Readfield, WI Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
The chance of earthquake damage in Readfield is about the same as Wisconsin average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Readfield is higher than Wisconsin average and is higher than the national average.
Earthquake Index, #365
Readfield, WI | 0.00 |
Wisconsin | 0.00 |
U.S. | 1.81 |
The earthquake index value is calculated based on historical earthquake events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the earthquake level in a region. A higher earthquake index value means a higher chance of an earthquake.
Volcano Index, #1
Readfield, WI | 0.0000 |
Wisconsin | 0.0000 |
U.S. | 0.0023 |
The volcano index value is calculated based on the currently known volcanoes using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the possibility of a region being affected by a possible volcano eruption. A higher volcano index value means a higher chance of being affected.
Tornado Index, #286
Readfield, WI | 176.73 |
Wisconsin | 153.98 |
U.S. | 136.45 |
The tornado index value is calculated based on historical tornado events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the tornado level in a region. A higher tornado index value means a higher chance of tornado events.
Other Weather Extremes Events
A total of 2,601 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Readfield, WI were recorded from 1950 to 2010. The following is a break down of these events:
Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count |
Avalanche: | 0 | Blizzard: | 9 | Cold: | 29 | Dense Fog: | 77 | Drought: | 47 |
Dust Storm: | 0 | Flood: | 82 | Hail: | 688 | Heat: | 33 | Heavy Snow: | 77 |
High Surf: | 0 | Hurricane: | 0 | Ice Storm: | 13 | Landslide: | 0 | Strong Wind: | 70 |
Thunderstorm Winds: | 1,130 | Tropical Storm: | 0 | Wildfire: | 1 | Winter Storm: | 79 | Winter Weather: | 44 |
Other: | 222 |
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near Readfield, WI.
Historical Earthquake Events
No historical earthquake events that had recorded magnitudes of 3.5 or above found in or near Readfield, WI.
No historical earthquake events found in or near Readfield, WI.
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 71 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Readfield, WI.
Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
9.7 | 1984-04-27 | 4 | 44°05'N / 88°45'W | 44°15'N / 88°32'W | 12.00 Miles | 60 Yards | 1 | 10 | 2.5M | 0 | Winnebago |
12.1 | 1964-05-08 | 2 | 44°07'N / 88°43'W | 44°14'N / 88°25'W | 16.60 Miles | 63 Yards | 0 | 5 | 2.5M | 0 | Winnebago |
13.9 | 1970-12-01 | 3 | 44°20'N / 88°39'W | 44°27'N / 88°26'W | 13.10 Miles | 67 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Outagamie |
15.1 | 1951-09-26 | 4 | 44°22'N / 89°13'W | 44°28'N / 88°47'W | 22.30 Miles | 100 Yards | 6 | 3 | 250K | 0 | Waupaca |
15.3 | 1982-05-06 | 2 | 44°22'N / 88°35'W | 44°27'N / 88°28'W | 9.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Outagamie |
17.2 | 2004-06-23 | 2 | 44°16'N / 89°11'W | 44°16'N / 89°03'W | 7.50 Miles | 125 Yards | 0 | 0 | 915K | 0 | Waupaca |
Brief Description: Thunderstorms that developed ahead of a strong cold front that moved through Wisconsin produced severe weather in the central and east central parts of the state during the evening. A line of thunderstorms tore the roof from a barn, downed numerous trees and power lines and blew a pickup truck into a ditch as the storms moved through the Wood county communities of Vesper, Nekoosa, and Wisconsin Rapids. Glass fragments caused a minor injury to one of the occupants of the pickup truck. The storms also produced 7 minutes of dime size hail 1 mile east of Wisconsin Rapids. The storms also damaged several buildings 4 miles west of Stevens Point (Portage co.), downed trees in Saxeville (Waushara co.) and dropped quarter size hail in Plover (Portage co.). As the storms moved through Portage county three tornadoes touched down. One of the tornadoes caused minor tree damage in an industrial park in Whiting. Eyewitnesses observed water being sucked out of a pond at the same time as doors to an office were sucked open. Another tornado downed several trees, knocked down a fence, damaged the roof of a house and damaged some outbuildings as it passed north of Almond. The third tornado was the strongest and was on the ground intermittently for 10 miles from southeast Portage county into southwest Waupaca county. It downed trees and overturned an irrigation system in Portage county. It strengthened in Waupaca county where it scoured asphalt off a road, destroyed a barn, sheared off the top 50 feet of a silo, crushing three calves, damaged a sheet metal outbuilding and killed 3 