A strong line of thunderstorms swept through Oshkosh Monday evening, bringing hail and wind gusts reaching near 60 mph.
The storm left more than 8,500 without power, a number reduced to about 160 as of 7:30 a.m. Tuesday in the 54902 and 54904 zip codes, according to Wisconsin Public Service.
There were no immediate reports of major damage, but firefighters responded to several calls of homes struck by lightning or by trees that were downed by high winds. The fire reports turned out to be false alrams, according to the fire department.
One residence in the Town of Clayton did start on fire after being struck by lightning, but Town of Clayton Fire crews were able to control the fire. The house received minor smoke damage, said Winnebago Sheriff”s Lt. Joe Kronke.
Temperatures dropped from 94 degrees at 5 p.m. to 66 degrees at 8 p.m. Jeff Last from the National Weather Service in Green Bay reported wind gusts measuring near 60 mph at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh.
In addition to the outages and downed trees, some Oshkosh streets were severely flooded, such as Main Street, High Avenue and 20th Avenue. Oshkosh police said urgent calls regarding the storm subsided around 7:45 p.m.
At 8 p.m., about .20 inches of rain had fallen in one hour in Oshkosh, according to the National Weather Service.