Alert archive / Wisconsin / Tornado Warnings in 1988
Tornado Warning 5, NWS Milwaukee, WI
NWS Milwaukee, WI issued this tornado warning at May 8, 1988, 7:01 PM CDT for Washington County, Waukesha County, Wisconsin. It was in force for 34 min. 2 reports 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
- May 8, 1988, 7:01 PM CDT (00:01 UTC)
- Expired
- May 8, 1988, 7:35 PM CDT
- In force
- 34 min
- Issued by
- NWS Milwaukee, WI
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Washington 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.
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 8, 7:10 PM CDT | Thunderstorm Wind 55 | Waukesha, WI | |
| May 8, 7:10 PM CDT | Thunderstorm Wind 0 | Washington, 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 00:00Z, 0.0 hours before the alert went out and 144 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 264 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -284 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1901 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 39 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 182 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 237 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.3
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000
TTAA00 KMKE 090002
TORMKE
WIC131-133-090045-
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE WI
701 PM CDT SUN MAY 8 1988
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MILWAUKEE HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 745 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
IN SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN
...WASHINGTON...WAUKESHA
AT 650 PM A TORNADO WAS REPORTED TO HAVE TOUCHED DOWN NEAR THE MERTON
AREA ABOUT 21 MILES WEST NORTHWEST OF MILWAUKEE. A POSSIBLE TORNADO
WAS REPORTED NEAR HIGHWAY TT AND SUNSET JUST OUTSIDE THE CITY OF
WAUKESHA. THE TORNADOES WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH AND WILL
AFFECTING THE CITY OF WAUKESHA...AND HUBERTUS AREA OF SOUTHERN
WASHINGTON COUNTY.
IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...THE SAFEST PLACE IS A
BASEMENT. GET UNDER A WORKBENCH OR PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE.
IF NO BASEMENT IS AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER IN AN INTERIOR ROOM
SUCH AS A CLOSET ON THE LOWEST FLOOR. USE BLANKETS...PILLOWS...
OR CUSHIONS TO COVER YOUR BODY. AVOID WINDOWS.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, May 8, 4:47 PM CDT, 2 hours 14 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE WI 440 PM CDT SUN MAY 8 1988 ...TORNADO WATCHES REMAIN IN EFFECT FOR ABOUT THE SOUTHERN TWO THIRDS OF WISCONSIN THIS EVENING... AT 435 PM RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS OVER WESTERN WISCONSIN FROM GREENWOOD IN CLARK COUNTY..OR ABOUT 45 MILES EAST OF EAU CLAIRE..SOUTHWARD THRU RICHLAND CENTER IN RICHLAND COUNTY TO GRATIOT IN LAFAYETTE COUNTY..ABOUT 40 MILES SOUTHWEST OF MADISON. STORMS IN THE LINE ARE MOVING NORTH ABOUT 40 MPH WHILE THE LINE ITSELF DRIFTS EASTWARD ABOUT 10 MPH. THE LINE WILL BE MOVING INTO CENTRAL AND SOUTH CENTRAL WISCONSIN DURING THE NEXT 1 TO 3 HOURS. BUT THERE ARE NO STORMS IN OR CLOSE TO SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN AT THIS TIME. JOHNSTON
Special weather statement, May 8, 5:01 PM CDT, 2 hours before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE WI
500 PM CDT SUN MAY 8 1988
...STRONG WINDS MOVING INTO SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN...
DURING THE PAST HOUR STRONG SURFACE WINDS GUSTING TO 60 MPH HAVE BEEN
OCCURING OVER PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST ILLINOIS. IN ADDITION...VISIBILITIES
ARE BEING REDUCED DUE TO BLOWING DUST.
WHILE THESE WINDS ARE NOT ASSOCIATED WITH ANY THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY...
PERSONS OVER SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN WILL BE EXPERIENCING STRONG WINDS
...POSSIBLY BETWEEN 50 AND 65 MPH DURING THE EVENING HOURS.
MOTORISTS IN HIGH PROFILE VEHICLES ARE URGED TO USE CAUTION...AND PEOPLE
WITH RESPIRATORY AILMENTS SHOULD CURTAIL OUTSIDE ACITIVIES DUE TO
THE BLOWING DUST. THE WINDS SHOULD BEGIN TO SUBSIDE A FEW HOURS AFTER
SUNSET.
