Storm Record · Columbia, Dane, Dodge, Jefferson, Sauk, Walworth, Waukesha Counties
July 21, 2016: Straight-line wind across seven counties
1″
Largest hail
90
Strongest gust
16
NWS reports
What the National Weather Service recorded
Persistent warm and moist advection over an outflow boundary triggered thunderstorms over west central WI that organized into a large and slow moving squall line. The slow moving line of storms produced numerous areas of straight line wind damage and some areas of flash flooding over southern WI during the late afternoon and evening hours. Power outages across southern WI affected approximately 25,000 customers.
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database · episode 108940
Every report, in the Weather Service's words
Where It Hit
| Location | County | Hazard | Size | Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friesland (.97 N) | Columbia | Wind | 90 mph wind | Minor house damage, a car blown into the ditch, and multiple large trees snapped at the trunk or uprooted. A wind turbine measured a 106 mph wind gust. |
| Friesland (2.98 NW) | Columbia | Wind | 90 mph wind | The roof and walls of barn collapsed. Some damage to the roof and walls of a home. |
| Portland (2.76 N) | Dodge | Wind | 82 mph wind | Half the roof of a large pole barn was removed by high winds. |
| Pardeeville (1 W) | Columbia | Wind | 64 mph wind | Branches down 6-8 inches in diameter. Reports of trees and branches down across northern Columbia County. |
| Madison Truax Airport | Dane | Wind | 63 mph wind | |
| Camp Randall Stadium (1.66 ENE) | Dane | Wind | 60 mph wind | Construction damage on University of Wisconsin campus. |
| Downtown Waukesha (1.22 SW) | Waukesha | Wind | 60 mph wind | Multiple trees and branches down on the north side of Waukesha. |
| North Freedom (.85 SE) | Sauk | Wind | 60 mph wind | Trees and power lines down. |
| South Beaver Dam (2.41 NNW) | Dodge | Wind | 60 mph wind | Numerous trees and branches down in the Beaver Dam area, including a 36 inch diameter tree that was uprooted. |
| Reeseville (1.22 NW) | Dodge | Wind | 60 mph wind | Several trees and branches down, and bleachers moved by the high winds in Reeseville. |
| Sauk City (.57 W) | Sauk | Wind | 60 mph wind | Trees and power lines down. |
| Waterloo (1.9 SE) | Jefferson | Wind | 58 mph wind | Sporadic trees and power lines down throughout the county. |
| Maple Bluff (.75 NNE) | Dane | Wind | 58 mph wind | A five inch diameter tree landed on a road. |
| Little Prairie (1.47 WSW) | Walworth | Wind | 58 mph wind | Sporadic tree damage across northern Walworth County. |
| Mt Horeb (.86 NW) | Dane | Hail | 1" hail | |
| Mt Horeb (.86 NW) | Dane | Hail | 0.88" hail |
Service areas this storm touched