Alert archive / Wisconsin / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1987

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 32, NWS Milwaukee, WI

July 6, 1987Milwaukee County, Waukesha County, Wisconsin

NWS Milwaukee, WI issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 6, 1987, 5:44 PM CDT for Milwaukee County, Waukesha County, Wisconsin. It was in force for 51 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jul 6, 1987, 5:44 PM CDT (22:44 UTC)
Expired
Jul 6, 1987, 6:35 PM CDT
In force
51 min
Issued by
NWS Milwaukee, WI
Area
Whole counties

Counties Milwaukee County, WI, Waukesha County, WI

The radar

The WSR-88D network and its archive begin in 1991, so there is no radar volume for this alert.

The nearest sounding before it

Green Bay/Straub, WI (KGRB), launched 12:00Z, 10.7 hours before the alert went out and 162 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Green Bay/Straub, WI at 12:00Z on 1987-07-06Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Green Bay/Straub, WI at 12:00Z on 1987-07-06The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 5 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.
Mixed-layer CAPE
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
668 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
8 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
5 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
7 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
TTAA00 KMKE 062244
SVRMKE
WIC079-133-062345-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM AND SPECIAL MARINE WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE WI
544 PM CDT MON JUL 6 1987

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM AND 
SPECIAL MARINE WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 645 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE 
FOLLOWING COUNTIES OF

SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN...MILWAUKEE AND WAUKESHA
...INCLUDING THE ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS OF                      
....LAKE MICHIGAN      

AT 540 PM LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED FROM NORTHWEST
MILWAUKEE COUNTY TO WEST CENTRAL WAUKESHA COUNTY OR FROM ABOUT
BROWN DEER..10 NORTHWEST OF MILWUAKEE TO JUST SOUTHWEST OF THE CITY
OF WAUKESHA.  NUMEROUS REPORTS OF LARGE HAIL HAVE BEEN RECEIVED
WITH STORMS IN THIS LINE WITH THE STRONGEST STORM HEADING RIGHT
FOR THE CITY OF WAUKESHA.  THE STORMS ARE MOVING EAST AT 20 MPH.
THIS IS AN EXTENSION OF THE WARNINGS PREVIOUSLY ISSUED FOR
BOTH COUNTIES AND REPLACES THOSE WARNINGS.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE DAMAGING WINDS..LARGE HAIL..AND
DANGEROUS LIGHTNING. LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL FROM A SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM MAY TRIGGER FLASH FLOODING IN LOW LYING OR URBAN AREAS.
IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES..SEEK SAFE SHELTER.

JOHNSTON

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jul 6, 3:35 PM CDT, 2 hours 9 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MADISON WI
335 PM CDT MON JUL 6 1987

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM CDT FOR PORTIONS
OF WESTERN AND SOUTHERN WISCONSIN...

AT 330 PM CDT WEATHER RADAR INDICATED A 75 MILE WIDE AREA OF SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING FROM 25 MILES SOUTHWEST OF ROCKFORD ILLINOIS TO
20 MILES EAST OF MADISON AND TO 45 MILES NORTHEAST OF LACROSSE.  THE
ENTIRE AREA WAS MOVING TO THE EAST AT ABOUT 30 MPH.

THE HEAVIEST RAINFALL AREAS WERE LOCATED 5 MILES EAST OF ELROY OR 45
MILES EAST OF LACROSSE...A SECOND JUST SOUTH OF RIO OR ABOUT 20 MILES
NORTH NORTHEAST OF MADISON...AND A HEAVY RAINFALL AREA LOCATED OVER
ROCKFORD ILLINOIS.

AT 320 PM CDT THE JUNEAU COUNTY SHERIFF REPORTED WINDS OF 40 TO 45 MPH
AT ELROY ALONG WITH VERY HEAVY RAINS.  NO DAMAGE WAS REPORTED.  NO
OTHER REPORTS OF SEVERE WSATHER HAVE BEEN RECEIVED AS OF 330 PM CDT.

ADDISON
Local storm report, Jul 6, 3:41 PM CDT, 2 hours 3 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MADISON WI
344 PM CDT MON JUL 6 1987

337 PM CDT   THE COLUMBIA COUNTY SHERIFF REPORTED 40 TO 50 MPH WINDS..
             PEA TO MARBEL SIZE HAIL AND VERY HEAVY RAIN WITH
             VISIBILITY NEAR ZERO IN THE RAIN.

ADDISON
Special weather statement, Jul 6, 4:05 PM CDT, 1 hour 39 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MADISON WI
405 PM CDT MON JUL 6 1987

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM CDT FOR PORTIONS
OF WESTERN AND SOUTHERN WISCONSIN...

