The June 16 tornado caused $18.6 million in damages to UW–Platteville and UW–Platteville Real Estate Foundation property, according to the final numbers.

An EF-2 tornado ripped through the campus on the night of June 16, damaging five buildings as well as the surrounding area and Memorial Park. The damage, which forced closure of the university on June 17–18, included broken windows, partial roof destruction, bent light towers at Ralph E. Davis Pioneer Stadium, and downed trees. There were no fatalities or significant injuries that required medical attention on campus. 

The heaviest damage, in amount of dollars, was done to the following structures:

• $7.3 million: Bridgeway Commons.

• $4.8 million: Rountree Commons.

• $1.8 million: Southwest Hall.

• $1.8 million: Engineering Hall.

• $1.7 million: Pioneer Stadium.

“It’s hard to believe it has just been a year since the tornado hit,” said Chancellor Dennis J. Shields. “Walking around campus, I see very few signs of the damage. That is a testament to all the hard work and extra hours that people put in to ensure we had a successful academic year.”

Damage to Pioneer Stadium, including the required replacement of the artificial playing surface, resulted in the cancellation of the annual Six Rivers Jamboree day of Six Rivers Conference football, and forced two Platteville High School football games to move to, respectively, Cuba City and Potosi.

The university will mark the one-year anniversary with an exhibit in the Ullsvik Hall Harry and Laura Nohr Gallery Tuesday, June 16 from 3:30 to 5 p.m. The free exhibit, open to the public, will include photographs, video, a book of first-hand accounts from the tornado and a Memorial Park display.