Hail and Damaging Winds in Wisconsin, May 8, 2002

Name: Hail and Damaging Winds in Wisconsin, May 8, 2002
Start: 2002-05-08T17:37
End: 2002-05-08T21:00
Location: Wisconsin

May 8, 2002 · NWS ARX · 5 events in 3 counties and zones

Estimated wind gusts of 70 to 80 mph blew the roof off a barn near Modena (Buffalo County), causing it to collapse. A grain dryer was also blown over.

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

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 ARX wrote it up.

Estimated wind gusts of 70 to 80 mph blew the roof off a barn near Modena (Buffalo County), causing it to collapse. A grain dryer was also blown over. The public and law enforcement officials also reported dime size hail.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS La Crosse, WI wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 8, 2:32 PM CST, 3 hours 5 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 8, 2:32 PM CST, 3 hours 5 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
332 PM CDT WED MAY 8 2002

...SEVERE WEATHER THREAT ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA TONIGHT...

THE MAIN FORECAST CONCERN WITH THIS PACKAGE DEALS WITH THE SEVERE WEATHER
THREAT FOR TONIGHT...AND STRONG WINDS FOR THURSDAY.

AT 3 PM...A STRENGTHENING SURFACE LOW WAS LOCATED OVER NORTHWEST IOWA.
BOTH THE ETA AND AVN MODELS HAVE THIS LOW POORLY INITIALIZED. THEY TEND
TO DEVELOP THE LOW OVER KANSAS AS THE MAIN LOW AND IGNORE THIS LOW.
HOWEVER...LOOKING AT THE SURFACE DEW POINTS...THE NORTHERN LOW WILL BE
THE MORE SIGNIFICANT OF THESE LOW PRESSURE AREAS. BY LOOKING AT THE
SURFACE DEW POINTS IT WOULD SUGGEST THAT THIS LOW WILL TRACK TOWARD
THE TWIN CITIES THIS EVENING. BREEZY SOUTH AND SOUTHEAST WINDS
ACROSS SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA...NORTHEAST IOWA...AND SOUTHWEST
WISCONSIN HAVE INCREASED THE SURFACE DEW POINTS INTO THE UPPER 50S
AND LOWER 60S. IN ADDITION...SUNSHINE THIS AFTERNOON HAS CAUSED
TEMPERATURES TO CLIMB INTO THE MIDDLE 70S ACROSS SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA
AND AROUND 80 IN NORTHEAST IOWA. SATELLITE SOUNDER DATA INDICATES
THAT THE LIFTED INDICES HAVE FALLEN TO -8 OVER NORTH CENTRAL IOWA AND
THE CAPES HAVE INCREASED TO AROUND 1500 J/KG ACROSS NORTHEAST IOWA.
FROM LOOKING AT THE BLUE RIVER PROFILER...THERE IS PLENTY OF SPEED
AND DIRECTIONAL SHEAR. AS A RESULT...I EXPECT THE THUNDERSTORMS TO
FORM INITIALLY AS SUPERCELLS AND EVENTUALLY EVOLVE INTO A SQUALL
LINE THIS EVENING. THE INITIAL THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER APPEARS TO
BE LARGE HAIL AND POTENTIALLY SOME ISOLATED TORNADOES...AND THEN
EVOLVE INTO A DAMAGING WIND EVENT.

AS THE LOW CONTINUES TO STRENGTHEN DURING THE DAY THURSDAY...THE
PRESSURE GRADIENT WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE ACROSS THE COUNTY
WARNING AREA. IN ADDITION...THE AREA WILL SEE STRONG SUBSIDENCE
BEHIND THE SHORT WAVE. THE 1000 MB TO 850 MB LAPSE RATES ARE
MARGINAL FOR ADVECTING THE REALLY STRONG WINDS FROM ALOFT TO THE
SURFACE. AS A RESULT...THE WINDS WILL NOT BE QUITE AS STRONG AS THEY
COULD GET. HOWEVER...THE SUSTAINED WIND SPEEDS WILL LIKELY STILL BE
IN THE 25 TO 35 MPH RANGE IN SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA AND NORTHEAST
IOWA...AND IN THE 20 TO 30 MPH RANGE ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF THE
AREA. WIND GUSTS WILL BE LIKELY AROUND 45 MPH. CONSIDERING ALL THAT
IS GOING ON TONIGHT...I DIDNT ISSUE A WIND ADVISORY AT THIS TIME...
BUT ONE MAY BE NEEDED FOR THURSDAY IF THE LAPSE RATES GET ANY
STEEPER.

.LSE...NONE.

