Damaging Winds and Lightning Strike in Wisconsin, July 30 to 31, 1999

Name: Damaging Winds and Lightning Strike in Wisconsin, July 30 to 31, 1999
Start: 1999-07-30T17:55
End: 1999-07-31T00:30
Location: Wisconsin

July 30 to 31, 1999 · NWS GRB · 37 events in 20 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 2
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $2.2 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 37

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 GRB wrote it up.

A mesoscale convective system moved across north-central, central and northeast Wisconsin during the evening of July 30, 1999. Thunderstorm wind gusts over 70 mph (and possibly as high as 100 mph) produced significant damage across the far north-central part of the state. The hardest hit areas were Oneida county and Vilas county, but most of the NWS Green Bay forecast area was affected.In Vilas county, an estimated 100,000 trees were downed by the storm and two people were killed by falling trees in Oneida county. The storm left 50,000 people without electrical service, damaged 150 to 200 homes and blocked all major highways and secondary roads in the northern one-third of Oneida county. The storm left a damage path 15 to 20 miles wide and 40 to 50 miles long across Vilas county. A falling tree damaged a bengal tiger cage at the Warbonnet Zoo in Hazelhurst (Oneida county), allowing 2 tigers to escape for a brief period. Lightning struck a tree and travelled through the ground and into a house in Green Bay (Brown county). The wiring in the house caught fire, filling the house with smoke and causing significant damage to the walls.

The radar

The La Crosse radar (KARX), 124 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:54 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

36 thunderstorm wind, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Wood

When: July 30, 5:55 PM CST
Where: Wood County, Marshfield
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 44.670, -90.170

Thunderstorm Wind, Marathon

When: July 30, 6:32 PM CST
Where: Marathon County, Mosinee
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 44.780, -89.700

Thunderstorm Wind, Marathon

When: July 30, 6:44 PM CST
Where: Marathon County, Wausau Arpt
Measured: 54 kt (62 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 44.930, -89.630

Thunderstorm Wind, Lincoln

When: July 30, 7:15 PM CST
Where: Lincoln County, 5 mi NW of Merrill
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 45.230, -89.750

Thunderstorm Wind, Oneida

When: July 30, 7:20 PM CST
Where: Oneida County, Hazelhurst
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Property damage: $250,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 45.800, -89.720

Thunderstorm Wind, Oneida

When: July 30, 7:20 PM CST
Where: Oneida County, Woodruff
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Property damage: $250,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 45.900, -89.700

Thunderstorm Wind, Oneida

When: July 30, 7:27 PM CST
Where: Oneida County, Lake Tomahawk
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph)
Property damage: $500,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 45.820, -89.600

Thunderstorm Wind, Vilas

When: July 30, 7:30 PM CST to 8:10 PM CST
Where: Vilas County, Countywide
Measured: 58 kt (67 mph)
Deaths: 2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $1.0 million
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 46.130, -89.500

Thunderstorm Wind, Lincoln

When: July 30, 7:35 PM CST
Where: Lincoln County, Harrison
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 45.480, -89.500

Thunderstorm Wind, Forest

When: July 30, 8:15 PM CST
Where: Forest County, Crandon
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 45.570, -88.900

Thunderstorm Wind, Forest

When: July 30, 8:15 PM CST
Where: Forest County, Alvin
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 45.820, -88.830

Thunderstorm Wind, Florence

When: July 30, 8:25 PM CST to 8:50 PM CST
Where: Florence County, Long Lake to Spread Eagle
Measured: 65 kt (75 mph)
Property damage: $102,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 45.830, -88.670

Thunderstorm Wind, Oconto

When: July 30, 8:30 PM CST
Where: Oconto County, Mountain
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 45.180, -88.480

Thunderstorm Wind, Langlade

When: July 30, 8:35 PM CST
Where: Langlade County, Pickerel
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 45.370, -88.920

Thunderstorm Wind, Marathon

When: July 30, 8:37 PM CST
Where: Marathon County, Knowlton
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by: AMATEUR RADIO
Coordinates: 44.720, -89.680

Thunderstorm Wind, Marinette

When: July 30, 8:50 PM CST
Where: Marinette County, Dunbar
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 45.650, -88.180