sheep. It tore the roof from a house and destroyed the garage, overturned a semi trailer and moved it 50 feet, blew hay wagons against trees and snapped off or uprooted numerous trees. Some of the debris from this tornado landed several miles east in the Fremont area (Waupaca co.). A tornado touched down in at least four locations from Little Chute to Kaukauna as the storms moved across Outagamie county. It toppled or twisted large trees, ripped parts of the roofs from residential and commercial buildings, destroyed storage sheds and an old barn and overturned semi trailers and dropped some of them on other vehicles. A brief tornado touchdown also occurred on the west side of Green Bay (Brown co.) where it caused some tree damage. | |||||||||||
17.2 | 1959-05-06 | 2 | 44°28'N / 88°33'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Outagamie | |||
17.5 | 1959-05-06 | 2 | 44°31'N / 88°52'W | 44°32'N / 88°43'W | 7.20 Miles | 1760 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Waupaca |
18.0 | 1956-04-03 | 4 | 43°59'N / 88°56'W | 44°03'N / 88°45'W | 9.60 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Waushara |
18.2 | 1984-04-27 | 4 | 44°15'N / 88°32'W | 44°27'N / 88°18'W | 15.50 Miles | 60 Yards | 0 | 9 | 2.5M | 0 | Outagamie |
21.5 | 1974-04-21 | 4 | 43°54'N / 88°41'W | 44°04'N / 88°32'W | 13.50 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 35 | 2.5M | 0 | Winnebago |
22.9 | 1957-04-19 | 2 | 44°04'N / 89°24'W | 44°14'N / 89°00'W | 22.80 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Waushara |
23.3 | 1950-06-25 | 3 | 43°57'N / 88°57'W | 43°58'N / 88°56'W | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Green Lake | ||
23.3 | 1964-05-08 | 2 | 44°35'N / 88°51'W | 44°38'N / 88°48'W | 3.30 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Waupaca |
23.5 | 1956-04-03 | 4 | 43°56'N / 88°58'W | 43°59'N / 88°56'W | 1.90 Miles | 440 Yards | 7 | 50 | 2.5M | 0 | Green Lake |
23.6 | 1964-05-08 | 2 | 44°14'N / 88°25'W | 44°20'N / 88°10'W | 14.00 Miles | 63 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Calumet |
24.7 | 1951-09-26 | 4 | 44°20'N / 89°18'W | 44°22'N / 89°13'W | 4.10 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Portage |
25.2 | 1984-04-27 | 3 | 44°32'N / 88°55'W | 44°43'N / 88°53'W | 8.00 Miles | 43 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Waupaca |
25.2 | 1992-09-07 | 2 | 43°54'N / 89°02'W | 43°58'N / 88°53'W | 8.50 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 1 | 2.5M | 0 | Green Lake |
25.2 | 1954-04-15 | 2 | 43°59'N / 89°11'W | 44°03'N / 89°05'W | 5.90 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Waushara |
25.4 | 1965-07-08 | 2 | 44°10'N / 88°18'W | 44°11'N / 88°15'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Calumet | ||
25.7 | 1968-08-16 | 2 | 44°15'N / 88°15'W | 2.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Outagamie | |
27.0 | 1992-08-29 | 3 | 44°04'N / 89°31'W | 44°08'N / 89°00'W | 28.00 Miles | 800 Yards | 1 | 30 | 25.0M | 0 | Waushara |
27.3 | 1979-08-09 | 2 | 44°04'N / 88°18'W | 1 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Calumet | |||
27.9 | 1970-12-01 | 2 | 44°32'N / 89°13'W | 44°47'N / 88°40'W | 31.90 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Waupaca |
28.1 | 1969-06-26 | 3 | 44°30'N / 88°24'W | 44°35'N / 88°17'W | 7.70 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 1 | 2.5M | 0 | Outagamie |
28.2 | 1976-06-12 | 2 | 44°27'N / 89°17'W | 0.20 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Portage | |
30.5 | 1962-06-17 | 2 | 43°50'N / 88°50'W | 1.00 Mile | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Fond Du Lac | |
30.9 | 1974-04-21 | 4 | 43°45'N / 88°50'W | 43°54'N / 88°41'W | 12.50 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Fond Du Lac |
32.2 | 1954-06-20 | 2 | 43°57'N / 88°18'W | 0.50 Mile | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Calumet | |
33.0 | 1956-04-03 | 2 | 44°15'N / 89°31'W | 44°29'N / 89°20'W | 18.20 Miles | 100 Yards | 2 | 2 | 250K | 0 | Portage |
34.2 | 1968-08-16 | 2 | 44°36'N / 88°15'W | 1.00 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Brown | |
35.1 | 1992-05-16 | 2 | 44°22'N / 89°34'W | 44°23'N / 89°22'W | 11.00 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Portage |
36.0 | 1969-06-26 | 3 | 44°35'N / 88°17'W | 44°41'N / 88°12'W | 7.60 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Shawano |
36.2 | 1968-08-19 | 2 | 43°45'N / 88°54'W | 43°46'N / 88°22'W | 26.40 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Fond Du Lac |
36.6 | 1984-04-27 | 2 | 44°22'N / 89°32'W | 44°25'N / 89°27'W | 5.50 Miles | 20 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Portage |
