Wisconsin lightning
Every recorded lightning record since 1996 · 63 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 662 lightning records in Wisconsin from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 17 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the August 22, 2007 lightning in Dane County: 3 deaths, 2 injuries and $14,000 in damage in 2025 dollars. Wisconsin ranks 6th of 52 states and territories by count and 17th of 51 per square mile.
Lightning in Wisconsin, 1996 to 2026
Lightning records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026.
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $1 million
- $1 million or more
- $10 million or more
- $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
- $1 billion or more, or 100 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- Records
- 6621996 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 17average
- Deaths
- 23128 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $106Mas filed
- Busiest year
- 199773 records
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; deaths and damage as filed, damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
Are lightning records common in Wisconsin?
Wisconsin averages about 17 lightning records a year since 2000, 6th of 52 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 1997 (73). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Wisconsin records 122 lightning records since 1996, 17th of 51 states and territories by that measure.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1996, per 10,000 square miles of land area (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; places under 1,000 square miles not ranked). Damage colours: Storm Events damage, 2025 dollars.
Which counties in Wisconsin have the most lightning records?
Per square mile, Milwaukee County leads Wisconsin: 26 days with a lightning record since 1996, 107.7 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Waukesha County has the most lightning records (59 since 1996); large counties collect more records simply by covering more ground, so the ranking counts days with a record per unit of area (a storm filed for several forecast zones adds several records but one day).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, days with a record in the county since 1996 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.
When is the lightning season in Wisconsin?
46% of its lightning records since 1996 fell in July and August. The busiest month is July (170 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 1 · Feb 2 · Mar 19 · Apr 45 · May 87 · Jun 127 · Jul 170 · Aug 134 · Sep 52 · Oct 22 · Nov 3 · Dec 0 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.
What were the deadliest lightning records in Wisconsin?
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007-08-22 | LightningDowntown Madison, Dane County Lightning struck a power-pole, causing the attached power-line to fall onto a water-covered ground around a bus stop. As a result, three people were electrocuted - two of them while standing in the water waiting for a bus, and another person who got off of the bus. All three fatalities were indirectly-related to ... | 3 | 2 | $14K | |
| 2014-08-03 | LightningMorgan, Oconto County Lightning from a thunderstorm that quickly developed west of Abrams killed two men working on a tree house at a home on County Road E in the Town of Morgan. The men were struck by lightning from the storm as it passed about two miles to their south. One of the men, a 27-year-old, was killed instantly. The other, a ... | 2 | 0 | – | |
| 2000-08-12 | LightningSomerset, St. Croix County Victims were walking along a road after a concert, heading to a campsite on the outskirts of Somerset. Only a few rumbles of thunder were heard. | 1 | 2 | – | |
| 2008-07-07 | LightningGrellton, Jefferson County One storm episode: 2 records; the totals are the episode's. This 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. Powerful thunderstorm downburst winds were generated which knocked down trees and power-lines that left about 23,000 customers without electrical ... | 1 | 1 | $41K | |
| 2021-08-24 | LightningMenomonie, Dunn County Lightning struck two construction workers. One died and the other was transported to a local hospital with serious injuries. | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 2006-10-02 | LightningBlair, Trempealeau County A 46 year old man was struck and killed by lightning while surveying land in the township of Preston. Another man nearby was injured. | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 2014-06-30 | LightningDowntown Janesville, Rock County A man was struck by lightning and killed when he got out of his vehicle on highway 14 to correct the windshield wiper. A line of severe thunderstorms was moving through the area at the time. | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2014-06-15 | LightningVaudreuil, Jackson County An elderly lady died from smoke inhalation after a lightning strike started her house on fire in Black River Falls. At least three other nearby homes also suffered some electrical damage. | 1 | 0 | $102K | |
| 2011-07-01 | LightningHertel, Burnett County An eleven year old girl was killed while trying to escape the approaching storm. Lightning struck a tree and the tree fell on the girl, killing her. The tree was so large that it took 20 men to remove it. | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 1999-07-30 | LightningMedford, Taylor County A 24 year old Amish man was killed by lightning, while travelling in a horse and buggy. The horse was killed also. | 1 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths direct and indirect, as filed by the National Weather Service, summed over each storm (one episode, or one named storm filed by several offices). Storm names from the titles of FEMA declarations that name the storm's counties.
The costliest lightning records in Wisconsin
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006-08-24 | LightningKenosha County One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 1 | $21M | |
| 2007-10-06 | LightningSchofield, Marathon County | 0 | 0 | $12M | |
| 2008-08-23 | LightningSchofield, Marathon County | 0 | 0 | $11M | |
| 1998-08-24 | LightningBeloit, Rock County | 0 | 0 | $6.3M | |
| 2019-09-12 | LightningDowntown Waukesha, Waukesha County | 0 | 3 | $2.9M | |
| 2007-08-24 | LightningSauk City, Sauk County | 0 | 0 | $2.7M | |
| 2013-08-22 | LightningSlinger, Washington County | 0 | 0 | $2.7M | |
| 1997-07-21 | LightningMilwaukee County | 0 | 0 | $1.8M |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.
Are lightning records becoming more frequent in Wisconsin?
Wisconsin's count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996, so earlier decades are not comparable; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.
| Decade | Wisconsin | United States | Wisconsin's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-99 | 221 | 3,521 | 6.3% |
| 2000s | 270 | 8,052 | 3.4% |
| 2010s | 143 | 5,103 | 2.8% |
| 2020-26 | 28 | 1,544 | 1.8% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent lightning records in Wisconsin
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-10 | LightningTownsend, Oconto County | 0 | 0 | $100K | |
| 2026-04-24 | LightningNora, Dane County | 0 | 0 | $20K | |
| 2026-04-15 | LightningWaukesha Co Airport, Waukesha County | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-14 | LightningFt Atkinson, Jefferson County | 0 | 0 | $50K | |
| 2025-09-22 | LightningMichaels, Washington County | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-08-09 | LightningRosiere, Kewaunee County | 0 | 0 | $125K | |
| 2025-06-08 | LightningDe Pere, Brown County | 0 | 0 | $40K | |
| 2022-06-15 | LightningMayfield, Washington County | 0 | 0 | $706K | |
| 2021-08-24 | LightningMenomonie, Dunn County | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 2021-08-10 | LightningHayward Airport, Sawyer County | 0 | 4 | – | |
| 2021-06-17 | LightningFremont, Waupaca County | 0 | 0 | $272K | |
| 2021-05-25 | LightningWisconsin Rapids, Wood County | 0 | 0 | $327K |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; the newest months are revised by NCEI as reports arrive. Search the record at NCEI.
Next
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