For anyone searching tornado near me on July 20, the National Weather Service in Green Bay said three tornadoes touched down in Wisconsin during a stormy evening across central Wisconsin. Kevin Scharfenberg told a NETWORK-Wisconsin reporter about 9 p.m. that there were three tornadoes near Stratford in Marathon County, near Zoar in Menominee County and near Tigerton in Shawano County.
Stratford, Zoar and Tigerton
Scharfenberg said the tornadoes were brief and did not last long. He also said the National Weather Service in Green Bay was aware of only minor damage to a home west of Stratford, which left the early picture of the event narrow even as warnings spread across separate counties.
The warnings came from separate storms. The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for Marathon County after a tornado was located 10 miles northeast of Marshfield and moving east at 20 mph, and law enforcement confirmed the tornado in Marathon County.
Marshfield and Mosinee warnings
Later, the National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for central Wood County after a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado was located 12 miles southwest of Marshfield at 7:55 p.m. July 20. It also issued a warning for southeastern Marathon County and northeastern Portage County after reports of a tornado 5 miles southwest of Mosinee.
That sequence shows why the evening drew attention quickly: the weather service had tornado warnings in more than one area, but only limited damage was known when Scharfenberg spoke. The unanswered piece for readers near Stratford, Zoar, and Tigerton is the same one that follows every brief tornado report — how strong each tornado was and exactly where each path ran.
