Overview
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An intense severe weather outbreak unfolded across central and north-central Wisconsin during the afternoon and early evening of Friday, April 17, 2026. The event was triggered by a potent upper-level trough over the northern Plains that developed a surface low-pressure system across the upper Midwest. This system drew unusually high moisture into the region, with dew points climbing into the lower 60s into central Wisconsin. The combination of this moisture, steep lapse rates, and strong wind shear created a volatile corridor of instability immediately ahead of an approaching cold front. Storms began to develop in the mid-afternoon, taking the form of discrete supercells and fast-moving line segments traveling northeast at 50 mph. The peak of the severe weather occurred between 3 pm and 7 pm, primarily concentrated over central Wisconsin where the atmosphere was most conducive to storm growth. As the activity pushed into eastern Wisconsin, the intensity and tornado threat began to diminish, as the storms encountered more stable, cooler air influenced by Lake Michigan. |
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The event was characterized by several confirmed tornadoes that resulted in structural damage. A tornado was reported on the ground near Ringle in Marathon County at 5:05 pm, shortly after another tornado moved through the Weston area at 4:51 pm. Local emergency management in Weston confirmed damage to homes and mobilized fire department units to the scene. Further west, strong radar rotation prompted tornado warnings in northern Wood County near Lindsey and Marshfield. Funnel clouds were also sighted across a broad area, including Stevens Point, Merrill, and portions of Langlade County near Phlox and White Lake. |
Beyond the tornadic threat, the storms produced isolated large hail, including a report of 1.50-inch diameter stones near Marshfield. Heavy rainfall was a major secondary impact, with localized totals ranging from 1 to 4 inches. These torrential downpours caused flash flooding, particularly in Marshfield where the ASOS station recorded 2.65 inches of rain. Emergency dispatchers there reported multiple vehicles stranded in deep water on city streets. The severe threat subsided by 8 pm as the storms moved east and weakened. |
Tornadoes
Select a tornado from the table to zoom into the track and view more information. The default table view is limited to 8 tracks, but can be scrolled by a mouse wheel or dynamically expanded. Additionally, the table can fill the entire window by clicking the small circular expanding arrow icon at the very top right of the table and returned to its original size by clicking the button again. The side information panel that opens over the map can be closed using the "X" on the upper right corner of the pop-up. Zoom into the map and click damage points to see detailed information and pictures from the surveys.
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NOTE: times shown below are local to your device's time zone. |
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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| Tornadoes that fail to impact any ratable damage indicators on the EF-Scale are rated EF-Unknown (EF-U) | |||||
Storm Reports
Preliminary Local Storm Report...Summary
National Weather Service Green Bay WI
1222 AM CDT Sat Apr 18 2026
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0340 PM Tstm Wnd Gst 2 ENE Bakerville 44.64N 90.19W
04/17/2026 M51 MPH Wood WI ASOS
Apr 17, 3:40 pm 64 61 88 S 28G51 0.50 Hvy
rain, Fog.
0350 PM Hail 2 S Hewitt 44.60N 90.13W
04/17/2026 E0.70 Inch Wood WI Public
weather spotter called in saying 3 miles
south of marsfeild dime size hail.
0439 PM Funnel Cloud 1 SW Evergreen 44.83N 89.66W
04/17/2026 Marathon WI Trained Spotter
0442 PM Tornado 3 NW Glandon 45.10N 89.48W
04/17/2026 Marathon WI NWS Storm Survey
Path length of 4.33 miles. Estimated width
of 100 yards. Peak wind 110 mph (EF1).
