Walmart soaked as tennis-ball-sized hail blasts through roof of Wisconsin store
The National Weather Service received reports of tennis-bail size hail from inside the Walmart in Rice Lake, Wisconsin, Wednesday as the massive stones broke through the roof.
Hail crashes down inside Wisconsin Walmart
A hailstorm happened inside the Rice Lake, Wisconsin Walmart on Wednesday, July 19 during a round of severe weather.
RICE LAKE, Wis. – Shoppers and workers at a western Wisconsin Walmart found themselves caught in a massive hailstorm Wednesday – not outside the store, but inside the building when large hail broke through the roof.
A video recorded by Courtany Amborn inside the retail store shows rain and hail pouring through the ceiling at the Rice Lake Walmart. Golf-ball to tennis-bail size hail could be seen littered throughout the floor inside the building.
Glass and pieces of the roof rained down during the severe weather event leaving a huge mess.
Thunderstorms rolled through eastern Minnesota and into Wisconsin beginning Wednesday afternoon bringing the potential for large hail and damaging winds.
Peak wind gusts reached up to 60 mph, according to storm reports.
According to the National Weather Service in Minneapolis, multiple reports for hail up to tennis bail size came in on Wednesday evening from Rice Lake.
The Rice Lake Walmart confirmed in a Facebook post on Wednesday it was closed due to storm damage.