BOYNE

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 8, 4:32 PM CST, 1 hour 5 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
532 PM CDT WED MAY 8 2002

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

532 PM     5 N AUSTIN                MN   1.75 INCH HAIL
05/08/02   MOWER                          GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL
                                          REPORTED BY STORM SPOTTER
                                          ALONG HIGHWAY 218.

SHEA

Local storm report, May 8, 4:43 PM CST, 54 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
543 PM CDT WED MAY 8 2002

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

542 PM     HAYFIELD                  MN   .75 INCH HAIL
05/08/02   DODGE                          REPORTED BY SPOTTERS.

SHEA

Local storm report, May 8, 5:03 PM CST, 34 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
603 PM CDT WED MAY 8 2002

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

603 PM     BYRON                     MN   .75 INCH HAIL
05/08/02   OLMSTED                        DIME SIZE HAIL REPORTED BY
                                          SPOTTERS.

SHEA

Special weather statement, May 8, 5:21 PM CST, 16 minutes before

WATCH COUNTY NOTIFICATION FOR WATCH #74
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
621 PM CDT WED MAY 8 2002

IAC005-037-043-065-089-191-MNC045-055-109-157-169-WIC011-019-023-043-
053-057-063-081-103-121-123-090400-

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WATCH UNTIL 1100
PM CDT WEDNESDAY EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING AREAS:

IN IOWA THIS WATCH INCLUDES 6 COUNTIES...
IN NORTHEAST NORTHEAST IOWA:

ALLAMAKEE             CHICKASAW             CLAYTON
FAYETTE               HOWARD                WINNESHIEK

IN MINNESOTA THIS WATCH INCLUDES 5 COUNTIES...
IN SOUTHEAST SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA:

FILLMORE              HOUSTON               OLMSTED
WABASHA               WINONA

IN WISCONSIN THIS WATCH INCLUDES 11 COUNTIES...
IN CENTRAL CENTRAL WISCONSIN:

CLARK                 JUNEAU

IN SOUTHWEST SOUTHWEST WISCONSIN:

CRAWFORD              GRANT                 RICHLAND
VERNON

IN WEST CENTRAL WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN:

BUFFALO               JACKSON               LA CROSSE
MONROE                TREMPEALEAU

THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF ALMA...ARCADIA...BLACK RIVER FALLS...
CALEDONIA...CRESCO...DECORAH...ELKADER...GUTTENBERG...LA CRESCENT...
LA CROSSE...LAKE CITY...LANCASTER...LANSING...MAUSTON...MONDOVI...
NEILLSVILLE...NEW HAMPTON...OELWEIN...PLATTEVILLE...PRAIRIE DU
CHIEN...PRESTON...RICHLAND CENTER...ROCHESTER...SPARTA...TOMAH...
VIROQUA...WABASHA...WAUKON...WEST UNION...WHITEHALL AND WINONA.

Local storm report, May 8, 5:28 PM CST, 9 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
628 PM CDT WED MAY 8 2002

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

618 PM     ROCHESTER                 MN   1 INCH HAIL
05/08/02   OLMSTED                        REPORTED BY THE PUBLIC.

SHEA

Local storm report, May 8, 5:35 PM CST, 2 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
635 PM CDT WED MAY 8 2002

TIME(CDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

620 PM     2 S DOUGLAS               MN   1 INCH HAIL
05/08/02   OLMSTED                        REPORTED BY PUBLIC.

SHEA

The radar

The La Crosse radar (KARX), 98 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:41 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 thunderstorm wind, 2 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Buffalo

When: May 8, 5:37 PM CST
Where: Buffalo County, 4 mi W of Urne
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph)
Property damage: $1,000
Reported by: FIRE DEPT/RESCUE SQUAD
Coordinates: 44.500, -91.983

Thunderstorm Wind, Buffalo

When: May 8, 5:42 PM CST
Where: Buffalo County, Modena
Measured: 70 kt (81 mph)
Property damage: $6,000
Reported by: NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates: 44.450, -91.800

Hail, Buffalo

When: May 8, 6:40 PM CST
Where: Buffalo County, Fountain City
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Property damage: $750
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 44.133, -91.717

Thunderstorm Wind, Crawford

When: May 8, 7:57 PM CST
Where: Crawford County, 4 mi E of Eastman
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 43.167, -90.933

Hail, Richland

When: May 8, 9:00 PM CST
Where: Richland County, 4 mi W of Richland Center
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 43.333, -90.467

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.
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 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Wisconsin, May 2002

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: 5294346, 5294347, 5295843, 5295844, 5294345.