Hail and Damaging Wind in Wisconsin, August 3, 2008

Name: Hail and Damaging Wind in Wisconsin, August 3, 2008
Start: 2008-08-03T13:50
End: 2008-08-03T17:25
Location: Wisconsin

August 3, 2008 · NWS DLH · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

A warm frontal boundary draped across northern Wisconsin was responsible for sporadic severe thunderstorms, which produced large hail and damaging wind gusts.

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: 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 DLH wrote it up.

A warm frontal boundary draped across northern Wisconsin was responsible for sporadic severe thunderstorms, which produced large hail and damaging wind gusts.

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 Duluth, MN wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 3, 12:59 PM CST, 51 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 3, 12:59 PM CST, 51 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DULUTH MN
159 PM CDT SUN AUG 3 2008

.DISCUSSION...
SOMEWHAT COMPLEX SYNOPTIC PICTURE SHAPING UP NXT 48 HRS. THERE ARE
TWO PRIMARY FEATURES TO ACCOUNT FOR IN FCST. ONE IS THE SFC LOW AND
ASSOC S/WV AND FNTL SYSTEM CURRENTLY OVR CENT PLAINS. THIS FEATURE
WILL CONT TO PROVIDE WAA/ISENT LIFT INTO WRN GRT LAKES TDA/TNGT.
DESTABILIZING AIRMASS WILL BATTLE STRONG THERMAL CAP. SRN HALF OF
OUR CWA IN AREA MOST LIKELY TO SEE CAP ERODE LATER THIS AFTN/EVE.
SLGT RISK FROM SPC STILL LOOKS RSNBL. SEE SWODY1 DISC FOR MORE
DETAILS. SECOND FEATURE IS S/WV SWINGING ALG CN BORDER MON/MON NGT.
THIS SHUD FINALLY BRING A CFNT THRU THE AREA ON TUE...ALG WITH A DRY
DAY ON WED AND SOMEWHAT COOLER TEMPS FOR REST OF THE WEEK. AFT
THAT...PROXIMITY TO LARGE CLOSED LOW OVR ERN CN WILL NECESSITATE
SOME LOW POPS IN THE FCST FOR MOST PERIODS THRU NEXT WEEKEND.

&&

.AVIATION...
GENERALLY VFR CONDS EXPECTED THRU TAF PD EXCEPT MVFR IN TSTMS THIS
EVE AND FG OVNGT...ASSOC WITH WFNT APPROACHING SRN MN/WI.

&&

POINT TEMPS/POPS...
DLH  59  79  58  76 /  50  30  30  10
INL  58  80  56  76 /  40  20  30  10
BRD  61  83  59  82 /  60  20  30  10
HYR  61  85  59  82 /  60  30  30  20
ASX  60  79  59  78 /  50  30  30  20

&&

.DLH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...

MN...NONE.
WI...NONE.
LS...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 10 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR LSZ144-
     LSZ145.

04/GRANING

Hazardous weather outlook, Aug 3, 9:24 AM CST, 4 hours 26 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DULUTH MN
1024 AM CDT SUN AUG 3 2008

MNZ010>012-018>021-025-026-033>038-WIZ001>004-006>009-041015-
KOOCHICHING-NORTHERN ST. LOUIS-NORTHERN COOK/NORTHERN LAKE-
NORTHERN ITASCA-CENTRAL ST. LOUIS-SOUTHERN LAKE/LAKESHORE-
SOUTHERN COOK/LAKESHORE-NORTHERN CASS-SOUTHERN ITASCA-
SOUTHERN CASS-CROW WING-NORTHERN AITKIN-SOUTHERN AITKIN-
CARLTON/SOUTHERN ST. LOUIS-PINE-DOUGLAS-BAYFIELD-ASHLAND-IRON-
BURNETT-WASHBURN-SAWYER-PRICE-
1024 AM CDT SUN AUG 3 2008

...RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TODAY AND TONIGHT...

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST MINNESOTA AND
NORTHWEST WISCONSIN.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

THUNDERSTORMS WILL SPREAD EAST ACROSS THE REGION TODAY AND
OVERNIGHT. SOME OF THE STORMS MAY BECOME SEVERE WITH DAMAGING
WINDS...LARGE HAIL AND POSSIBLE TORNADOES. THE BEST CHANCE OF
SEVERE WEATHER WILL BE SOUTH OF A LINE FROM LEECH LAKE...TO TWO
HARBORS TO THE APOSTLE ISLANDS.

GUSTY NORTHEAST WINDS WILL INCREASE THE OF RIP CURRENTS...MAINLY ALONG
THE BEACHES OF PARK POINT IN DULUTH...AND WISCONSIN POINT IN
SUPERIOR. ONLY EXPERIENCED SWIMMERS SHOULD ENTER THE WATER.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY

THERE IS A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS FROM MONDAY THROUGH TUESDAY...
AND AGAIN FROM WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SKYWARN SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED TODAY AND TONIGHT.

LSZ121-140>148-041015-
BAYFIELD TO OAK POINT WI-GRAND PORTAGE TO GRAND MARAIS MN-
GRAND MARAIS TO TACONITE HARBOR MN-
TACONITE HARBOR TO SILVER BAY HARBOR MN-
SILVER BAY HARBOR TO TWO HARBORS MN-TWO HARBORS TO DULUTH MN-
DULUTH MN TO PORT WING WI-PORT WING TO SAND ISLAND WI-
SAND ISLAND TO BAYFIELD WI-OAK POINT TO SAXON HARBOR WI-
1024 AM CDT SUN AUG 3 2008

...RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TODAY AND TONIGHT...

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE NEARSHORE WATERS OF
WESTERN LAKE SUPERIOR.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR THE WESTERN TIP OF
LAKE SUPERIOR THROUGH 10 PM THIS EVENING. NORTHEAST WINDS AROUND
15 MPH WILL PRODUCE 3 TO 5 FOOT WAVES AND HAZARDOUS CONDITIONS FOR
SMALL CRAFT.

THUNDERSTORMS WILL SPREAD EAST ACROSS THE REGION TODAY AND
OVERNIGHT. SOME OF THE STORMS MAY BECOME SEVERE WITH DAMAGING
WINDS...LARGE HAIL AND POSSIBLE TORNADOES. THE BEST CHANCE OF
SEVERE WEATHER WILL BE SOUTH OF A LINE FROM LEECH LAKE...TO TWO
HARBORS TO THE APOSTLE ISLANDS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY

THERE IS A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS FROM MONDAY THROUGH TUESDAY...
AND AGAIN FROM WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY.

GRANING

MORE INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED AT THE FOLLOWING WEB ADDRESS:
HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/DULUTH (ALL LOWER CASE)

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 hail, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Washburn

When: August 3, 1:50 PM CST
Where: Washburn County, 9 mi SW of Minong
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 46.008, -91.953

Hail, Burnett

When: August 3, 3:44 PM CST
Where: Burnett County, Webb Lake
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 46.020, -92.130

Thunderstorm Wind, Price

When: August 3, 5:25 PM CST
Where: Price County, 4 mi N of Kennan
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 45.588, -90.580

Several trees were blown down near Highway J. The report was a public report relayed by law enforcement.

What these are

Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
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

Every storm in Wisconsin in 2008 Every state in 2008 This day in weather history Warnings in Wisconsin, August 2008

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: 132040, 132041, 132043.