Wisconsin, 1998

Hail in Wisconsin, September 1, 1998

September 1, 1998 · NWS MKX · 8 events in 5 counties and zones

A broken line of thunderstorms, moving southeast at 35 mph through central Wisconsin, tapped colder air aloft to produce scattered occurrences of large hail during the evening hours over southcentral and southeast Wisconsin. In addition, downburst winds knocked down trees and power lines near Portage in Columbia county, and three quarters of an inch of rain fell in 20 minutes near Randolph in…

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
8

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS MKX wrote it up.

A broken line of thunderstorms, moving southeast at 35 mph through central Wisconsin, tapped colder air aloft to produce scattered occurrences of large hail during the evening hours over southcentral and southeast Wisconsin. In addition, downburst winds knocked down trees and power lines near Portage in Columbia county, and three quarters of an inch of rain fell in 20 minutes near Randolph in Dodge county.

The radar

The Milwaukee radar (KMKX), 126 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:43 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

8 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Marquette

When
September 1, 5:43 PM CST
Where
Marquette County, Westfield
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
43.880, -89.480

Hail, Columbia

When
September 1, 6:35 PM CST
Where
Columbia County, Friesland
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
43.580, -89.070

Hail, Columbia

When
September 1, 6:40 PM CST to 6:45 PM CST
Where
Columbia County, Portage
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
43.550, -89.450

Hail, Dodge

When
September 1, 6:47 PM CST
Where
Dodge County, Randolph
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
AMATEUR RADIO
Coordinates
43.530, -89.000

Hail, Dodge

When
September 1, 7:00 PM CST
Where
Dodge County, 3 mi W of Beaver Dam
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
AMATEUR RADIO
Coordinates
43.470, -88.900

Hail, Columbia

When
September 1, 7:40 PM CST
Where
Columbia County, Arlington
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
43.330, -89.370

Hail, Washington

When
September 1, 7:50 PM CST
Where
Washington County, 4 mi S of Hartford
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
43.270, -88.380

Hail, Waukesha

When
September 1, 8:24 PM CST
Where
Waukesha County, Waukesha
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
AMATEUR RADIO
Coordinates
43.020, -88.220

What these are

Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Wisconsin in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in Wisconsin, September 1998

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5669065, 5669066, 5669067, 5669069, 5669070, 5669068, 5669071, 5669072.