Tornado on Jul. 16, 1997 14:40 PM CDT (2024)

Data Central
Tornado Archive

Tornado Archive

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has been tracking tornadoes for decades. This interactive map, which contains data from January 1950 to February 29, 2024, pinpoints where a cyclone touched down and traces its path of destruction. For more recent tornadoes, clicking deeper provides more details, damage estimates and whether someone was injured or killed in the storm.

Summary

Severe 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. Millions of dollars in damage resulted from the biggest severe weather outbreak to affect the region in years.The storms began to develop early in the afternoon across north-central Wisconsin. Hail the size of baseballs fell in Minocqua (Oneida co.), damaging nearly 200 vehicles. As those storms moved southeast and weakened, a new supercell thunderstorm developed over Lincoln county. This new storm produced wind damage in Tomahawk and softball size hail northeast of Merrill. About 20 minutes later, a tornado developed in southeast Lincoln county and moved southeastward into Marathon county. This tornado, rated F2, was on the ground for more than three miles. It damaged several homes, vehicles and silos, and destroyed numerous barns, sheds and crops. Twenty head of dairy cattle were killed or had to be destroyed. As the tornadic supercell moved southeast, it produced two other weak tornadoes. Total damage to crops and property from five tornadoes, hail and straight-line winds in Marathon county alone topped $10 million.Another supercell thunderstorm produced a downburst swath of damage over three miles wide and 14 miles long from southeast Langlade county, through western Menominee county, into extreme north-central Shawano county. Menominee county was especially hard hit, as tens of thousands of trees were felled in the heavily forested county. Authorities estimated that nearly 25 million board feet of lumber was on the ground; it was hoped that much of it was going to be salvaged. At the height of the storm, winds were estimated to be near 100 mph. As the storm weakened and moved into north-central Shawano county, a 70 mph wind gust was measured near Morgan. Another storm in western Shawano county produced a downburst which downed trees across the city of Wittenberg. Part of a roof was blown off an apartment building in the downtown area, and several houses and businesses sustained damage from the fallen trees. A Wittenberg man was injured by flying glass. Lightning set a house on fire, destroying the second story, in the township of Germania.Another storm struck Waupaca county, producing high winds. A power pole fell and hit a car in New London, injuring the driver.Shortly after 530 pm, a supercell thunderstorm produced numerous wind gusts over 65 mph across the Fox Valley, blowing over many trees, damaging buildings and causing a fatality. A 36 year-old male was killed when a tree fell on his minivan in Oshkosh (Winnebago co.). His young daughter was uninjured in the accident. A wind gust to 82 mph was measured in Appleton (Outagamie co.), and a gust to 67 mph was recorded in Oshkosh.Thunderstorms over Waushara county produced flooding rains, a brief tornado, strong winds and hail. Over five inches of rain fell in only three hours near Hanco*ck, producing some basem*nt and street flooding. A brief tornado also touched down in an open field in Hanco*ck. Numerous trees and powerlines were blown down in Wautoma.A thunderstorm knocked trees and power lines down in Kiel (Calumet/Manitowoc co.), and damaged seven tents at a fair in Cleveland (Manitowoc co.).

