MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) – Tuesday marks the 30th anniversary of a deadly tornado outbreak in central Wisconsin.

On August 27, 1994, nine tornadoes hit the Badger State. Five of these tornadoes passed through Juneau, Adams, Marquette and Green Lake counties.

The strongest of these tornadoes occurred in northern Adams County; the greatest damage occurred in the community of Big Flats.

The Big Flats Fire Department building and City Hall were destroyed by the tornado, as were several businesses. According to the National Weather Service in La Crosse, 192 homes were damaged to varying degrees by this tornado, 24 of those homes were leveled. The tornado caused approximately $1 million in damage along its path.

This tornado killed two people and injured 22 others. In addition, 70 cows were killed when a barn collapsed. The Big Flats tornado was rated an F3 on the now-defunct Fujita scale. It was estimated that the tornado was on the ground for 10 miles (16 km) and had a maximum width of 2,500 feet (790 m) (equivalent to nearly half a mile). It is the strongest tornado to occur in Adams County since reliable tornado records began in 1950.

Elsewhere, an F1 near Lyndon Station injured three people after destroying several mobile homes and striking a campground, damaging trailers. An F0 touched down near Plainville in Adams County, causing minor crop damage.

A Category 2 storm nearly a mile wide struck rural areas in northern Marquette County. A Category 2 storm of the same width also passed through rural areas in northwestern Green Lake County. No further information on damage from these storms could be found.

Outside of southern Wisconsin, the most significant tornado of this outbreak was an F3 tornado in Eau Claire County. This tornado killed two people and caused 25 injuries. The most severe damage occurred in the community of Foster.

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