Softball-size hail fell just outside Appleton as severe thunderstorms pounded Wisconsin on Tuesday morning.
Russ Smith told the Wisconsin State Journal he was working at a construction site a couple of miles off of Appleton’s north side when hail the size of a softball and baseball fell for a “solid two minutes.“
Baseball-size hail in North #Appleton! #wiwx #firstalertweather
— WBAY-TV 2 (@WBAY) September 7, 2021
📷 Shana Joseph pic.twitter.com/JOwoXtiv5s
“It was amazing watching it fall from the sky,” Smith said. “Words can’t describe what it looked like.”
Hail up to the size of a baseball fell in parts of Brown, Outagamie and Waupaca counties.
Large hail in North Appleton from severe storms that rolled through this morning 😬 Pic: Maria Gauthier @WBAY #wiwx #weather #hail pic.twitter.com/m0VpiJWmFA
— Cruz Medina (@wx_cruz) September 7, 2021
A preliminary hail report of 4.5 inches Tuesday morning north of Appleton is a rare event in northeast Wisconsin.
Largest significant hail reports from yesterday in Wisconsin. Any verification of some of these sizes? pic.twitter.com/evdckwVGx2
— Chris Crepon (@CreponChris) September 8, 2021
The chart below shows that only four other occurrences of 4.5 inch or greater hail in the state of Wisconsin since 1950.
A preliminary hail report of 4.5 inches Tuesday morning north of Appleton is a rare event in northeast Wisconsin. The chart above showed that only four other occurrences of 4.5 inch or greater hail in the state of Wisconsin since 1950. #wiwx pic.twitter.com/qb7FGeRzXX
— NWS Green Bay (@NWSGreenBay) September 7, 2021
The line of fierce storms also brought heavy rain and wind to eastern Wisconsin Tuesday morning, and heavy rain, wind and smaller hail to south-central Wisconsin.
In Door County, trees and power lines were knocked down, and Highway 42 was closed between county Highway A and Gibraltar Road because a live wire was arcing on the roadway.
MONSTER HAIL fell near Appleton, Wisconsin earlier today! Some hailstones were as big as baseballs! Picture shared by Jerry with our sister station in Green Bay, WBAY. @spann #StormHour pic.twitter.com/LNsjwp6ebQ
— Jeff Castle KSLA (@jeffcastleksla) September 7, 2021
The National Weather Service reports 42 mph winds at Newport State Park in Ellison Bay.
Here's a look at hail in #Oconto.
— WBAY-TV 2 (@WBAY) September 7, 2021
📹 Kortney Slye
SUBMIT YOUR VIDEO/PHOTO: https://t.co/72oBudS80E pic.twitter.com/tSs3om7m35
Here some hail reports across the region:
- Kimberly – 4 inches
- N Appleton – 3 inches
- Freedom – 2.75 inches
- Mackville – 2.75 inches
- Hortonville – 2 inches
- Wrightstown – 2.5 inches
- New London – 1.75 inch
- Two Creeks – 1.75 inch
- Appleton – 1.50 inch
- Greenleaf – 1.50 inch
- Kaukauna – 1.50 inch
- Little Rapids – 1.50 inch
- Wayside – 1.25 inch
- Black Creek – 1 inch
- Chilton – 1 inch
- Oshkosh – 1 inch
- Stephensville – 1 inch
- Valders – 1 inch
The National Weather Service issued numerous storm warnings Tuesday, with Dane County among the counties under warnings late Tuesday morning.
🌀Turbulent Skies in Wisconsin! 🌀 ICYMI – Severe storms raced through Milwaukee, #Wisconsin on Tuesday with damaging wind & large hail! Look at those eerie skies! #WIwx #Severeweather
— WeatherNation (@WeatherNation) September 8, 2021
Video Credit: @VictoriaUdry pic.twitter.com/OMRo7gibjA
Pea-size hail fell at Ten Pin Alley in Fitchburg as storms moved through dumping heavy rain on Dane County.
Authorities said as of 3 p.m. there were about 600 customers without power, down from the peak of 4,500 earlier in the day. By 8 p.m., power had been restored to nearly all customers, with only a handful still being in the dark. Crews also made repairs at about two dozen sites. In addition, the Sheriff’s Office says most of the power failures were caused by tree damage.
A severe thunderstorm watch was in effect until 6 p.m. [WBay, Madison]