36.6 | 1984-04-27 | 3 | 44°40'N / 88°53'W | 44°56'N / 88°49'W | 17.00 Miles | 43 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Shawano |
37.0 | 1968-08-19 | 2 | 43°45'N / 88°58'W | 43°45'N / 88°54'W | 2.30 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Green Lake |
37.0 | 1970-07-07 | 2 | 44°19'N / 89°31'W | 2.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Portage | |
37.1 | 1967-06-30 | 2 | 44°02'N / 88°10'W | 44°02'N / 88°02'W | 5.90 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Calumet |
37.3 | 1990-06-02 | 2 | 43°47'N / 88°27'W | 1.00 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 1 | 2.5M | 0 | Fond Du Lac | |
37.3 | 1977-06-05 | 3 | 43°49'N / 88°44'W | 43°39'N / 88°42'W | 11.20 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 2 | 2.5M | 0 | Fond Du Lac |
37.4 | 1964-08-22 | 2 | 43°48'N / 88°24'W | 2.00 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 2 | 3K | 0 | Fond Du Lac | |
37.8 | 1996-07-18 | 2 | 43°56'N / 88°14'W | 43°53'N / 88°10'W | 4.40 Miles | 200 Yards | 1 | 1 | 450K | 300K | Fond Du Lac |
Brief Description: A strong tornado (F2) struck Marytown, resulting in 1 fatility (81 year old male) and 1 injury. This tornado actually touched down in Calumet county about 1.1 miles SE of Jericho (see WFO GRB Stormdata report), and then headed southeast into into Fond du Lac county at a point 2.0 NW of Marytown. It destroyed or damaged at least a couple dozen barns, sheds, and homes on a southeastward path. Many large trees were uprooted. The north side of Marytown was hit the hardest, where a house trailer, 3 homes, and a machine shed were destroyed. The tornado exited Fond du Lac county at a point 2.5 miles SE of Marytown and re-entered Calumet county where it quickly dissapated. The path length in Fond du Lac county was 4.4 miles. M81PH | |||||||||||
38.2 | 1959-07-08 | 2 | 43°53'N / 89°24'W | 43°56'N / 89°18'W | 5.20 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Marquette |
38.4 | 1964-08-22 | 2 | 43°46'N / 88°27'W | 1.00 Mile | 500 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Fond Du Lac | |
38.8 | 1964-08-22 | 2 | 44°18'N / 89°36'W | 44°22'N / 89°30'W | 6.40 Miles | 333 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Portage |
38.9 | 1976-06-13 | 2 | 44°27'N / 89°31'W | 0.30 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Portage | |
39.0 | 1970-04-22 | 2 | 44°28'N / 88°04'W | 44°31'N / 88°01'W | 3.60 Miles | 800 Yards | 0 | 2 | 250K | 0 | Brown |
40.4 | 1967-06-30 | 2 | 44°02'N / 88°02'W | 44°02'N / 88°01'W | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Manitowoc | ||
40.5 | 1954-04-07 | 2 | 43°42'N / 88°32'W | 43°44'N / 88°29'W | 1.90 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Fond Du Lac |
40.7 | 1959-05-10 | 2 | 44°29'N / 88°03'W | 44°31'N / 87°58'W | 4.30 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 3 | 2.5M | 0 | Brown |
40.8 | 1955-07-31 | 2 | 43°58'N / 89°30'W | 43°57'N / 89°26'W | 2.70 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Marquette |
41.1 | 1970-04-22 | 2 | 44°27'N / 88°02'W | 44°33'N / 87°58'W | 7.20 Miles | 800 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Brown |
41.2 | 1996-07-18 | 5 | 43°42'N / 88°37'W | 43°43'N / 88°23'W | 13.30 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 12 | 39.5M | 900K | Fond Du Lac |
Brief Description: A violent tornado struck the village of Oakfield at about 1815CST after it touched down 4 miles WNW of the village. During its approach on Oakfield it intensified to a F3 rating. When it tore through the village it intensified to a F4, but along its path 1 to 4 miles east of the village it intensified to F5 strength (estimated 265 mph winds). In this span 4 homes were completely swept clean off their foundations and a couple automobiles became airborne missles for a distance of about 400 feet. The core width of the most intense damage was about 150 to 200 yards, although at times, some secondary damage was observed in a 400 yard wide path. Oakfield residents heard local sirens about 8 minutes before the torando entered the village. Miraculously, no one was killed, but there were 12 injuries. Some of the injured were hospitalized. Along the tornadoes path, 60 homes and 6 businesses were destroyed. An additional 130 homes and businesses were damaged. In Oakfield, a commercial canning company was devastated. Two churches in the village were also destroyed, as well as numerous vehicles. In the rural areas along the tornadoes path, 18 barns and many sheds were destroyed or damaged, and about 500 acres of crops were wiped out. Total damage amounts were $39.5 million in public/private property, and $900,000 in crop losses. Residents reported that they had difficulty "popping" their ears as the tornado roared through