Lightning in Marathon County, Wisconsin

Lightning August 23, 2008 · Marathon County, Wisconsin

$8.0M

Damage as recorded

Where the report was made, with tornadoes recorded within 15 miles over the years.

What the National Weather Service wrote

A lightning strike at 2:29 am CDT on August 23 generated a fire at the Gordon Aluminum Industries in Schofield. The fire destroyed a row of offices and generated enough heat to incapacitate nearby machinery. In addition to the fire damage at the plant, $300 million worth of unfinished aluminum had varying degrees of corrosion as a result of the smoke, ash, and water used to douse the flames.

The lightning strike rattled residences in the area. A blown gas main valve near the apparent source of the fire served to fuel the blaze.

The wider storm

A lightning strike at the Gordon Aluminum Industries did considerable damage to the plant.

Began near Schofield (44.9000, -89.6000).

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 127891. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

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