Thunderstorm Wind, Wood

When: July 30, 9:00 PM CST
Where: Wood County, Vesper
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 44.480, -89.970

Thunderstorm Wind, Menominee (C)

When: July 30, 9:20 PM CST
Where: Menominee (C) County, Keshena
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 44.880, -88.630

Thunderstorm Wind, Waupaca

When: July 30, 9:28 PM CST
Where: Waupaca County, Fremont
Measured: 54 kt (62 mph)
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 44.270, -88.870

Thunderstorm Wind, Shawano

When: July 30, 9:30 PM CST
Where: Shawano County, 6 mi SW of Shawano
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 44.700, -88.680

Thunderstorm Wind, Waupaca

When: July 30, 9:30 PM CST
Where: Waupaca County, Clintonville
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Property damage: $50,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 44.620, -88.750

Thunderstorm Wind, Oconto

When: July 30, 9:30 PM CST
Where: Oconto County, Klondike
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 45.070, -88.170

Thunderstorm Wind, Marinette

When: July 30, 9:37 PM CST
Where: Marinette County, Wausaukee
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 45.370, -87.950

Thunderstorm Wind, Waushara

When: July 30, 9:43 PM CST
Where: Waushara County, 1 mi N of Wild Rose
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 44.200, -89.250

Thunderstorm Wind, Calumet

When: July 30, 9:45 PM CST
Where: Calumet County, Jericho
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 43.970, -88.270

Thunderstorm Wind, Calumet

When: July 30, 9:50 PM CST
Where: Calumet County, Chilton
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Property damage: $2,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 44.030, -88.170

Thunderstorm Wind, Waushara

When: July 30, 10:00 PM CST
Where: Waushara County, Redgranite
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 44.030, -89.100

Thunderstorm Wind, Marinette

When: July 30, 10:06 PM CST
Where: Marinette County, Peshtigo
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 45.050, -87.750

Thunderstorm Wind, Manitowoc

When: July 30, 10:10 PM CST
Where: Manitowoc County, 2 mi SW of Reedsville
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 44.130, -88.000

Thunderstorm Wind, Outagamie

When: July 30, 10:10 PM CST
Where: Outagamie County, Appleton
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 44.270, -88.400

Thunderstorm Wind, Brown

When: July 30, 10:15 PM CST
Where: Brown County, 8 mi NE of Green Bay
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 44.600, -87.900

Thunderstorm Wind, Winnebago

When: July 30, 10:30 PM CST
Where: Winnebago County, Oshkosh
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 44.020, -88.550

Thunderstorm Wind, Door

When: July 30, 10:30 PM CST
Where: Door County, Sturgeon Bay
Measured: 60 kt (69 mph)
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 44.830, -87.380

Thunderstorm Wind, Door

When: July 30, 10:40 PM CST
Where: Door County, Gills Rock
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 45.280, -87.020

Thunderstorm Wind, Manitowoc

When: July 30, 11:00 PM CST
Where: Manitowoc County, 2 mi NE of Kiel
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 43.930, -88.000

Thunderstorm Wind, Manitowoc

When: July 30, 11:10 PM CST
Where: Manitowoc County, Manitowoc
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 44.080, -87.670

Lightning, Brown

When: July 31, 12:30 AM CST
Where: Brown County, Green Bay
Property damage: $40,000
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 44.474, -87.993 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

Event	Date	Age	Sex	Where	Kind
Thunderstorm Wind, Vilas	1999-07-30	43	Male	Under Tree	Direct
Thunderstorm Wind, Vilas	1999-07-30	37	Female	Under Tree	Direct

What these are

Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
Lightning: A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Wisconsin in 1999 Every state in 1999 This day in weather history Warnings in Wisconsin, July 1999

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: 5711196, 5711197, 5711198, 5711208, 5711199, 5711209, 5711200, 5711202, 5711201, 5711203, 5711204, 5711212, 5711210, 5711205, 5711309, 5711211, 5711206, 5711307, 5711213, 5711214, 5711215, 5711216, 5711217, 5711218, 5711219, 5711220, 5711221, 5711222, 5711223, 5711308, 5711224, 5711225, 5711226, 5711207, 5711227, 5711228, 5711310.