Wisconsin, 1999

Tornado and Hail in Wisconsin, May 5, 1999

May 5, 1999 · NWS GRB · 5 events in 3 counties and zones

An upper low combined with increasing low level moisture and instability to generate thunderstorms across central and north-central Wisconsin. Storms developed and moved north across the area resulting in some severe weather.

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
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$8,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
5

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.

An upper low combined with increasing low level moisture and instability to generate thunderstorms across central and north-central Wisconsin. Storms developed and moved north across the area resulting in some severe weather. A funnel cloud was spotted at Big Eau Pleine Park (Marathon county) and a weak tornado touched down near Tomahawk (Lincoln county) knocking down trees and power poles. One tree landed on a house and others landed on vehicles. There were also a few reports of 3/4 inch hail near Wausau (Marathon county) and Rhinelander (Oneida county).

The radar

The Green Bay radar (KGRB), 138 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:26 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 hail, 1 funnel cloud, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Funnel Cloud, Marathon

When
May 5, 3:30 PM CST to 3:33 PM CST
Where
Marathon County, 7 mi SW of Mosinee
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
44.898, -89.759 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hail, Marathon

When
May 5, 4:29 PM CST to 4:30 PM CST
Where
Marathon County, (Auw)wausaw Muni Arp
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
44.930, -89.630

Tornado, Lincoln

When
May 5, 4:30 PM CST to 4:31 PM CST
Where
Lincoln County, 1 mi WNW of Tomahawk
Rating
F0
Path length
0.1 mi
Path width
25 yd
Property damage
$8,000
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
45.470, -89.750

Hail, Marathon

When
May 5, 4:50 PM CST to 4:52 PM CST
Where
Marathon County, 18 mi S of Wausau
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
44.700, -89.630

Hail, Oneida

When
May 5, 5:31 PM CST to 5:32 PM CST
Where
Oneida County, 3 mi W of Rhinelander
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
45.630, -89.480

What these are

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.
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.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Wisconsin in 1999Every state in 1999This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Wisconsin, 1999Warnings 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: 5699451, 5699448, 5699447, 5699449, 5699450.