It was 20-years ago yesterday that straight-line winds estimated at over 100 miles per hour, accompanied by baseball-sized hail struck the Village of St. Nazianz.
Former Fire Chief Fritz Koeppen recalled the storm hit the village just before noon on May 12th, of 2,000 and lasted just 42-seconds.
No deaths were reported just minor injuries to dozens of people but over 30 homes were destroyed or heavily-damaged.
Koeppen said recently when he looked uptown, it appeared as if a bomb had hit. The very next day 2,200 volunteers arrived in the Manitowoc County village to aid in cleanup efforts.
Records from the National Weather Service showed the storm, statewide, caused $122 million in damage, mostly in northeast Wisconsin.
There was major damage in Manitowoc, Calumet and Winnebago Counties.
