Thunderstorms developed in unstable air ahead of a cold front that pushed east across Wisconsin. The storms produced large hail, wind damage and three weak tornadoes.
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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.
The episode as NWS GRB wrote it up.
Thunderstorms developed in unstable air ahead of a cold front that pushed east across Wisconsin. The storms produced large hail, wind damage and three weak tornadoes.
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 Green Bay, WI wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 29, 1:03 PM CST, 2 hours 14 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREEN BAY WI 203 PM CDT TUE JUL 29 2008 .SYNOPSIS...UPR RIDGE WHICH HAD BEEN ANCHORED OVER THE SWRN STATES WL BUILD NEWD INTO THE PLAINS THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS. THIS WL LEAD TO RISING HEIGHTS ACRS THE FCST AREA...AND A STRENGTHENING OF THE WLY FLOW N OF THE RIDGE. SOME FLATTENING OF THE FLOW IS THEN LIKELY DURING THE LATTER PART OF THE FCST PERIOD. PATTERN WL BE TYPICAL OF MID-LATE SUMMER. EXPECT ABV NORMAL TEMPS... WITH SOME 90 DEG MAXES POSSIBLE. PCPN CHCS WL BE TIED TO THE MVMT OF CONVECTIVE SYSTEMS ARND THE PERIPHERY OF THE RIDGE. IT/S OBVIOUSLY IMPOSSIBLE TO PIN DOWN THE TRACK OF THOSE VERY FAR IN ADVANCE. BEST GUESS IS THAT AMNTS FOR THE NEXT WK WL END UP CLOSE TO NORMAL AT MOST LOCATIONS. && .SHORT TERM...TNGT/WED. MAIN CONCERN IS SVR RISK THE REST OF THIS AFTN AND EVENING. CONSIDERABLE CLOUDINESS HAS HELD BACK TEMPS...AND DESTABILIZATION TO SOME EXTENT. STG MOISTURE ADVECTION IN THE WAKE OF OLD FRONTAL BOUNDARY RETREATING NWD ACRS THE AREA HAS STILL ALLOWED AXIS OF MLCAPES OF 1.5-2K J/KG TO DEVELOP JUST W OF THE FCST AREA. THE INSTABILITY AXIS SHOULD SHIFT EWD DURING THE REST OF THE AFTN AND EVENING. GIVEN THE SHEAR...THAT SHOULD BE MORE THAN SUFFICIENT TO SUPPORT SOME SVR STORMS. WHAT MAY END UP BEING A LIMITING FACTOR IS THE GRADUAL SHIFT TO A MORE WLY WIND THAT IS OCCURRING TO THE WEST. THAT WL LIMIT LOW-LEVEL CONVERGENCE. WL MAKE ISSUANCE TIME DECISION ON WHETHER OR NOT TO HAVE EXPLICIT SVR IN THE ZONES/GRIDS. PCPN SHOULD BE PRETTY MUCH OVER ARND MIDNIGHT...SO KEPT 06Z-12Z PERIOD DRY. NOT MUCH IN THE WAY OF CLDS BEHIND THE FRONT...SO WAS VERY AGGRESSIVE IN CLEARING. COULD BE SOME FOG AS WINDS DECOUPLE AND SKIES CLR. WOULD BE MORE CONCERNED IF I WERE CONFIDENT WE WOULD GET WIDEPSREAD SIG RAINS THIS EVENING. LEFT OUT OF THE FCST FOR NOW. LOOKS LIKE A MOSTLY SUNNY AND VERY WARM DAY ON WED. DWPTS WL DROP OFF SOME...PROBABLY INTO THE UPR 50S OR LOWER 60S. STRONGLY PREFER WARMER MAV NUMBERS AS THE AREA ALWAYS WARMS WELL UNDER WLY FLOW. WOULD NOT BE SURPRISED TO SEE THE FIRST 90/S OF THE SEASON TOMORROW...BUT HELD MAX TEMPS JUST BLO THAT FOR NOW. DEEP MIXING INTO WNWLY 850 MB FLOW SHOULD KEEP LAKE BREEZE OFFSHORE...EXCEPT POSSIBLY OVER THE NRN TIP OF THE DOOR PENINSULA. .LONG TERM...THU THROUGH NEXT TUE... WEAK HIGH PRESSURE CENTERED OVER HUDSON BAY WILL NOSE INTO NORTHEAST WISCONSIN WED NIGHT AND SHIFT EAST ON THU. MODELS STILL DIFFER ON LOCATION AND TIMING OF RETURN FLOW AND SMALL PERTUBATIONS ALONG SFC BOUNDARY THAT SETTLES JUST SOUTH OF AREA EARLY IN PD. THIS BOUNDARY THEN HEADS BACK N FOR THE WEEKEND. FOR FRI INTO THE WEEKEND...29/12Z GFS MOS GUIDANCE CONTINUES TREND OF 90+ MAX TEMPS FOR PARTS OF FCST AREA. HAVE NUDGED UP TEMPERATURES A FEW DEGREES. WOULD BE FIRST 90 DEG TEMPS FOR SEVERAL LOCATIONS...UNLESS WE REACH 90 TOMORROW. CAVEAT IS WEAK BOUNDARY LURKING ACROSS THE AREA DURING PD...WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR CONVECTION THAT COULD KEEP TEMPS DOWN A FEW DEGREES FROM LATEST FCST. && .AVIATION...ADDED TEMPO GROUPS FOR TSRA TO ALL TAFS FOR THE AFTN/EVENING. RISK OF GETTING SOME TSRA IN THE FCST AREA IS FAIRLY HIGH...BUT COVERAGE COULD BE LIMITED SO THEY MAY NOT AFFECT THE TAF SITES. ALSO INCLUDED SOME MVFR FG FOR LATE TNGT. LOW VSBYS POSSIBLE...MAYBE AS LOW AS LIFR...IN ANY AREAS THAT GET SIG RAINFALL. && .GRB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && SKOWRONSKI/JKL
