Funnel Cloud, Portage
- When
- May 17, 3:00 PM CST to 3:05 PM CST
- Where
- Portage County, Amherst
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 44.476, -89.501 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Damaging Wind in Wisconsin, May 17, 1999
A cold front moving into north-central Wisconsin, aided by an upper atmospheric system resulted in thunderstorms ahead of the front, across central Wisconsin. Funnel clouds were spotted at Pella (Shawano county) and at Amherst (Portage county).
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 2 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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 1
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 3
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 cold front moving into north-central Wisconsin, aided by an upper atmospheric system resulted in thunderstorms ahead of the front, across central Wisconsin. Funnel clouds were spotted at Pella (Shawano county) and at Amherst (Portage county). A newspaper reported a "freak wind" as thunderstorms passed through Marion (Waupaca county) knocking down trees and power poles and causing damage to vehicles. The occupant of one of the vehicles was cut by flying glass when the windows were blown out of the car.
The radar
The Green Bay radar (KGRB), 110 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:47 UTC.
Event by event
2 funnel cloud, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Thunderstorm Wind, Waupaca
- When
- May 17, 3:50 PM CST to 3:52 PM CST
- Where
- Waupaca County, Marion
- Measured
- 60 kt (69 mph)
- Injuries
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 44.670, -88.880
Funnel Cloud, Shawano
- When
- May 17, 4:23 PM CST to 4:27 PM CST
- Where
- Shawano County, Pella
- Reported by
- EMERGENCY MANAGER
- Coordinates
- 44.789, -88.765 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Funnel Cloud
- A rotating column of cloud extending from a thunderstorm that did not reach the ground.
- 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.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Indiana, May 17, 1999
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Michigan, May 17, 1999
- Flooding in Iowa, May 17 to 19, 1999
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Texas, May 17 to 18, 1999
- Tornado and Flash Flooding in Arkansas, May 17, 1999
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Michigan, May 17, 1999
- Damaging Wind in Illinois, May 17, 1999
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Kansas, May 17, 1999
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Ohio, May 17, 1999
- Flash Flood in Iowa, May 17, 1999
- Damaging Wind in Missouri, May 17, 1999
- Lightning Strike in Ohio, May 17, 1999
More
Every storm in Wisconsin in 1999Every state in 1999This day in weather historyWarnings in Wisconsin, May 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: 5699454, 5699455, 5699453.