0446 PM Tornado 3 WSW Ringle 44.84N 89.57W
04/17/2026 Marathon WI NWS Storm Survey
Corrects previous tornado report from 3 WSW
Ringle. Ringle Tornado. The tornado
developed about 3 miles west-southwest of
Ringle, near County Road J and Weston
Avenue, at about 4:46 pm. The tornado moved
northeast, crossing highway 29 and downing
hundreds of trees. It then moved through
neighborhoods along and near River Road from
Shady Lane to north of Clubhouse Road. In
this area, dozens of homes suffered
significant roof damage, with failures of
attached garages common. At least three
homes in this area had complete removal of
their roofs with failure of all external
walls and several interior walls, consistent
with EF-3 damage. Hundreds more trees were
downed in this area, with many snapped near
the base. Multiple sheds and outbuildings
were destroyed. The tornado continued
northeast, closely following the Eau Claire
River, and dissipated between Gold Dust Road
and County Road Z, 5 miles southwest of
Hogarty, at about 5:03 pm. There have been
no reported injuries or fatalities. Path
length was 13.53 miles. Estimated width of
600 yards. Peak wind 145 mph (EF3).
0451 PM Tornado 1 SE Weston 44.89N 89.55W
04/17/2026 Marathon WI Fire Dept/Rescue
Damage to houses.
0455 PM Funnel Cloud 1 S Jeffris 45.49N 89.43W
04/17/2026 Lincoln WI Trained Spotter
Seen funnel cloud in area with strong winds
and rain.
0505 PM Tornado 1 SSW Ringle 44.89N 89.41W
04/17/2026 Marathon WI Trained Spotter
Caller said tornado on ground going north
east.
0515 PM Funnel Cloud 5 NNW Stevens Point 44.58N 89.60W
04/17/2026 Portage WI Law Enforcement
Sheriff office called saying officers have
seen funnel cloud going over I39.
0529 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg 4 WSW Phelps 46.03N 89.16W
04/17/2026 Vilas WI Public
Time estimated by radar. Trees and power
lines down on Moore Lane southwest of
Phelps. Also Trees and power lines down on
Hwy 17 in the area. Possible tornado,
spotted by public. Reports relayed from
Vilas County Sheriff.
0538 PM Funnel Cloud 1 NNW Phlox 45.05N 89.01W
04/17/2026 Langlade WI 911 Call Center
call center called to report a funnel cloud
going north east of Phlox.
0540 PM Funnel Cloud 4 WNW Elton 45.17N 88.92W
04/17/2026 Langlade WI 911 Call Center
Langlade dispatch called saying funnel cloud
seen southwest of Elton.
0619 PM Funnel Cloud 2 SSW White Lake 45.13N 88.78W
04/17/2026 Langlade WI 911 Call Center
Call from Shawano county dispatch reporting
funnel cloud by white lake.
0625 PM Flash Flood 1 NW Marshfield 44.67N 90.17W
04/17/2026 Wood WI 911 Call Center
getting reports of cars stuck in water on
several streets with in Marshfield.
0641 PM Flood 4 N Moon 44.81N 89.78W
04/17/2026 Marathon WI Trained Spotter
Hog Creek on Hog Creek Road is flooded and
culverts are washed out.
0705 PM Flood 2 N Wausau 44.98N 89.64W
04/17/2026 Marathon WI Public
Street flooding. Also, law enforcement
reports minor poor drainage flooding in the
area.
0709 PM Hail Lake Tomahawk 45.81N 89.59W
04/17/2026 M0.70 Inch Oneida WI Public
0744 PM Non-Tstm Wnd Gst 3 W Ashwaubenon 44.49N 88.13W
04/17/2026 M55 MPH Brown WI ASOS
At the Green Bay Airport.
Copy in PNS or paste map.
Photos & Video
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| Ringle, WI (NWS Storm Survey) |
Ringle, WI (NWS Storm Survey) |
Ringle, WI (NWS Storm Survey) |
Ringle, WI (NWS Storm Survey) |
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| Kronenwetter, WI (NWS Storm Survey) |
Kronenwetter, WI (NWS Storm Survey) |
, WI (NWS Storm Survey) |
, WI (NWS Storm Survey) |
Radar
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| Caption | Caption |
Environment
synoptic summary.
| Figure 1: Caption |
Near-storm environment summary.
| Figure 4: Caption |
Services
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