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREEN BAY WI 1155 AM CDT TUE JUL 29 2008 WIZ005-010>013-018>022-030-031-035>040-045-048>050-073-074-301100- VILAS-ONEIDA-FOREST-FLORENCE-NORTHERN MARINETTE-LINCOLN-LANGLADE- MENOMINEE-NORTHERN OCONTO-DOOR-MARATHON-SHAWANO-WOOD-PORTAGE- WAUPACA-OUTAGAMIE-BROWN-KEWAUNEE-WAUSHARA-WINNEBAGO-CALUMET- MANITOWOC-SOUTHERN MARINETTE-SOUTHERN OCONTO- 1155 AM CDT TUE JUL 29 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST WISCONSIN. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS. THE PRIMARY RISK IS OF STRONG WINDS AND LARGE HAIL. HEAVY RAIN IS ALSO POSSIBLE. THE GREATEST RISK OVER NORTH- CENTRAL WISCONSIN WILL OCCUR BETWEEN 200 PM AND 600 PM. THE GREATEST RISK OVER CENTRAL THROUGH NORTHEAST WISCONSIN WILL OCCUR BETWEEN 400 PM AND 900 PM. OVER EAST-CENTRAL WISCONSIN...THE GREATEST RISK WILL OCCUR BETWEEN 500 PM AND 1000 PM. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY A COUPLE MORE ROUNDS OF THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE LATE FRIDAY THROUGH THE UPCOMING WEEKEND. BE SURE TO MONITOR LATER FORECASTS WHICH WILL BE BETTER ABLE TO ESTIMATE THE SEVERE RISK THAT MAY BE POSED BY THESE STORMS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL PROBABLY BE NECESSARY THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING. LMZ521-522-541>543-301100- THE BAY OF GREEN BAY SOUTH OF A LINE FROM CEDAR RIVER MI TO ROCK ISLAND PASSAGE-LAKE MICHIGAN FROM WASHINGTON ISLAND TO SHEBOYGAN- 1155 AM CDT TUE JUL 29 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF LAKE MICHIGAN. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. STRONG GUSTY WINDS ARE LIKELY WITH THE STORMS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY A COUPLE MORE ROUNDS OF THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE FRIDAY THROUGH THE UPCOMING WEEKEND. BE SURE TO MONITOR LATER FORECASTS WHICH WILL BE BETTER ABLE TO ESTIMATE THE SEVERE RISK THAT MAY BE POSED BY THESE STORMS. JS
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREEN BAY WI 351 PM CDT TUE JUL 29 2008 WIZ005-010>013-018>021-030-031-035>037-073-074-292125- FLORENCE-FOREST-LANGLADE-LINCOLN-MARATHON-MENOMINEE-NORTHERN MARINETTE COUNTY-NORTHERN OCONTO COUNTY-ONEIDA-PORTAGE-SHAWANO-SOUTHERN MARINETTE COUNTY-SOUTHERN OCONTO COUNTY-VILAS-WAUPACA-WOOD- 351 PM CDT TUE JUL 29 2008 ...THUNDERSTORMS MOVING ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL WISCONSIN... AT 350 PM...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING FROM FOREST AND FLORENCE COUNTIES SOUTHWEST TO MARATHON COUNTY. THE STORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT NEAR 30 MPH. WINDS GREATER THAN 40 MPH...FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING...HEAVY DOWNPOURS...AND HAIL ARE POSSIBLE WITH THE STRONGEST STORMS. IF A THUNDERSTORM APPROACHES YOUR AREA...OR A WARNING IS ISSUED... SEEK SHELTER IN A STURDY STRUCTURE. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1000 PM FOR MUCH OF CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST WISCONSIN. JKL
The Green Bay radar (KGRB), 146 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:16 UTC.
7 hail, 3 thunderstorm wind, 3 tornado, 1 funnel cloud. Local standard time, as filed.
Thunderstorm winds downed several trees near Enterprise.
A tornado, witnessed by law enforcement, briefly touched down north of Brokaw, near the Lincoln County border. No damage was reported.
A tornado briefly touched down just south of County Line Road near County Road Q. Several trees in an open field were knocked over (DI 28, DOD 2 & 3).
A funnel cloud was spotted near Merrill.
A thunderstorm that produced high winds also dropped torrential rain and pea size hail.
A tornado touched down north of Pittsville, tearing leaves and twigs from the tops of trees (DI 28, DOD 1). The tornado was seen by a county sheriff.
Thunderstorm winds downed several trees along County Roads U and J, south of State Highway 29.
Penny size hail was observed at the National Weather Service Office in Green Bay.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Wisconsin in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Wisconsin, 2008Warnings in Wisconsin, July 2008
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: 129143, 129130, 129099, 129101, 129102, 129160, 129440, 129441, 129103, 129105, 129108, 129139, 129150, 129116.