600
- 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.
- 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.
- Hail
- Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
- Tornadoes and Damaging Wind in Iowa, May 15, 199847 injured · $15 million · F3 · 6 events
- Tornadoes and Hail in Minnesota, May 15, 19981 death · 31 injured · $950 million · F1 · 74 events
- Tornadoes and Hail in Wisconsin, May 15, 19987 injured · $2.3 million · F3 · 7 events
- Tornadoes and Flood in Iowa, May 15, 19981 injured · $4.8 million · F2 · 80 events
- Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Nebraska, May 15, 19981 injured · $2.6 million · F2 · 6 events
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Minnesota, May 15 to 18, 1998$1.1 million · 1.75 in hail · 44 events
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Texas, May 15, 19984 injured · $600,000 · 1 in hail · 7 events
- Hail in Minnesota, May 15, 1998$3.0 million · 3 in hail · 1 event
- Tornado and Damaging Winds in Minnesota, May 15, 1998$313,000 · F1 · 15 events
- High Wind in South Dakota, May 15, 1998$1.0 million · 1 event
- Damaging Winds in Iowa, May 15, 1998$474,000 · 72 kt wind · 16 events
- Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Wisconsin, May 15, 19981 injured · $133,000 · F0 · 9 events
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: 5641417, 5641471, 5641472, 5641474, 5641475, 5641688, 5641689, 5641473, 5641476, 5641699, 5641700, 5641695, 5641692, 5641696, 5641690, 5641693, 5641697, 5641691, 5641694, 5641701, 5641698, 5641702, 5641703.