Rice Lake Walmart cleans up after large hail breaks through skylights, floods store

A Walmart in Rice Lake remains closed for cleanup after large hail broke through skylights in the roof and rain flooded the store.

A strong storm Wednesday evening brought hail as large as tennis balls and straight-line winds over 60 mph to the Rice Lake area, according to the National Weather Service.

Cars were dented and building windows were broken, according to reports on social media. Trees 40 feet tall were reported down in Rice Lake, said Melissa Dye, a meteorologist with the weather service in Chanhassen, Minnesota.

Videos taken by employees and customers at Walmart show hail and pieces of glass falling from broken skylights as rain poured through the openings in the roof. People appeared to take shelter under overhangs inside the store, carts abandoned in checkout lines.

About 1.8 inches of rain fell in the Rice Lake area, while much less rain was recorded elsewhere in northwest Wisconsin, according to the weather service. The storm was slow-moving, and the amount of hail that fell in Rice Lake contributed to flooding in the streets, Dye said.

The Rice Lake Walmart's Facebook page will post daily updates on the cleanup effort. The store remains closed in the meantime.

Here's a look at the storm damage from social media users:

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Rice Lake, Wisconsin Walmart flooded after hail falls through roof