Date/Time	F Scale	Length (in miles)	Width (in feet)	Injury*	Fataliy**	Property Damage	Crops Damage
Jul. 16, 1997 11:55 AM CDT				0 (0)	0 (0)
Jul. 16, 1997 12:00 PM CDT				0 (0)	0 (0)	$3,000
Jul. 16, 1997 12:20 PM CDT				0 (0)	0 (0)
Jul. 16, 1997 12:30 PM CDT				0 (0)	0 (0)	$300,000
Jul. 16, 1997 12:50 PM CDT				0 (0)	0 (0)
Jul. 16, 1997 13:00 PM CDT				0 (0)	0 (0)
Jul. 16, 1997 13:15 PM CDT				0 (0)	0 (0)
Jul. 16, 1997 13:30 PM CDT				0 (0)	0 (0)
Jul. 16, 1997 13:40 PM CDT				0 (0)	0 (0)
Jul. 16, 1997 14:05 PM CDT				0 (0)	0 (0)
Jul. 16, 1997 14:10 PM CDT				0 (0)	0 (0)	$1,000
Jul. 16, 1997 14:15 PM CDT				0 (0)	0 (0)	$2,000
Jul. 16, 1997 14:25 PM CDT				0 (0)	0 (0)	$2,000
Jul. 16, 1997 14:38 PM CDT	EF2	1.4	100	0 (0)	0 (0)	$500,000	$25,000
Jul. 16, 1997 14:40 PM CDT	EF2	2	100	0 (0)	0 (0)	$1,000,000	$3,000,000
Jul. 16, 1997 14:40 PM CDT				0 (0)	0 (0)	$1,000
Jul. 16, 1997 14:46 PM CDT				0 (0)	0 (0)	$10,000	$500,000
Jul. 16, 1997 15:00 PM CDT	EF0	.1	15	0 (0)	0 (0)	$5,000
Jul. 16, 1997 15:00 PM CDT	EF0	.2	75	0 (0)	0 (0)	$200,000
Jul. 16, 1997 15:09 PM CDT	EF1	.2	50	0 (0)	0 (0)	$100,000	$10,000
Jul. 16, 1997 15:15 PM CDT				0 (0)	0 (0)	$250,000	$3,000,000
Jul. 16, 1997 15:20 PM CDT	EF0	.2	75	0 (0)	0 (0)	$1,000	$1,000
Jul. 16, 1997 15:20 PM CDT				0 (0)	0 (0)
Jul. 16, 1997 15:22 PM CDT				0 (0)	0 (0)	$1,000
Jul. 16, 1997 15:22 PM CDT				0 (0)	0 (0)	$2,000
Jul. 16, 1997 15:30 PM CDT				0 (0)	0 (0)	$10,000
Jul. 16, 1997 15:30 PM CDT				1 (0)	0 (0)	$300,000	$1,000
Jul. 16, 1997 15:35 PM CDT				0 (0)	0 (0)	$1,000
Jul. 16, 1997 15:40 PM CDT				0 (0)	0 (0)	$10,000	$2,000
Jul. 16, 1997 16:04 PM CDT				0 (0)	0 (0)
Jul. 16, 1997 16:05 PM CDT				1 (0)	0 (0)	$20,000
Jul. 16, 1997 16:05 PM CDT				0 (0)	0 (0)
Jul. 16, 1997 16:10 PM CDT				0 (0)	0 (0)	$2,000
Jul. 16, 1997 16:10 PM CDT				0 (0)	0 (0)
Jul. 16, 1997 16:15 PM CDT				0 (0)	0 (0)	$10,000
Jul. 16, 1997 16:30 PM CDT				0 (0)	0 (0)
Jul. 16, 1997 16:33 PM CDT				0 (0)	0 (0)	$2,000
Jul. 16, 1997 16:35 PM CDT				0 (0)	0 (0)
Jul. 16, 1997 16:37 PM CDT				0 (0)	0 (0)	$100,000
Jul. 16, 1997 16:41 PM CDT	EF0	.1	10	0 (0)	0 (0)
Jul. 16, 1997 16:45 PM CDT				0 (0)	0 (0)
Jul. 16, 1997 16:47 PM CDT				0 (0)	0 (0)	$50,000
Jul. 16, 1997 16:48 PM CDT				0 (0)	1 (0)	$150,000
Jul. 16, 1997 16:52 PM CDT				0 (0)	0 (0)
Jul. 16, 1997 17:00 PM CDT				0 (0)	0 (0)	$5,000
Jul. 16, 1997 17:05 PM CDT				0 (0)	0 (0)	$2,000
Jul. 16, 1997 17:10 PM CDT				0 (0)	0 (0)	$1,000
Jul. 16, 1997 17:10 PM CDT				0 (0)	0 (0)	$25,000
Jul. 16, 1997 17:13 PM CDT				0 (0)	0 (0)
Jul. 16, 1997 17:15 PM CDT				0 (0)	0 (0)	$150,000
Jul. 16, 1997 17:30 PM CDT				0 (0)	0 (0)
Jul. 16, 1997 19:00 PM CDT				0 (0)	0 (0)	$50,000

* Direct Injury (Indirect Injury)
* Direct Fatality (Indirect Fatality)

Map

Florida is in a scramble to re-energize the state as quickly as possible. Here's a guide to the percentage of power outages in each county. Click on each county to see the details.
Last update:

F Scale***

EF5

EF4

See Also

Best Stair Lifts Bailey Island, Maine

EF3

EF2

EF1

EF0

Not Available

*** Enhanced Fujita Scale describes the strength of the tornado based on the amount and type of damage caused by the tornado. The F-scale of damage will vary in the destruction area; therefore, the highest value of the F-scale is recorded for each event. EF0 – Light Damage (40 – 72 mph), EF1 – Moderate Damage (73 – 112 mph), EF2 – Significant damage (113 – 157 mph), EF3 – Severe Damage (158 – 206 mph), EF4 – Devastating Damage (207 – 260 mph), EF5 – Incredible Damage (261 – 318 mph)

Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

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