Wisconsin weather: Large hail fell on July 27; here's how it forms

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Published July 28, 2026 9:44 AM CDT

The Brief

    • Large hail fell across Wisconsin from storms on July 27, 2026.
    • Compare the largest hailstone in Wisconsin to the nation's largest below.
    • Hailstone color, shape, and size are different depending on the storm's environment.

MILWAUKEE - Rounds of storms drove through eastern Wisconsin on Monday, July 27, bringing many areas large hail. 

Here are some viewer photos of the unique hailstones that were reported. While this hail was large, it certainly wasn't the biggest hail that Wisconsin has seen. 

(Photo Credit: Gina in Mayville)
(Photo Credit: Tony in Waterford)
(Photo Credit: Spencer in Racine)

Largest hail recorded

Timeline:

The largest hailstone verified in the state of Wisconsin was 5.7" in diameter that fell near Wausau (Marthon County) on May 22, 1921. 

That is compared to the size of a small cantaloupe. The largest hailstone in the verified by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center since 1955 is a 5.5" diameter stone that fell in Port Edwards, Wisconsin (Wood County) on June 7, 2007. 

The second-largest hailstone on record in Wisconsin back in 2007. It fell in Port Edwards (Wood County). (Photo Credit: Bart McCarthy)

While these hailstones in Wisconsin were large, they aren't the biggest in the United States. 

The largest hail ever recorded was in Vivian, South Dakota on July 23, 2010. 

(Photo Credit: NOAA)
(Photo Credit: NOAA)

The extremely large stone recorded a diameter of 8" and weighed 1.9375 pounds!

How does hail form?

What we know:

Hail forms when raindrops are lifted into the updraft of a thunderstorm. As the drops rise into very cold air, it freezes into an ice ball. When the hailstone collides with additional liquid droplets, the hail grows larger. 

When hail becomes too heavy for the updraft to hold it, the hail falls to the ground. 
 

What causes hail to look different?

What we know:

Hail can appear in different sizes, shapes, and colors—all of this tells the lifespan of the hailstone and information about the storm. 

According to NOAA, if water freezes right away when it collides with the hailstone — cloudy ice will form (air bubbles get trapped in the newer ice layer).  If the water freezes slowly on the hailstone, the air bubbles can escape and the new layer of ice will be clear. 

Spikey-shaped hailstones form when there is an extremely strong updraft, often with turbulent conditions in the sky causing the stone to be tossed around a lot more, leading to irregular ice development on the stone.
 

The Source: The information in this post was provided by the FOX6 Weather Experts, The National Weather Service, Wisconsin State Climatology Office.

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