Tornado and Hail in Wisconsin, July 8, 1999

Name: Tornado and Hail in Wisconsin, July 8, 1999
Start: 1999-07-08T17:20
End: 1999-07-08T20:47
Location: Wisconsin

July 8, 1999 · NWS ARX · 22 events in 8 counties and zones

A tornado sheared off trees and caused minor damage to homes and barns before hitting the town of Mondovi (Buffalo County). Two homes in Mondovi had roofs removed or garages damaged.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 4 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: 0
Injuries: 3
Property damage: $1.3 million
Crop damage: $133,000
Events: 22

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 ARX wrote it up.

A tornado sheared off trees and caused minor damage to homes and barns before hitting the town of Mondovi (Buffalo County). Two homes in Mondovi had roofs removed or garages damaged. Three people sustained minor injuries. 70 to 80 mph winds ripped through areas east of La Crosse, knocking down numerous trees and causing extensive damage to a campground. One home and a barn were destroyed, while a few other homes received roof damage. Several cars were crushed or damaged by falling limbs and trees. There were no injuries reported. Elsewhere across west central Wisconsin, damaging winds and dime size hail were reported by spotters and law enforcement officials.

The radar

The La Crosse radar (KARX), 88 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:20 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

14 thunderstorm wind, 4 funnel cloud, 3 hail, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Buffalo

When: July 8, 5:20 PM CST to 5:40 PM CST
Where: Buffalo County, Mondovi to 8 mi NE of Mondovi
Rating: F1
Path length: 10 mi
Path width: 120 yd
Injuries: 3 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $1.0 million
Crop damage: $35,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 44.480, -91.800

Thunderstorm Wind, Taylor

When: July 8, 5:35 PM CST
Where: Taylor County, Medford
Measured: 53 kt (61 mph)
Property damage: $1,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 45.130, -90.350

Thunderstorm Wind, Taylor

When: July 8, 5:45 PM CST
Where: Taylor County, Medford
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph)
Property damage: $1,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 45.130, -90.350

Thunderstorm Wind, Clark

When: July 8, 5:53 PM CST
Where: Clark County, Thorp
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Property damage: $3,000
Crop damage: $2,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 44.970, -90.800

Thunderstorm Wind, Clark

When: July 8, 6:05 PM CST
Where: Clark County, Owen
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph)
Property damage: $10,000
Crop damage: $3,000
Reported by: AMATEUR RADIO
Coordinates: 44.950, -90.570

Thunderstorm Wind, Clark

When: July 8, 6:20 PM CST
Where: Clark County, Dorchester
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph)
Property damage: $1,000
Crop damage: $3,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 45.000, -90.330

Thunderstorm Wind, Jackson

When: July 8, 7:00 PM CST
Where: Jackson County, Merrillan
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph)
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 44.450, -90.830

Funnel Cloud, Clark

When: July 8, 7:12 PM CST
Where: Clark County, 5 mi S of Neillsville
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 44.735, -90.612 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Funnel Cloud, La Crosse

When: July 8, 7:13 PM CST
Where: La Crosse County, La Crosse
Reported by: AMATEUR RADIO
Coordinates: 43.907, -91.115 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hail, La Crosse

When: July 8, 7:15 PM CST
Where: La Crosse County, Onalaska
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: AMATEUR RADIO
Coordinates: 43.880, -91.230

Funnel Cloud, Clark

When: July 8, 7:18 PM CST
Where: Clark County, Neillsville
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 44.735, -90.612 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Funnel Cloud, La Crosse

When: July 8, 7:20 PM CST
Where: La Crosse County, La Crosse Muni Arpt
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 43.907, -91.115 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm Wind, Clark

When: July 8, 7:25 PM CST
Where: Clark County, 6 mi SE of Neillsville
Property damage: $3,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 44.500, -90.520

Thunderstorm Wind, La Crosse

When: July 8, 7:28 PM CST
Where: La Crosse County, 2 mi E of La Crosse
Measured: 63 kt (72 mph)
Property damage: $250
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 43.800, -91.220

Thunderstorm Wind, La Crosse

When: July 8, 7:29 PM CST
Where: La Crosse County, Barre Mills
Measured: 65 kt (75 mph)
Property damage: $150,000
Crop damage: $40,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 43.830, -91.120

Thunderstorm Wind, La Crosse

When: July 8, 7:30 PM CST
Where: La Crosse County, 2 mi E of La Crosse
Measured: 65 kt (75 mph)
Property damage: $85,000
Reported by: NWS EMPLOYEE(OFF DUTY)
Coordinates: 43.800, -91.220

Hail, La Crosse

When: July 8, 7:56 PM CST
Where: La Crosse County, Bangor
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Crop damage: $15,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 43.900, -91.000

Hail, Monroe

When: July 8, 8:07 PM CST
Where: Monroe County, Norwalk
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Crop damage: $15,000
Reported by: AMATEUR RADIO
Coordinates: 43.830, -90.620

Thunderstorm Wind, Monroe

When: July 8, 8:10 PM CST
Where: Monroe County, Portland
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph)
Property damage: $800
Crop damage: $10,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 43.770, -90.850

Thunderstorm Wind, Vernon

When: July 8, 8:25 PM CST
Where: Vernon County, Viroqua
Measured: 58 kt (67 mph)
Property damage: $10,000
Crop damage: $10,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 43.550, -90.880

Thunderstorm Wind, Vernon

When: July 8, 8:35 PM CST
Where: Vernon County, Ontario
Measured: 54 kt (62 mph)
Property damage: $1,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 43.720, -90.580

Thunderstorm Wind, Crawford

When: July 8, 8:47 PM CST
Where: Crawford County, Gays Mills
Crop damage: $200
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 43.450, -90.730

What these are

Tornado: A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.
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.
Funnel Cloud: A rotating column of cloud extending from a thunderstorm that did not reach the ground.
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

Every storm in Wisconsin in 1999 Every state in 1999 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Wisconsin, 1999 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: 5707366, 5707458, 5707367, 5707368, 5707369, 5707370, 5707371, 5707372, 5707375, 5707373, 5707374, 5707376, 5707460, 5707377, 5707378, 5707379, 5707380, 5707381, 5707382, 5707457, 5707459, 5707461.