Alert archive / Wisconsin / Tornado Warnings in 2025

Tornado Warning 7, NWS Green Bay, WI

May 15, 2025Portage County, Waupaca County, Waushara County, Wisconsin

NWS Green Bay, WI issued this tornado warning at May 15, 2025, 5:46 PM CDT for Portage County, Waupaca County, Waushara County, Wisconsin. It was in force for 44 min. 6 reports came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued: May 15, 2025, 5:46 PM CDT (22:46 UTC)
Expired: May 15, 2025, 6:30 PM CDT
In force: 44 min
Issued by: NWS Green Bay, WI
Area: Storm-based polygon
Tornado: Radar indicated
Hail: 1.0 in

Counties Portage County, WI, Waupaca County, WI, Waushara County, WI

The radar

The Green Bay radar (KGRB), 117 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:48 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

What was reported inside it

Time	Report	Where	Remark
May 15, 5:57 PM CDT	TORNADO	2 Wsw Bancroft, WI	Brief Tornado reported from public via Law Enforcement.
May 15, 5:57 PM CDT	TORNADO	2 Wsw Bancroft, WI	Brief Tornado reported from public via Law Enforcement.
May 15, 6:01 PM CDT	TORNADO	2 N Keene, WI	turning north onto County Hwy J, from Hwy 54, I noticed a large funnel cloud with a small column reaching towards the ground.
May 15, 6:01 PM CDT	TORNADO	2 N Keene, WI	turning north onto County Hwy J, from Hwy 54, I noticed a large funnel cloud with a small column reaching towards the ground.
May 15, 6:06 PM CDT	HAIL 1.5	4 Nnw Bancroft, WI
May 15, 6:06 PM CDT	HAIL 1.5	4 Nnw Bancroft, WI

Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.

The watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
May 15, 3:05 PM CDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Green Bay/Straub, WI (KGRB), launched 12:00Z, 10.8 hours before the alert went out and 118 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.

Mixed-layer CAPE: 0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL: 1019 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 22 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: -10 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 22 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

908 
WFUS53 KGRB 152246 RRA
TORGRB
WIC097-135-137-152330-
/O.NEW.KGRB.TO.W.0007.250515T2246Z-250515T2330Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
Tornado Warning
National Weather Service GREEN BAY WI
Issued by National Weather Service Milwaukee/Sullivan WI
546 PM CDT Thu May 15 2025

The National Weather Service in GREEN BAY has issued a

* Tornado Warning for...
  Southeastern Portage County in central Wisconsin...
  Northwestern Waushara County in central Wisconsin...
  Western Waupaca County in northeastern Wisconsin...

* Until 630 PM CDT.

* At 546 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado
  was located near Plainfield, or 15 miles southeast of Wisconsin
  Rapids, moving northeast at 30 mph.

  HAZARD...Tornado and quarter size hail.

  SOURCE...Radar indicated rotation.

  IMPACT...Flying debris will be dangerous to those caught without 
           shelter. Mobile homes will be damaged or destroyed. 
           Damage to roofs, windows, and vehicles will occur.  Tree 
           damage is likely.

* Locations impacted include...
  Amherst, Plainfield, Plover, Almond, Amherst Junction, Blaine,
  Keene, Fancher, Arnott, Bancroft, Coddington, and Standing Rock
  Park.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER NOW! Move to a basement or an interior room on the lowest
floor of a sturdy building. Avoid windows. If you are outdoors, in a
mobile home, or in a vehicle, move to the closest substantial shelter
and protect yourself from flying debris.

&&

LAT...LON 4425 8960 4425 8973 4430 8973 4448 8959
      4445 8914 4418 8945 4417 8960
TIME...MOT...LOC 2246Z 229DEG 16KT 4426 8956 

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
MAX HAIL SIZE...1.00 IN

$$

WAGNER

The office that day

Everything else NWS Green Bay, WI issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 14, 8:14 PM CDT	Dense Fog Advisory	GRB	Brown, Door, Kewaunee, Manitowoc, Marinette, Oconto	15 hr
May 15, 4:06 AM CDT	Small Craft Advisory	GRB		19 hr
May 15, 4:20 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GRB	Portage, Wood	55 min
May 15, 4:50 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GRB	Marathon	55 min
May 15, 5:11 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	GRB	Portage, Wood	49 min
May 15, 5:12 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	GRB	Marathon, Wood	48 min
May 15, 5:24 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GRB	Portage, Waushara	66 min
May 15, 5:24 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	GRB	Marathon	51 min
May 15, 5:46 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	GRB	Marathon, Portage	44 min
May 15, 5:51 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GRB	Langlade, Lincoln, Marathon, Oneida, Portage, Wood	39 min
May 15, 6:05 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	GRB	Marathon	55 min
May 15, 6:16 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	GRB	Portage	34 min
May 15, 6:17 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	GRB	Lincoln	17 min
May 15, 6:20 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning Considerable damage threat	GRB	Langlade, Lincoln, Marathon, Oneida	55 min
May 15, 6:37 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GRB	Portage, Waupaca	38 min
May 15, 6:39 PM CDT	Special Marine Warning	GRB		2 hr
May 15, 6:53 PM CDT	Special Marine Warning	GRB		112 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Wisconsin, 2025 Every tornado warning in 2025 Tornadoes in 2025

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.