their neighborhood. Prior to entering Oakfield, the tornado hopped and skipped a few times, and multiple votices were observed at times during its life cycle. Witnesses reported that the tornado "paused" for a minute or so on the southeast edge of Oakfield. As the tornado tore through Oakfield it changed it's heading to east. Corn fields just east of Oakfield were reduced to short 1 to 4 inch high stubble, and burn marks were clearly visible in the fields. In the third segment of the tornadoes life, when it turned northeast at a point 5.5 miles east of Oakfield, it's strength diminished rapidly. By the time it "roped out" 1 mile NW of Eden, it's supporting mesocyclone's position on WSR-88D Doppler was about 5 miles to the south! Debris was found east to the Lake Michigan shoreline, and cancelled checks were later found 125 miles E/SE near Muskegon, MI! | |||||||||||
41.9 | 2004-06-23 | 3 | 43°43'N / 89°02'W | 43°39'N / 88°54'W | 9.40 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 0 | 1.4M | 500K | Green Lake |
Brief Description: A strong tornado spun up near the intersection of STH 73 and CTH H, about 2 miles north of the village of Manchester. It increased its strength to F3 (estimated 175-200 mph) as it moved southeast across the southern part of the city of Markesan. Numerous trees were uprooted. At least 18 homes or ag-buildings had minor damage, at least 9 homes or ag-buildings had major damage, and at least 21 homes or ag-buildings were destroyed. This tornado exited Green Lake County at a point 6.4 miles southeast of Markesan, just south of Lake Maria Rd., and continued southeast through Fond du Lac County. The responsible supercell also spun up different tornadoes earlier in Adams and Marquette Counties. Newspaper headline: "A Day Like No Other." Average path width was about 350 yards. Two rounds of severe weather affected parts of south-central and southeast Wisconsin on June 23rd, with the second round featuring 8 tornadoes, large hail (up to golf-ball size), and powerful straight-line downburst winds. A warm front moving north through the area resulted in favorable vertical wind shear to allow for supercell development. The 1st round of severe weather was due to a broken line of intense thunderstorms moving across Walworth, Milwaukee, Racine and Kenosha counties. Hail of up to 1 inch in diameter and torrential rainfall accompanied these storms before they moved over Lake Michigan and weakened. The 2nd round of severe weather was dominated by 2 cyclic supercells - one moved east/southeast through Marquette, Green Lake, Fond du Lac, and Washington Counties, spinning up 5 separate tornadoes, dumping hail stones up to 3 inches in diameter, and hurricane-force downburst winds. The large hail dented several vehicles. Two of these were rated F3. Refer to the individual tornado reports for more details. A more southerly supercell tracked across extreme southern Sauk County and then made a partial right turn and headed southeast through Dane County, spinning up 2 tornadoes in the process, as well as large hail and downburst winds. One powerful downburst wind in Madison (Dane Co.) blew equipment off the roof of a business at the Midvale Shopping Mall. A semi southwest of Ft. Atkinson was blown over by straight-line wind gusts. This southern supercell eventually spun up another tornado in south-central Jefferson County which moved into north-central Walworth County. Refer to the individual tornado reports for more details. Both supercells had downbursts that generated large hail and powerful, hurricane-force winds north and south of their tracks. Over all of Wisconsin, 16 tornadoes were documented on June 23rd, which is the 4th highest single-day total (record is 24 on May 8, 1988). For south-central and southeast Wisconsin, the 8 tornadoes on June 23rd was tied for the 4th highest single-day total (record is 11 on May 8, 1988). | |||||||||||
42.0 | 1981-04-04 | 2 | 43°55'N / 88°05'W | 0.10 Mile | 23 Yards | 0 | 6 | 250K | 0 | Calumet | |
42.5 | 1984-06-08 | 3 | 43°38'N / 88°58'W | 43°43'N / 88°59'W | 6.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Green Lake |
42.9 | 1974-04-12 | 2 | 44°50'N / 89°10'W | 44°53'N / 88°57'W | 10.70 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Shawano |
43.0 | 2004-06-23 | 3 | 43°40'N / 88°57'W | 43°39'N / 88°53'W | 4.00 Miles | 300 Yards | 1 | 1 | 675K | 300K | Green Lake |
