Alert archive / Wisconsin / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1989

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 13, NWS La Crosse, WI

August 4, 1989Trempealeau County, Wisconsin

NWS La Crosse, WI issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 4, 1989, 6:03 PM CDT for Trempealeau County, Wisconsin. It was in force for 42 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: Aug 4, 1989, 6:03 PM CDT (23:03 UTC)
Expired: Aug 4, 1989, 6:45 PM CDT
In force: 42 min
Issued by: NWS La Crosse, WI
Area: Whole counties

County Trempealeau 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
Aug 4, 6:15 PM CDT	Thunderstorm Wind 0	Trempealeau, 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

Minneapolis, MN (KSTC), launched 12:00Z, 11.1 hours before the alert went out and 188 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 679 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -162 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1471 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 37 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 60 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 96 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KLSE 042315 COR
SVRLSE
WIC121-042345-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED...CORRECTION
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
615 PM CDT FRI AUG 4 1989

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LA CROSSE HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  645 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...

IN WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN
          ...SOUTHERN TREMPEALEAU

AT 615 PM...RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM ABOUT 25 MILES
NORTHWEST OF LACROSSE OR NEAR DODGE WISCONSIN.

THE STORM WAS MOVING EAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR...AND WILL BE AFFECTING
THE TOWNS OF TREMPEALEAU AND GALESVILLE BETWEEN 600 PM AND 645 PM
THIS FRIDAY EVENING.

THIS STORM PRODUCED 1 INCH HAIL AT FOUNTAIN CITY WISCONSIN AT 557 PM.

IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...SEEK SHELTER FROM THE WEATHER IN A
STRONG BUILDING.  DAMAGING WIND...LARGE HAIL...VERY HEAVY RAIN...
AND DEADLY LIGHTNING ARE ALL POSSIBLE IN SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS.
STAY INSIDE AWAY FROM WINDOWS UNTIL THE STORM HAS PASSED.

THOMPSON

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, Aug 4, 4:21 PM CDT, 1 hour 42 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
420 PM CDT FRI AUG 4 1989

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH UNTIL 11 PM CDT FOR LA CROSSE AND THE
ENTIRE SURROUNDING TRI STATE AREA...

AS OF 420 PM CDT...THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN AND DANGEROUS
LIGHTNING WERE LOCATED 50 TO 60 MILES NORTHWEST OF LA CROSSE OR
BETWEEN DURAND AND NELSON WISCONSIN.

THE STORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 35 MILES PER HOUR AND WILL AFFECT
AREAS BETWEEN NELSON..MONDOVI..AND ALMA WISCONSIN OR ABOUT 45 TO 55
MILES NORTHWEST OF LA CROSSE THE REST OF THIS AFTERNOON.

PERSONS IN LA CROSSE AND THE SURROUNDING TRI STATE AREA..ESPECIALLY
BOATERS AND CAMPERS..SHOULD REMAIN ALERT FOR THUNDERSTORMS.
IF A STORM AFFECTS YOUR AREA..GET OFF OF LAKES AND RIVERS. STAY AWAY
FROM OPEN FIELDS AND TALL OBJECTS SUCH AS TREES AND TELEPHONE POLES.
REMEMBER..LIGHTNING IS A STORMS WORST KILLER.

STAY TUNED TO RADIO..TELEVISION..OR WEATHER RADIO FOR THE LATEST
INFORMAT/ION.

THOMPSON

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Aug 4, 5:20 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ARX	Buffalo	40 min
Aug 4, 5:49 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ARX	La Crosse	56 min
Aug 4, 6:36 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ARX	Vernon	54 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Wisconsin, 1989 Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1989

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.