ZAJDELSpecial weather statement, May 8, 5:31 PM CDT, 1 hour 30 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE WI 530 PM CDT SUN MAY 8 1988 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORM HEADING TOWARD WALOWRTH AND JEFFERSON COUNTIES... AT 525 PM CDT A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED NEAR THE ROCK/WALWORTH BORDER MOVING NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH. THE STORM WILL BE MOVING TOWARD THE WHITEWATER/FORT ATKINSON AREAS ABOUT 45 MILES WEST SOUTHWEST OF MILWAUKEE BETWEEN NOW AND 545 PM CDT. THIS STORM MAY BE CAPABLE OF STRONG WINDS..HAIL AND HEAVY RAIN. ZAJDEL
Special weather statement, May 8, 5:44 PM CDT, 1 hour 17 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE WI 543 PM CDT SUN MAY 8 1988 ..STRONG THUNDERSTORMS HEADING TOWARD WALWORTH..JEFFERSON AND DODGE COUNTIES.. AT 535 PM CDT A LINE OF VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WAS LOCATED FROM EASTERN DANE AND ROCK COUNTIES. THE STORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT ABOUT 45 MPH. AT 525 PM CDT 50 MPH WINDS WERE REPORTED JUST EAST OF BELOIT IN ROCK COUNTY. THE LINE OF STORMS WILL BE MOVING INTO WESTERN WALWORTH AND WESTERN JEFFERSON COUNTIES BETWEEN NOW AND 6PM CDT AND WILL BE AFFECTING THE TOWNS OF LAKE MILLS..JEFFERSON..FORT ATKINSON AND WHITEWATER ABOUT 40 TO 45 MILES WEST TO SOUTHWEST OF MILWAUKEE. SOME OF THESE STORMS MAY BE CAPABLE OF ST/RONG WINDS..HAIL AND HEAVY RAIN. ZAJDEL
Special weather statement, May 8, 6:45 PM CDT, 16 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE WI 645 PM CDT SUN MAY 8 1988 ..TORNADO WARNING FOR FOND DU LAC COUNTY UNTIL 715 PM CDT... AT 642 PM CDT WEATHER RADAR DETECTED AN INTENSE STORM BETWEEN OAKFIELD AND BRANDON...ABOUT 23 MILES SSW OF OSHKOSH MOVING NORTHEAST AT ABOUT 45 MPH. NO REPORTS OF A TORNADO OR SEVERE WEATHER HAVE BEEN REPORTED WITH THIS STORM. ANOTHER INTENSE STORM WAS LOCATED OVER NORTHEAST DODGE COUNTY NEAR LOMIRA AND WILL BE MOVING TOWARD THE CITY OF FOND DU LAC BY 700 PM. ZAJDEL
Special weather statement, May 8, 6:54 PM CDT, 7 minutes before
SPECISL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MADISON WI 655 PM CDT SUN MAY 8 1988 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNINGS FOR SOUTH-CENTRAL WISCONSIN HAVE ALL EXPIRED... ...A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF THE SOUTHERN TWO-THIRDS OF WISCONSIN UNTIL 9 PM CDT... AT 645 PM CDT AN AREA THUNDERSTORMS WERE NOTED FROM FON DU LAC TO 12 MILES NORTHEAST OF WHITEWATER OR ABOUT 55 MILES NORTHWEST OF MILWAUKEE TO 30 MILES WEST OF MILWAUKEE. THE AREA WAS MOVING TO THE EAST AT ABOUT 20 MPH WHILE THE THUNDERSTORMS IN THE AREA WERE MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT ABOUT 35 MPH. THIS AREA IS THE MOST ACTIVE OF THE TOTAL RAINFALL NOTED ON THE RADAR. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS COVER ABOUT A 150 MILE WIDE AREA CENTERED FROM 10 MILES NORTH OF WAUSAU TO 40 MILES SOUTH OF ROCKFORD, ILLINOIS. ADDISON
The office that day
Everything else NWS Milwaukee, WI issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 8, 7:17 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MKX | Milwaukee | 23 min |
| May 8, 7:27 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MKX | Ozaukee, Sheboygan | 33 min |
| May 8, 7:34 PM CDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MKX | Forest | 26 min |
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in Wisconsin, 1988Every tornado warning in 1988Tornadoes in 1988
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.