Brief Description: A strong tornado spun up about a mile directly east of Lake Maria in southeastern Green Lake County, or about 4.2 miles SSE of Markesan, moved east along Sunny Drive with F3 strength (estimated 175-200), and exited Green Lake County along Mielke Rd., or about 6.8 miles SE of Markesan. Numerous trees were uprooted. At least 8 homes or ag-buildings had minor damage, at least 5 homes or ag-buildings had major damage, and at least 5 homes or ag-buildings were destroyed. Near the intersection of Sunny Drive and Pleasant Drive, two people and most basement items were "sucked" out of their home's basement while the home was being destroyed. The husband was found dead and his wife was critically injured. Average path width was about 275 yards. M53PH Two rounds of severe weather affected parts of south-central and southeast Wisconsin on June 23rd, with the second round featuring 8 tornadoes, large hail (up to golf-ball size), and powerful straight-line downburst winds. A warm front moving north through the area resulted in favorable vertical wind shear to allow for supercell development. The 1st round of severe weather was due to a broken line of intense thunderstorms moving across Walworth, Milwaukee, Racine and Kenosha counties. Hail of up to 1 inch in diameter and torrential rainfall accompanied these storms before they moved over Lake Michigan and weakened. The 2nd round of severe weather was dominated by 2 cyclic supercells - one moved east/southeast through Marquette, Green Lake, Fond du Lac, and Washington Counties, spinning up 5 separate tornadoes, dumping hail stones up to 3 inches in diameter, and hurricane-force downburst winds. The large hail dented several vehicles. Two of these were rated F3. Refer to the individual tornado reports for more details. A more southerly supercell tracked across extreme southern Sauk County and then made a partial right turn and headed southeast through Dane County, spinning up 2 tornadoes in the process, as well as large hail and downburst winds. One powerful downburst wind in Madison (Dane Co.) blew equipment off the roof of a business at the Midvale Shopping Mall. A semi southwest of Ft. Atkinson was blown over by straight-line wind gusts. This southern supercell eventually spun up another tornado in south-central Jefferson County which moved into north-central Walworth County. Refer to the individual tornado reports for more details. Both supercells had downbursts that generated large hail and powerful, hurricane-force winds north and south of their tracks. Over all of Wisconsin, 16 tornadoes were documented on June 23rd, which is the 4th highest single-day total (record is 24 on May 8, 1988). For south-central and southeast Wisconsin, the 8 tornadoes on June 23rd was tied for the 4th highest single-day total (record is 11 on May 8, 1988). | |||||||||||
43.7 | 2004-06-23 | 3 | 43°38'N / 88°51'W | 43°39'N / 88°48'W | 3.60 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 1.6M | 300K | Fond Du Lac |
Brief Description: This tornado was a continuation of the tornado that moved east from the Lake Maria area of extreme southeastern Green Lake County. It maintained its F3 strength (175-200 mph) and moved east along Marshview Rd, only to merge with the F3 tornado moving east/southeast out of the Markesan area of southeast Green Lake County. The merger took place just east of a dogleg/bend of Oak Grove Rd., about 2.2 miles SSW of Alto. The civil Town of Alto reported that 8 residential homes had major damage. Four farms were affected with a tally of 8 ag-buildings/homes with minor damage, 19 with major damage, and 16 destroyed. Crop damage was severe. Public sector damage (roads/bridges) was about $100K. Average path width was about 275 yards. Two rounds of severe weather affected parts of south-central and southeast Wisconsin on June 23rd, with the second round featuring 8 tornadoes, large hail (up to golf-ball size), and powerful straight-line downburst winds. A warm front moving north through the area resulted in favorable vertical wind shear to allow for supercell development. The 1st round of severe weather was due to a broken line of intense thunderstorms moving across Walworth, Milwaukee, Racine and Kenosha counties. Hail of up to 1 inch in diameter and torrential rainfall accompanied these storms before they moved over Lake Michigan and weakened. The 2nd round of severe weather was dominated by 2 cyclic supercells - one moved east/southeast through Marquette, Green Lake, Fond du Lac, and Washington Counties, spinning up 5 separate tornadoes, dumping hail stones up to 3 inches in diameter, and hurricane-force downburst winds. The large hail dented several vehicles. Two of these were rated F3. Refer to the individual tornado reports for more details. A more southerly supercell tracked across extreme southern Sauk County and then made a partial right turn and headed southeast through Dane County, spinning up 2 tornadoes in the process, as well as large hail and downburst