There was severe damage to the Star Lake East Campground and it was closed. There were no injuries. Roads were blocked at two places from extensive treefall: On County N, just on the Star Lake side of the campground/CCC site. On County K between Fred Luke Road and the Star Lake Road (old road to Eagle River).--Charles Forbes, based on on-site information.
- Bookwood Historical Collection, Star Lake
First Alert Weather: Severe storms cause damage in Vilas County, possible tornado near Star Lake.
Wind damage from the severe storms and possible tornado in Star Lake, as well as from strong winds in Land O'Lakes.(WSAW)
By Jeremy Tabin
Published: Aug. 10, 2020 at 12:01 AM CDT.
WAUSAU, Wis. (WSAW) - Sunday was a First Alert Weather Day for the potential of severe storms in North Central Wisconsin which had the potential to produce damaging winds, hail, and torrential rainfall. Reports from the National Weather Service in Green Bay and the emergency manager in Vilas County confirmed Sunday evening that severe storms caused wind damage to the East Star Lake Campground, as well as in Star Lake, and farther northeast in Land O’Lakes.
Two separate storms hit in Star Lake on Sunday evening, the first severe storms moving into the area around 7:45 pm. SkyWarn Radar was showing winds at that time which were in excess of 60 mph with the storms, and indications of some rotation with this storm. About a half an hour later around 8:15 pm, a second line of storms, which had been moving from west to east across the county, once again impacted Star Lake and points to the north in Land O’Lakes. There was a report from our radio partners at NRG Radio in the Northwoods, of a possible tornado associated with the storms that struck the campground in Star Lake. Numerous campsites were impacted, along with down trees that blocked multiple roads in Star Lake. We are continuing to gather information and will have more details as they become available.