Wisconsin, 1998
The year's recorded storm events, federal disaster declarations and flood insurance claims.
NCEI notes that Storm Data is compiled from a variety of sources including the National Weather Service, other federal, state and local agencies, the media and the public; that property and crop damage figures are estimates; and that some events are recorded by NWS forecast zone rather than by county. FEMA notes that NFIP claim records are redacted and aggregated to protect the privacy of policyholders.
Events by hazard
Includes events recorded by forecast zone. The state's yearly total for 1998 was 1,288 against 1,069 in 1997.
Counties with the most recorded events
Notable events
| Date | County | Event type | Magnitude | Property damage | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 Aug 1998 | Waukesha | Flash Flood | — | $17,300,000 | 2 | 1 |
| 31 May 1998 | Washington | Thunderstorm Wind | 105 mph | $8,570,000 | 1 | 2 |
| 10 Nov 1998 | Milwaukee | High Wind | — | $1,000,000 | 1 | 1 |
| 10 Nov 1998 | Door | High Wind | 60 mph | $50,000 | 1 | 1 |
| 10 Nov 1998 | Dane | High Wind | — | $600,000 | 1 | — |
| 10 Nov 1998 | Kenosha | High Wind | — | $600,000 | 1 | — |
| 10 Nov 1998 | Columbia | High Wind | — | $500,000 | 1 | — |
| 10 Nov 1998 | Vernon | High Wind | 71 mph | $150,000 | 1 | — |
| 25 Jun 1998 | Milwaukee | Heat | — | — | — | 21 |
| 18 Jun 1998 | La Crosse | Thunderstorm Wind | 62 mph | $20,000 | — | 13 |
| 21 Jul 1998 | Walworth | Thunderstorm Wind | 100 mph | $1,900,000 | — | 12 |
| 15 May 1998 | Lafayette | Tornado | F2 | $1,700,000 | — | 11 |
| 4 Jan 1998 | La Crosse | Ice Storm | — | $15,000 | — | 10 |
| 19 Jul 1998 | Kenosha | Heat | — | — | — | 10 |
| 31 May 1998 | Dodge | Thunderstorm Wind | 128 mph | $3,710,000 | — | 8 |
| 31 May 1998 | Jefferson | Thunderstorm Wind | — | $2,700,000 | — | 8 |
| 30 May 1998 | Dunn | Tornado | F2 | $400,000 | — | 8 |
| 15 May 1998 | Pepin | Tornado | F3 | $100,000 | — | 6 |
| 18 Jun 1998 | Rock | Lightning | — | — | — | 5 |
| 31 May 1998 | Ozaukee | Thunderstorm Wind | — | $3,460,000 | — | 4 |
| 31 May 1998 | Sauk | Thunderstorm Wind | — | $914,000 | — | 4 |
| 10 Nov 1998 | Waukesha | High Wind | — | $1,000,000 | — | 4 |
| 6 Aug 1998 | Sheboygan | Flash Flood | — | $40,000,000 | — | — |
| 6 Aug 1998 | Milwaukee | Flash Flood | — | $22,140,000 | — | 1 |
| 10 Nov 1998 | Racine | High Wind | — | $600,000 | — | 3 |
| 25 Jun 1998 | Door | Thunderstorm Wind | 75 mph | $150,000 | — | 3 |
| 14 Jul 1998 | Sheboygan | Heat | — | — | — | 3 |
| 23 Aug 1998 | Door | Tornado | F3 | $4,740,000 | — | 2 |
| 31 May 1998 | Dane | Thunderstorm Wind | 100 mph | $3,130,000 | — | 2 |
| 20 Jul 1998 | Walworth | Thunderstorm Wind | 100 mph | $1,500,000 | — | 2 |
| 10 Nov 1998 | Jefferson | High Wind | — | $900,000 | — | 2 |
| 10 Nov 1998 | Iowa | High Wind | — | $400,000 | — | 2 |
| 30 May 1998 | Dunn | Thunderstorm Wind | 69 mph | $300,000 | — | 2 |
| 5 Aug 1998 | Rock | Flash Flood | — | $250,000 | — | 2 |
| 4 Jan 1998 | Trempealeau | Ice Storm | — | $8,000 | — | 2 |
| 4 Jan 1998 | Clark | Ice Storm | — | $6,000 | — | 2 |
| 30 May 1998 | Dunn | Thunderstorm Wind | 81 mph | — | — | 2 |
| 31 May 1998 | Milwaukee | Thunderstorm Wind | 100 mph | $19,200,000 | — | — |
| 31 May 1998 | Columbia | Thunderstorm Wind | — | $3,640,000 | — | 1 |
| 31 May 1998 | Fond du Lac | Thunderstorm Wind | 83 mph | $2,000,000 | — | 1 |
Up to 40 events with deaths, injuries, damage of $50,000 or more, or a tornado rating, ranked by deaths, injuries and damage.
Federal disaster declarations in 1998
| Declared | Number | Type | Incident | Title | Counties |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 Aug 1998 | DR-1238 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Storms And Flooding | 5 |
| 24 Jul 1998 | DR-1236 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Storms,Straigh Line Winds, Tornadoes,Rain,And Floodi | 14 |
Flood insurance claims with a 1998 date of loss
793 NFIP claims, 658 of them paid, for $7,382,618.
Sources: NOAA NCEI Storm Events through 30 Jun 2026; OpenFEMA DisasterDeclarationsSummaries v2 (1 Oct 2026); OpenFEMA NfipClaims v3 (8 Sep 2026). Built 1 Oct 2026.