winds. One powerful downburst wind in Madison (Dane Co.) blew equipment off the roof of a business at the Midvale Shopping Mall. A semi southwest of Ft. Atkinson was blown over by straight-line wind gusts. This southern supercell eventually spun up another tornado in south-central Jefferson County which moved into north-central Walworth County. Refer to the individual tornado reports for more details. Both supercells had downbursts that generated large hail and powerful, hurricane-force winds north and south of their tracks. Over all of Wisconsin, 16 tornadoes were documented on June 23rd, which is the 4th highest single-day total (record is 24 on May 8, 1988). For south-central and southeast Wisconsin, the 8 tornadoes on June 23rd was tied for the 4th highest single-day total (record is 11 on May 8, 1988). | |||||||||||
44.2 | 2004-06-23 | 3 | 43°38'N / 88°51'W | 43°38'N / 88°44'W | 7.20 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 0 | 6.0M | 700K | Fond Du Lac |
Brief Description: This tornado was a continuation of the tornado that moved through the southern part of the city of Markesan (Green Lake Co.). It entered Fond du Lac County just south of Lake Maria Road, about 4.7 miles SW of Alto. It moved east-southeast on a line toward Waupun at F3 strength (estimated 175-200 mph), and actually merged with the Lake Maria tornado that moved east out of extreme southeastern Green Lake County. The merger took place just east of a dogleg/bend of Oak Grove Rd., about 2.2 miles SSW of Alto. The civil Town of Alto reported that 19 residential homes had major damage and 1 was destroyed. One business had major damage. Fourteen farms were affected with a tally of 8 ag-buildings/homes with minor damage, 19 with major damage, and 16 destroyed. Crop damage was severe. Public sector damage (roads/bridges) was about $225K. In the city of Waupun (Fond du Lac side), 4 homes had major damage, and roughly 150 had minor roof/siding damage due to severe tree damage. Average path width was about 300 yards. Two rounds of severe weather affected parts of south-central and southeast Wisconsin on June 23rd, with the second round featuring 8 tornadoes, large hail (up to golf-ball size), and powerful straight-line downburst winds. A warm front moving north through the area resulted in favorable vertical wind shear to allow for supercell development. The 1st round of severe weather was due to a broken line of intense thunderstorms moving across Walworth, Milwaukee, Racine and Kenosha counties. Hail of up to 1 inch in diameter and torrential rainfall accompanied these storms before they moved over Lake Michigan and weakened. The 2nd round of severe weather was dominated by 2 cyclic supercells - one moved east/southeast through Marquette, Green Lake, Fond du Lac, and Washington Counties, spinning up 5 separate tornadoes, dumping hail stones up to 3 inches in diameter, and hurricane-force downburst winds. The large hail dented several vehicles. Two of these were rated F3. Refer to the individual tornado reports for more details. A more southerly supercell tracked across extreme southern Sauk County and then made a partial right turn and headed southeast through Dane County, spinning up 2 tornadoes in the process, as well as large hail and downburst winds. One powerful downburst wind in Madison (Dane Co.) blew equipment off the roof of a business at the Midvale Shopping Mall. A semi southwest of Ft. Atkinson was blown over by straight-line wind gusts. This southern supercell eventually spun up another tornado in south-central Jefferson County which moved into north-central Walworth County. Refer to the individual tornado reports for more details. Both supercells had downbursts that generated large hail and powerful, hurricane-force winds north and south of their tracks. Over all of Wisconsin, 16 tornadoes were documented on June 23rd, which is the 4th highest single-day total (record is 24 on May 8, 1988). For south-central and southeast Wisconsin, the 8 tornadoes on June 23rd was tied for the 4th highest single-day total (record is 11 on May 8, 1988). | |||||||||||
44.8 | 2004-06-23 | 2 | 43°49'N / 89°29'W | 43°46'N / 89°16'W | 11.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 1.0M | 500K | Marquette |
