Lightning in Wisconsin

Events

662

Deaths

23

Injuries

128

Damage

$74 million

• Damaging Winds and Lightning Strikes in Wisconsin, May 31, 19981 death · 30 injured · $58 million · 111 kt wind · 24 eventsDuring the early morning hours of Sunday, May 31st, southcentral and southeast Wisconsin experienced an unprecedented, widespread downburst wind event known as a "derecho." Incredibly powerful, hurricane-force straight-line winds, with peak gusts of 100 to 128 mph tore through…
• Lightning Strike in Wisconsin, August 22, 20073 deaths · 2 injured · $10,000 · 1 eventThunderstorms with heavy rain and the usual lightning rolled through the Madison area, resulting in flash flooding and a lightning incident that received considerable media attention. See the Dane County Flash Flood event for related information.
• Damaging Winds and Lightning Strike in Wisconsin, July 30 to 31, 19992 deaths · $2.2 million · 65 kt wind · 37 eventsA mesoscale convective system moved across north-central, central and northeast Wisconsin during the evening of July 30, 1999. Thunderstorm wind gusts over 70 mph (and possibly as high as 100 mph) produced significant damage across the far north-central part of the state.
• Tornadoes and Flash Flood in Wisconsin, July 16, 19971 death · 2 injured · $9.8 million · F2 · 52 eventsSevere thunderstorms affected much of northern, central and east-central Wisconsin during the afternoon and evening of July 16 with tornadoes, downburst winds and large hail.
• Tornado and Flash Flooding in Wisconsin, August 20 to 31, 20181 death · 2 injured · $37 million · EF0 · 12 eventsAn organized and slow moving low pressure area within a very moist airmass resulted in 9 to 15 inches of rain and historic flash flooding from the west side of Madison to Mazomanie, and south to Belleville.
• Tornado and Hail in Wisconsin, July 1, 20111 death · $80,000 · EF2 · 51 eventsA strong but nearly stationary cold front ran just inland from the Minnesota north shore of Lake Superior southwestward through the Sioux Falls SD area.
• Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Wisconsin, June 1, 2000$45 million · F2 · 55 eventsOne would be hard pressed to find another day like June 1, 2000 in terms of depth and range of severe, convective weather events across south-central and southeast Wisconsin.
• Hail and Lightning Strike in Wisconsin, August 3, 20142 deaths · 1 in hail · 5 eventsA persistent weather pattern with weak northwest flow over Wisconsin, and cold air aloft, produced slow-moving thunderstorms. Some storms produced large hail and wind gusts to around 50 mph.
• Tornado and Damaging Winds in Wisconsin, July 7, 20081 death · 1 injured · $218,000 · EF1 · 14 eventsThis episode was the 2nd round of severe storms over southern Wisconsin on July 7th. A line of storms moved west to east across southern Wisconsin during the evening hours.
• Flash Flooding and Damaging Winds in Wisconsin, June 8 to 9, 2008$406 million · 65 kt wind · 35 eventsA slow-moving surface boundary, nearly parallel with the mid-level flow affected southern Wisconsin during the period of June 7th through June 9th.
• Tornado and Flash Flooding in Wisconsin, April 15 to 16, 20261 death · $125,000 · EF1 · 13 eventsAn organized area of low pressure tracked along a stationary over the region and brought lines and clusters of strong thunderstorms and heavy rainfall to southern WI. Flash flooding occurred in spots from Rock County to the Milwaukee area.
• Lightning Strikes and Strong Wind in Wisconsin, August 27, 20071 death · $280,000 · 18 eventsA large convective thunderstorm complex moved southeast through southern Wisconsin during the mid-morning hours and gradually diminished in strength. On the back side of the thunderstorm complex a wake low pressure formed, which resulted in a tight surface pressure gradient.
• Damaging Winds and Lightning Strike in Wisconsin, June 30, 20141 death · $233,000 · 65 kt wind · 21 eventsA large scale bow echo raced east to northeast across southern WI, causing straight line wind damage in many areas. We Energies reported a maximum power outage of 110000 homes which has not happened since 2005.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Wisconsin, August 21, 20131 death · $224,000 · 1 in hail · 21 eventsA broken line of severe storms developed in an unstable air mass ahead of an advancing cold front. The storms produced large hail and damaging wind gusts, at times in excess of 70 mph.
• Flash Flooding and Hail in Wisconsin, June 25 to 26, 2006$502 million · 1 in hail · 11 eventsVery slow moving clusters of thunderstorms developed across south-central Wisconsin during the early afternoon hours of June 25th.
• Tornado and Flash Flooding in Wisconsin, August 23 to 24, 20061 injured · $17 million · F0 · 67 eventsA stagnant weather pattern on August 23rd and 24th resulted in waves of heavy rain and severe thunderstorms. A warm front pushed north during the afternoon of August 23rd.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Wisconsin, June 2, 2020$48 million · 2.5 in hail · 42 eventsSevere storms rolled across western Wisconsin during the late afternoon and evening of June 2nd. Some of these storms produced very large hail ranging in size from 1 inch up to 2.5 inches in diameter.
• Tornado and Hail in Wisconsin, June 25, 1998$1.2 million · F2 · 17 eventsSevere 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.
• Flash Flooding and Flooding in Wisconsin, July 19 to 27, 2017$45 million · 34 eventsAfter a round of severe thunderstorms moved across western Wisconsin, a second round of thunderstorms developed over much of the same area during the late evening of July 19th into the early morning of the 20th.
• Tornadoes and Hail in Wisconsin, July 6, 20038 injured · $1.1 million · F1 · 22 eventsTwo rounds of scattered severe convection affected south-central and southeast Wisconsin on Sunday, July 6, 2003. The first round occurred during the morning hours and the second during the late afternoon hours.
• Lightning Strike in Wisconsin, June 15, 20141 death · $82,000 · 1 eventLightning from morning thunderstorms, started a house fire in Black River Falls (Jackson County) on June 15th. One person lost their life in the resulting fire from smoke inhalation while at least three other homes in the neighborhood also suffered electrical damage.
• Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Wisconsin, July 2, 2000$12 million · F1 · 29 eventsSevere weather in the form of a tornado, damaging straight-line downburst winds, large hail, and flash flooding hammered a small piece of south-central and much of southeast Wisconsin during the late afternoon and evening hours.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Wisconsin, July 20, 20101 injured · $16 million · 1.75 in hail · 36 eventsSevere thunderstorms developed across northeast Wisconsin as a weak surface boundary encountered an unstable air mass.
• Tornado and Flooding in Wisconsin, August 21 to 22, 2002$9.0 million · F0 · 54 eventsThe severer weather and flooding that affected much of south-central and southeast Wisconsin on August 21, 2002, into the pre-dawn hours of the 22nd, was probably the most widespread and significant outbreak for the 2002 warm-season.
• Tornadoes and Hail in Wisconsin, May 30 to 31, 19982 injured · $1.8 million · F1 · 42 eventsA series of thunderstorms roared across the area late on May 30 and early on the 31st, causing about $1.8 million dollars in damage and injuring two people.

Lightning everywhereEvery kind of event in Wisconsin

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.