Alert archive / Wisconsin / Tornado Warnings in 1988

Tornado Warning 6, NWS Milwaukee, WI

July 16, 1988Walworth County, Wisconsin

NWS Milwaukee, WI issued this tornado warning at Jul 16, 1988, 2:23 PM CDT for Walworth County, Wisconsin. It was in force for 24 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jul 16, 1988, 2:23 PM CDT (19:23 UTC)
Expired
Jul 16, 1988, 2:47 PM CDT
In force
24 min
Issued by
NWS Milwaukee, WI
Area
Whole counties

County Walworth 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, 7.4 hours before the alert went out and 204 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 1988-07-16Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 179 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 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 1988-07-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 0 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
179 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-278 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
902 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
0 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
0 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
0 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 161923
TORMKE
WIC127-162000-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED 
TORNADO WARNING 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE WI
223 PM CDT SAT JUL 16 1988

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING 
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 300 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY

   IN THE SOUTHEAST PART OF WISCONSIN
      WALWORTH

AT 220 PM WALWORTH COUNTY POLICE REPORTED A CONFIRMED TORNADO
TOUCHDOWN AT FONTANA...30 MILES NORTHEAST OF ROCKFORD.
TOWNS IN THE PATH INCLUDE PELL LAKE AND LAKE GENEVA.

IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE IS IN
A BASEMENT.  GET UNDER A WORKBENCH OR PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE.
IF NO BASEMENT IS AVAILABLE...FIND 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

Local storm report, Jul 16, 11:10 AM CDT, 3 hours 13 minutes before
LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE WI
1110 AM CDT SAT JUL 16 1987

ATTN SELS

WEATHER EVENTS OF THE EVENING OF 7/15/1988...NORTH CENTRAL
                                                   WISCONSIN

TIME CDT    LOCATION AND EVENT
620 PM      TREES DOWN...PHILLIPS..PRICE COUNTY.
845 PM      FUNNEL CLOUD..WAUSAU...MARATHON COUNTY.
917 PM      GOLFBALL HAIL...BEVENT...MARATHON COUNTY.

TZ
Special weather statement, Jul 16, 12:17 PM CDT, 2 hours 6 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MADISON WI
1218PM CDT SAT JUL 16 1988

...THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPS IN SOUTH..CENTRAL WISCONSIN...

AT 1210PM CDT A HEAVY THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED ABOUT 10 MILES NORTH
OF MADISON...NEAR DEFOREST WISCONSIN...AND CONTINUING TO GROW.

THIS STORM COULD PRODUCE BRIEF HEAVY RAIN...HAIL...AND THREATENING
LIGHTNING.  IF THIS STORM THREATENS YOUR LOCATION...SEEK SHELTER.

THIS STORM SHOULD BE IN THE COLUMBUS AREA BY 1230 PM CDT AND WAS
MOVING TOWARDS THE NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.
STIMACH
Special weather statement, Jul 16, 1:07 PM CDT, 1 hour 16 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MADISON WI
105PM CDT SAT JUL 16 1988

....HEAVY RAINS DROP IN THE MADISON AREA....

SINCE 1245PM CDT...NEARLY A QUARTER OF AN INCH OF RAIN FELL IN A
THUNDERSTORM THAT DECIDED TO MOVE INTO THE MADISON AREA.  A SMALL
LINE OF HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPED IN WESTERN DANE COUNTY AND
EXTREME SOUTHERN COLUMBIA COUNTY OF WISCONSIN.

THESE STORMS HAVE LOTS OF LIGHTNING WITH THEM.  BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY
...THERE HAVE BEEN VERY HEAVY RAINS WHICH HAVE CAUSED ROAD AND
HIGHWAY PONDING.  MOTORIST SHOULD BE ALEART TO DANGEROUS DRIVING
CONDITIONS.  AND HOME OWNERS SHOULD BE ALEART TO BASEMENT FLOODING.

THIS LINE OF STORMS HAD DEVELOPED IN THE AREA QUICKLIY AND SHOULD
MOVE OUT OF THE AREA BY 2PM THIS AFTERNOON.
STIMACH
Special weather statement, Jul 16, 1:15 PM CDT, 1 hour 8 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE WI
115 PM CDT SAT JUL 16 1988

      ...STRONG THUNDERSTORM OVER JEFFERSON COUNTY...

AT 110 AM CDT WEATHER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM OVER
JEFFERSON COUNTY NEAR JOHNSON CREEK...31 MILES EAST OF MADISON.

THE STORM WAS MOVING EAST NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH AND WILL BE HEADING
TOWARD PIPERSVILLE AND IXONIA.

THIS STOM MAY PRODUCE GUSTY WINDS...HEAVY RAIN AND SMALL HAIL AS IT
PASSESS THROUGH JEFFERSON COUNTY

TZ
Special weather statement, Jul 16, 2:14 PM CDT, 9 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE WI
210 PM CDT SAT JUL 16 1988

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS IN SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN...

AT 215 PM...RADAR SHOWED A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS FROM NEAR CEDAR
GROVE IN SHEBOYGAN COUNTY SOUTH THROUGH WEST BEND IN WASHINGTON COUNTY
...THEN FURTHER SOUTH THROUGH WAUKESHA AND WALWORTH COUNTIES NEAR THE
CITIES OF WAUKESHA AND DELAVAN.

AROUND 2 PM THE PUBLIC REPORTED MARBLE SIZE HAIL AND 40 TO 45 MPH WINDS
AND SMALL TREES DOWN ON THE NORTHWEST SIDE OF WEST BEND IN WASHINGTON
COUNTY...OR 31 MILES NORTH NORTHWEST OF MILWAUKEE.

THESE STORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 20 MPH AND WILL CONTINUE TO AFFECT
MOST OF SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN THROUGH 4 PM CDT.

WINDS OF 40 TO 45 MPH... VERY HEAVY RAIN...FREQUENT AND DANGEROUS
LIGHTNING STRIKES AND SMALL HAIL WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THESE STORMS.
^
IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES SEEK SAFE SHELTER IMMEDIATELY.

STUREY
Special weather statement, Jul 16, 2:14 PM CDT, 9 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE WI
210 PM CDT SAT JUL 16 1988

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS IN SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN...

AT 205 PM...RADAR SHOWED A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS FROM NEAR CEDAR
GROVE IN SHEBOYGAN COUNTY SOUTH THROUGH WEST BEND IN WASHINGTON COUNTY
...THEN FURTHER SOUTH THROUGH WAUKESHA AND WALWORTH COUNTIES NEAR THE
CITIES OF WAUKESHA AND DELAVAN.

AROUND 2 PM THE PUBLIC REPORTED MARBLE SIZE HAIL AND 40 TO 45 MPH WINDS
AND SMALL TREES DOWN ON THE NORTHWEST SIDE OF WEST BEND IN WASHINGTON
COUNTY...OR 31 MILES NORTH NORTHWEST OF MILWAUKEE.

THESE STORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 20 MPH AND WILL CONTINUE TO AFFECT
MOST OF SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN THROUGH 4 PM CDT.

WINDS OF 40 TO 45 MPH... VERY HEAVY RAIN...FREQUENT AND DANGEROUS
LIGHTNING STRIKES AND SMALL HAIL WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THESE STORMS.
^
IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES SEEK SAFE SHELTER IMMEDIATELY.

STUREY

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 15, 7:59 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMKXLanglade36 min
Jul 15, 9:21 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMKXMarathon39 min
Jul 15, 9:32 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMKXPortage28 min
Jul 16, 2:20 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMKXWashington, Waukesha27 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.