Brief Description: A strong tornado spun up about a half-mile east of Interstate 39/STH 51, near the intersection of Fawn Ct. and CTH M, or 3.5 NNW of Packwaukee. This tornado increased to F2 strength (estimated 140-150 mph) as it tore east/southeast through the southern part of Montello. Numerous trees were uprooted. Four homes were destroyed, 25 sustained major damage, and 142 had minor damage. In addition, 9 agricultural buildings were damaged or destroyed. The tornado ended in a swampy, Fox River bottom-land area about 4 miles southeast of Montello (1 mile short of the county line and south of CTH C and east STH 22). The responsible supercell also spun up a different tornado earlier in Adams County. Prop damage estimated at $1.0 M. Average path width was about 175 yards. Two rounds of severe weather affected parts of south-central and southeast Wisconsin on June 23rd, with the second round featuring 8 tornadoes, large hail (up to golf-ball size), and powerful straight-line downburst winds. A warm front moving north through the area resulted in favorable vertical wind shear to allow for supercell development. The 1st round of severe weather was due to a broken line of intense thunderstorms moving across Walworth, Milwaukee, Racine and Kenosha counties. Hail of up to 1 inch in diameter and torrential rainfall accompanied these storms before they moved over Lake Michigan and weakened. The 2nd round of severe weather was dominated by 2 cyclic supercells - one moved east/southeast through Marquette, Green Lake, Fond du Lac, and Washington Counties, spinning up 5 separate tornadoes, dumping hail stones up to 3 inches in diameter, and hurricane-force downburst winds. The large hail dented several vehicles. Two of these were rated F3. Refer to the individual tornado reports for more details. A more southerly supercell tracked across extreme southern Sauk County and then made a partial right turn and headed southeast through Dane County, spinning up 2 tornadoes in the process, as well as large hail and downburst winds. One powerful downburst wind in Madison (Dane Co.) blew equipment off the roof of a business at the Midvale Shopping Mall. A semi southwest of Ft. Atkinson was blown over by straight-line wind gusts. This southern supercell eventually spun up another tornado in south-central Jefferson County which moved into north-central Walworth County. Refer to the individual tornado reports for more details. Both supercells had downbursts that generated large hail and powerful, hurricane-force winds north and south of their tracks. Over all of Wisconsin, 16 tornadoes were documented on June 23rd, which is the 4th highest single-day total (record is 24 on May 8, 1988). For south-central and southeast Wisconsin, the 8 tornadoes on June 23rd was tied for the 4th highest single-day total (record is 11 on May 8, 1988). | |||||||||||
46.1 | 1980-06-07 | 2 | 44°04'N / 87°53'W | 0.20 Mile | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Manitowoc | |
47.2 | 1951-06-19 | 2 | 43°37'N / 88°30'W | 1.00 Mile | 467 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Dodge | |
47.3 | 1974-04-21 | 3 | 43°33'N / 88°45'W | 43°40'N / 88°20'W | 22.20 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Dodge |
47.7 | 2007-06-07 | 2 | 44°46'N / 89°28'W | 44°49'N / 89°21'W | 7.00 Miles | 225 Yards | 0 | 0 | 343K | 0K | Marathon |
Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: The first tornado of the outbreak formed 9.4 miles east of Mosinee at 4:01 PM CDT. The storm moved across eastern Marathon County where it heavily damaged 2 homes (DI 2, DOD 6), 1 mobile home (DI 4, DOD 9) and 10 barns; caused major damage to 1 home; did minor damage to 6 homes and 1 business; and snapped or uprooted many trees (DI 27, DOD 4). The tornado dissipated near Pike Lake at 4:14 PM CDT. The average path width of the tornado was 150 yards. The tornado was rated EF2 with estimated winds of 115 to 125 mph. EPISODE NARRATIVE: An unseasonably strong upper level storm system and deep surface low pressure (with central pressure as low as 979 mb) interacted with a cold front that moved from west to east across the area during the late afternoon and evening. A moist and unstable airmass ahead of the cold front provided the fuel to generate severe thunderstorms that included five tornadoes, near record-size hail and damaging winds. Thousands of homes sustained damage and about 15,000 customers lost power during the storms, some for almost 3 days as trees blocked roads and slowed repair work to power lines. Four people sustained minor injuries, and total damage from the storms exceeded $60 million. The first tornado of the outbreak moved across eastern Marathon County shortly after 4:00 PM CDT, producing damage to several homes. The tornado was rated EF2. A second thunderstorm produced a weak tornado in Wood County, which was rated EF0. The same storm responsible for this tornado produced softball size hail that damaged thousands of homes, several businesses and hundreds of vehicles. One hailstone that fell in Port Edwards measured 5.50 inches in diameter, making it the second largest hailstone on record in Wisconsin. The