Heavy to excessive rainfall may lead to flooding Wednesday over southwest Pennsylvania into northern West Virginia, and western Maryland. Flood Watches have been issued. An extended period of hot weather will continue for parts of coastal southern California including Los Angeles through Thursday. Heat Advisories remain in effect. Read More >
Overview
During the evening of May 16, 2017, thunderstorms developed near a warm front that was slowly pushing north across Wisconsin. The storms produced high winds, large hail, and at least two tornadoes in the state. A large supercell thunderstorm produced a long-track tornado across the western part of Wisconsin, killing one person near Chetek and injuring 25 others. Several storms in central and north-central Wisconsin produced damaging winds and hail. A weak tornado uprooted at least 1000 trees south of Rhinelander near the Oneida/Langlade County line. The same thunderstorm produced 2 inch diameter hail near Pelican Lake. Please click on the tabs below for more information. |
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Tornado Information
Tornado - Oneida County
Track Map
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The Enhanced Fujita (EF) Scale classifies tornadoes into the following categories:
EF0 Weak 65-85 mph |
EF1 Moderate 86-110 mph |
EF2 Significant 111-135 mph |
EF3 Severe 136-165 mph |
EF4 Extreme 166-200 mph |
EF5 Catastrophic 200+ mph |
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Damage Photo
Here is an image from drone footage of the tornado damage. Click photo for a larger image.
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Tornado moved left to right (west-east) in the picture. Damage was just north of Highway Q. |
Storm Reports
Here is a map of the reported severe weather on May 16.
The largest hail reported was 2 inches in diameter near Pelican Lake. The storm that produced the hail was the same cell that produced the tornado in southern Oneida County.
Radar Imagery
Here is a radar image (reflectivity and velocity) of the supercell storm that produced the tornado shortly after 8:10 PM.
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