Alert archive / Wisconsin / Tornado Warnings in 1987

Tornado Warning 6, NWS Milwaukee, WI

July 29, 1987Clark County, Wisconsin

NWS Milwaukee, WI issued this tornado warning at Jul 29, 1987, 6:03 PM CDT for Clark County, Wisconsin. It was in force for 43 min. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
Jul 29, 1987, 6:03 PM CDT (23:03 UTC)
Expired
Jul 29, 1987, 6:46 PM CDT
In force
43 min
Issued by
NWS Milwaukee, WI
Area
Whole counties

County Clark County, WI

The radar

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

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Jul 29, 6:20 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 0Clark, WI

NCEI Storm Data entries that began inside the alert's area while it was in force. Before 2003 the local storm report archive is thin, so this is the record of what happened rather than what was phoned in. Storm Data before 1996 records only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail.

The nearest sounding before it

Green Bay/Straub, WI (KGRB), launched 12:00Z, 11.1 hours before the alert went out and 201 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 1987-07-29Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 633 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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 1987-07-29The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 9 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
633 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-47 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
789 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
24 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
9 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
154 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
-0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KMKE 292303
TORMKE
WIC019-300000-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED 
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE WI
603 PM CDT WED JUL 29 1987

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING 
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 700 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY OF

CENTRAL WISCONSIN...CLARK

AT 600 PM A TORNADO WAS REPORTED JUST SOUTHWEST OF OWEN IN
CLARK COUNTY.  THE TORNADO WAS MOVING SOUTHEAST.

IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES YOU..TAKE COVER IMMEDIATELY.
A BASEMENT..INTERIOR HALLWAY OR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR IS THE
SAFEST PLACE IN MOST BUILDINGS.  GET UNDER SOMETHING STURDY.

HENTZ

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this tornado 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 29, 2:42 PM CDT, 3 hours 21 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MADISON WI
240 PM CDT WED JUL 29 1987

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM CDT FOR CENTRAL
AND EASTERN WISCONSIN...

AT 240 PM CDT WEATHER RADAR INDICATED AN AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDER-
STORMS IN EAST-CENTRAL WISCONSIN EXTENDING FROM FOX LAKE TO WEST BEND
TO GRAFTON OR FROM 45 MILES NORTHWEST TO 15 MILES NORTH OF MILEWAUKEE.
THIS AREA WAS MOVING TO THE EAST SOUTHEAST AT ABOUT 30 MPH".  VERY HEAVY
RAIN WAS NOTED FIVE MILES EAST OF FOX LAKE AND FIVE MILES NORTHWEST OF
OF GRAFTON.  MOST OF THIS ACTIVITY WAS HEADING FOR THE MILWAUKEE AREA
AND SHOULD BE THERE ABOUT 330 PM CDT.

ADDISON
Special weather statement, Jul 29, 3:11 PM CDT, 2 hours 52 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MADISON WI
315 PM CDT WED JUL 29 1987

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM CDT FOR CENTRAL
AND EASTERN WISCONSIN...

AT
Special weather statement, Jul 29, 3:15 PM CDT, 2 hours 48 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MADISON WI
315 PM CDT WED JUL 29 1987

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM CDT FOR CENTRAL
AND EASTERN WISCONSIN...

AT 310 PM CDT WEATHER RADAR INDICATED AN AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDER-
STORMS OVER SOUTHEASTERN WISCONSIN MOVING TO THE SOUTHEAST AT ABOUT
30 MPH.  THE AREA OF STORMS WAS NOTED BETWEEN MAYVILLE..8 MILES SOUTH
OF GRAFTON AND 12 MILES NORTH-NORTHWEST OF WAUKESHA OR NORTHWBEST TO
NORTH OF MILWAUKEE ABOUT 25 AND 10 MILES RESPECTIVELY.  NO SEVERE
WEATHER HAS BEEN REPORTED TO THIS OFFICE SINCE 1 PM CDT.

ADDISON
Special weather statement, Jul 29, 3:39 PM CDT, 2 hours 24 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MADISON WI
340 PM CDT WED JUL 29 1987

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM CDT FOR CENTRAL
AND EASTERN WISCONSIN...

AT 335 PM CDT WEATHER RADAR INDICATED AN AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDER-
STORMS OVER SOUTHEASTERN WISCONSIN MOVING TO THE SOUTHEAST AT ABOUT
30 MPH.  THE AREA OF STORMS WAS NOTED BETWEEN WEST BEND TO 10 MILES
NORTHWEST OF WAUKESHA TO MILWAUKEE..OR GENERALLY WEST NORTHWESTd OF
MILWAUKEE.  NO SEVERE WEATHER HAS BEEN REPORTED TO THIS OFFICE SINCE
1 PM CDT.

ADDISON
Special weather statement, Jul 29, 4:04 PM CDT, 1 hour 59 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MADISON WI
405 PM CDT WED JUL 29 1987

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH TO EXPIRE AT 430 PM CDT FOR CENTRAL
AND EASTERN WISCONSIN...

AT 400 PM CDT WEATHER RADAR INDICATED AN AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDER-
STORMS OVER SOUTHEASTERN WISCONSIN MOVING TO THE SOUTHEAST AT ABOUT
30 MPH.  THE AREA OF STORMS WAS NOTED BETWEEN MILWAUKEE AND WAUKESHA
..OR GENERALLY WEST OF MILWAUKEE.  NO SEVERE WEATHER HAS BEEN REPORTED
TO THIS OFFICE SINCE 1 PM CDT.

ADDISON
Special weather statement, Jul 29, 4:47 PM CDT, 1 hour 16 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MADISON WI
445 PM CDT WED JUL 29 1987

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR CENTRAL AND EASTERN WISCONSIN HAS BEEN
CANCELLED...

AT 435 PM CDT WEATHER RADAR INDICATED AN AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDER-
STORMS OVER EXTREME SOUTHEASTERN WISCONSIN FROM PORT WASHINGTON TO JUST
SOUTH OF RACINE.  THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING TO THE SOUTHEAST AT 30
MILES AN HOUR AND THE HEAVIER ONES WERE OVER LAKE MICHIGAN.

ANOTHER AREA OF HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS WAS OVER WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN
AND EXTENDED FROM 50 MILES EAST OF LACROSSE TO 25 MILES SOUTHEAST OF
LACROSSE NEAR READSTOWN.  THESE SORMS WERE ALSO MOVING TO THE SOUTHEAST
AT 30 MILES AN HOUR.

BROCKEL

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 29, 1:43 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMKXFond du Lac57 min
Jul 29, 2:12 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMKXOzaukee, Sheboygan63 min
Jul 29, 2:28 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMKXWashington62 min
Jul 29, 2:41 PM CDTTornado WarningMKXWashington49 min
Jul 29, 2:47 PM CDTTornado WarningMKXOzaukee43 min
Jul 29, 3:08 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMKXMilwaukee, Waukesha52 min
Jul 29, 3:50 PM CDTTornado WarningMKXWaukesha40 min
Jul 29, 3:57 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMKXMilwaukee, Racine33 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Wisconsin, 1987Every tornado warning in 1987Tornadoes 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.