AT 400 PM CDT WEATHER RADAR INDICATED A 75 MILE WIDE AREA OF SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING FROM 20 MILES EAST OF ROCKFORD ILLINOIS TO
25 MILES EAST OF MADISON AND TO 45 MILES NORTHEAST OF LACROSSE.  THE
ENTIRE AREA WAS MOVING TO THE EAST AT ABOUT 30 MPH.  OTHER AREAS OF
WIDELY SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE NOTED OVER SOUTHEASTERN
MINNESOTA AND NORTHEAST IOWA.

VERY HEAVY RAINFALL WAS LOCATED FROM RANDOLPH TO JEFFERSON.  THIS SHORT
LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WAS REPORTED TO CONTAIN 40 TO 50 MPH WINDS..PEA TO
MARBEL SIZE HAIL ALONG WITH HEAVY RAIN THAT REDUCED THE VISIBILITY TO A
FEW FEET IN COLUMBUS AT 337 PM CDT.  OTHER AREAS OF HEAVY RAINFALL WERE
NOTED 5 MILES SOUTH OF MAUSTON OR ABOUT 75 MILES NORTHWEST OF MADISON
AND ANOTHER 15 MILES EAST OF ROCKFORD ILLINOIS.

ADDISON
Special weather statement, Jul 6, 4:35 PM CDT, 1 hour 9 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MADISON WI
435 PM CDT MON JUL 6 1987

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM CDT FOR PORTIONS
OF WESTERN AND SOUTHERN WISCONSIN...

AT 430 PM CDT WEATHER RADAR INDICATED AREAS OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS
EXTENDING OVER MUCH OF CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN.  THESE AREAS
OF PRECIPITATION WERE MOVING TO THE EAST AT 25 MPH.

VERY HEAVY RAINFALL WAS LOCATED 5 MILES NORTHEAST AND A SECOND ONE 10
MILES TO THE EAST SOUTHEAST OF WATERTOWN..OR ABOUT 40 TO 45 MILES EAST
OF MADISON.  ONE OTHER THUNDERSTORM OR NOTE WAS LOCATED 25 MILES EAST
OF BLACK RIVER FALLS OR ABOUT 45 MILES SOUTHWEST OF WAUSAU.

NO REPORTS OF SEVERE WEATHER HAVE BEEN RECEIVED AS OF 430 PM CDT.

ADDISON
Special weather statement, Jul 6, 5:00 PM CDT, 44 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MADISON WI
502 PM CDT MON JUL 6 1987

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM CDT FOR PORTIONS
OF WESTERN AND SOUTHERN WISCONSIN...

AT 500 PM CDT WEATHER RADAR INDICATED AREAS OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS
EXTENDING OVER MUCH OF CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN.  THESE AREAS
OF PRECIPITATION WERE MOVING TO THE EAST AT 25 MPH.

VERY HEAVY RAINFALL WAS LOCATED IN AN AREA ABOUT 15 MILES IN DIAMETER
CENTERED ABOUT 15 MILES NORTHWEST OF MILWAUKEE.  A SECOND AREA OF VERY
HEAVY RAIN WAS NOTED ABOUT 30 MILES SOUTHWEST OF WAUSAU NEAR PITTSVILLE.

NO REPORTS OF SEVERE WEATHER HAVE BEEN RECEIVED AT THIS OFFICE AS OF
500 PM CDT.

ADDISON

Special weather statement, Jul 6, 5:36 PM CDT, 8 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MADISON WI
535 PM CDT MON JUL 6 1987

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM CDT FOR PORTIONS
OF WESTERN AND SOUTHERN WISCONSIN...

AT 530 PM CDT WEATHER RADAR INDICATED AREAS OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS
EXTENDING OVER MUCH OF SOUTHERN WISCONSIN AND EASTERN IOWA.  THESE AREAS
OF PRECIPITATION WERE MOVING TO THE EAST AT 25 MPH.

VERY HEAVY RAINFALL WAS LOCATED IN AN AREA ABOUT 15 MILES WEST OF
MILWAUKEE AND A SECOND AREA OF VERY OVER WEST BEND OR ABOUT 25 MILES
NORTH OF MILWAUKEE.

NO REPORTS OF SEVERE WEATHER HAVE BEEN RECEIVED AT THIS OFFICE AS OF
530 PM CDT.

ADDISON

The office that day

Everything else NWS Milwaukee, WI issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 6, 3:39 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMKXDodge51 min
Jul 6, 4:59 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMKXWaukesha41 min
Jul 6, 5:23 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMKXMilwaukee37 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Wisconsin, 1987Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1987

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.