same supercell thunderstorm that produced the Marathon County tornado also produced a long-track tornado across northeast Shawano, northwest Menominee, southeast Langlade and northern Oconto counties. This tornado was on the ground for 47 minutes, covering 40.1 miles, and destroyed 14,400 acres of woodlands (timber loss was estimated at $12.5 million) and dozens of buildings along its path. The twister, which was over one-half mile at times, was rated EF3, with peak winds estimated of 150 to 160 mph. The storm responsible for the tornado also produced significant straight-line wind damage as it moved into western Marinette County. The fourth tornado of the outbreak, rated EF1, developed near Cedarville in Marinette Co., which was from the same thunderstorm that produced the long-track tornado. The final tornado of the afternoon and evening touched down near Harmony in Marinette Co. This tornado was rated EF1. Details of the tornadoes, hail, and wind damage can be found in the event narratives of the affected counties. | |||||||||||
47.9 | 1964-05-08 | 2 | 44°42'N / 89°35'W | 44°48'N / 89°22'W | 12.30 Miles | 500 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Marathon |
48.0 | 2004-06-23 | 3 | 43°38'N / 88°44'W | 43°33'N / 88°25'W | 16.70 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 0 | 8.0M | 500K | Dodge |
Brief Description: This tornado was a continuation of the tornado that moved east-southeast from Markesan (Green Lake Co.) through the southwest corner of Fond du Lac County (civil Town of Alto). In Dodge County it maintained its F3 strength (175-200 mph) as it moved east-southeast through the city of Waupun and through rural areas of northern Dodge County to a point 2 miles southeast of Lomira, where it dissipated just west of U.S. Highway 41. Many homes and vehicles in the Dodge County portion of Waupun were damaged. Toward Lomira, several dozens of agricultural buildings and homes were damage. Numerous trees were uprooted from Waupun to near Lomira, and some crop damage was noted. Estimated damage in Waupun was about $3M, and $2.5M in the civil Towns of Lomira and Le Roy. Average path width was about 300 yards. Two rounds of severe weather affected parts of south-central and southeast Wisconsin on June 23rd, with the second round featuring 8 tornadoes, large hail (up to golf-ball size), and powerful straight-line downburst winds. A warm front moving north through the area resulted in favorable vertical wind shear to allow for supercell development. The 1st round of severe weather was due to a broken line of intense thunderstorms moving across Walworth, Milwaukee, Racine and Kenosha counties. Hail of up to 1 inch in diameter and torrential rainfall accompanied these storms before they moved over Lake Michigan and weakened. The 2nd round of severe weather was dominated by 2 cyclic supercells - one moved east/southeast through Marquette, Green Lake, Fond du Lac, and Washington Counties, spinning up 5 separate tornadoes, dumping hail stones up to 3 inches in diameter, and hurricane-force downburst winds. The large hail dented several vehicles. Two of these were rated F3. Refer to the individual tornado reports for more details. A more southerly supercell tracked across extreme southern Sauk County and then made a partial right turn and headed southeast through Dane County, spinning up 2 tornadoes in the process, as well as large hail and downburst winds. One powerful downburst wind in Madison (Dane Co.) blew equipment off the roof of a business at the Midvale Shopping Mall. A semi southwest of Ft. Atkinson was blown over by straight-line wind gusts. This southern supercell eventually spun up another tornado in south-central Jefferson County which moved into north-central Walworth County. Refer to the individual tornado reports for more details. Both supercells had downbursts that generated large hail and powerful, hurricane-force winds north and south of their tracks. Over all of Wisconsin, 16 tornadoes were documented on June 23rd, which is the 4th highest single-day total (record is 24 on May 8, 1988). For south-central and southeast Wisconsin, the 8 tornadoes on June 23rd was tied for the 4th highest single-day total (record is 11 on May 8, 1988). | |||||||||||
48.9 | 1986-06-11 | 2 | 43°36'N / 88°21'W | 43°42'N / 88°15'W | 8.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Fond Du Lac |
48.9 | 1961-09-22 | 2 | 43°39'N / 88°15'W | 43°47'N / 88°04'W | 12.60 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Fond Du Lac |
* The information on this page is based on the global volcano database, the U.S. earthquake database of 1638-1985, and the U.S. Tornado and Weather Extremes database of 1950-2010.