In light of severe weather awareness week I decided to take a look at the costliest tornadoes in Wisconsin history, while taking inflation into account. A countless number of tornadoes have cost more than a million dollars in damage, and I have narrowed it down to the top 3.

3. Stoughton Tornado

This is the most recent tornado on the list. It occurred on August 18^th of 2005, about 10 days before Hurricane Katrina. This was an F3 Tornado with estimated wind speeds over 150 mph. Unfortunately, one man was killed and 23 other were injured from the tornado which passed through rural Stoughton, just southeast of Madison. 89 buildings were destroyed or heavily damaged, and the estimated cost of destruction was $38.3 million.

2. Oakfield Tornado

This tornado is one that is remembered well here in Northeast Wisconsin. It struck on July 18^th, 1996. The twister was rated as an F5 with wind speeds over 250 mph. Wisconsin, since, has not seen a tornado of that magnitude. Fortunately, Oakfield residents took precautions and only 17 people were injured. A number like that is hard to believe considering the tornado destroyed 66 buildings and damaged 130 others. The estimated cost of damage was $55.7 million.

3. Barneveld Tornado

The Barneveld tornado struck on June 8^th of 1984, and destroyed 90 percent of the town, leaving almost everything to rubble except the town’s water tower. The violent tornado claimed 9 people’s lives and injured almost 200 others. The twister was rated an F5 and was on the ground for 36 miles. The estimated cost of damage was $84.1 million.

While these tornadoes cost millions of dollars worth of damage, the dollar amount doesn’t even compare to the costliest tornado ever to strike the United States. In 1966, a tornado struck Topeka, Kansas causing an estimated $1.6 billion.

Until Next Time,

Meteorologist Andrew Thut