Alert archive / Wisconsin / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1989

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 6, NWS La Crosse, WI

May 29, 1989Buffalo County, Wisconsin

NWS La Crosse, WI issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 29, 1989, 7:56 PM CDT for Buffalo County, Wisconsin. It was in force for 34 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
May 29, 1989, 7:56 PM CDT (00:56 UTC)
Expired
May 29, 1989, 8:30 PM CDT
In force
34 min
Issued by
NWS La Crosse, WI
Area
Whole counties

County Buffalo 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
May 29, 8:15 PM CDTHail 0.75Buffalo, 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 00:00Z, 0.9 hours before the alert went out and 155 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, Minneapolis, MN at 00:00Z on 1989-05-30Temperature 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, Minneapolis, MN at 00:00Z on 1989-05-30The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 203 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
667 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
59 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
203 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
368 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
1.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

The text of this product is not in the archive. The NWS text archive before 2002 is incomplete.

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, May 29, 3:58 PM CDT, 3 hours 58 minutes before
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Special weather statement, May 29, 4:33 PM CDT, 3 hours 23 minutes before
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Special weather statement, May 29, 5:31 PM CDT, 2 hours 25 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
530 PM CDT MON MAY 29 1989

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH UNTIL MIDNIGHT CDT FOR ADJACENT
AREAS NORTH OF LA CROSSE AND ALSO ADJACENT AREAS EAST OF LA CROSSE
UNTIL 9 PM CDT...

AS OF 530 PM CDT..A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED WELL NORTH AND
EAST OF LACROSSE FROM 70 MILES NORTH OF LA CROSSE TO 50 MILES
SOUTHEAST OF LA CROSSE. THESE STORMS WERE MOVING EAST RAPIDLY AT 55
MILES PER HOUR.

THE POTENTAIL FOR SEVERE WEATHER STILL EXISTS..THOUGH..FOR AREAS
MAINLY NORTH AND EAST OF LA CROSSE THIS EVENING.

PERSONS IN WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN AND THE LA CROSSE TRI STATE AREA
..ESPECIALLY HOLIDAY BOATERS AND CAMPERS..SHOULD STILL BE ALERT FOR
THREATENING WEATHER THIS EVENING.

STAY TUNED TO RADIO..TELEVISION..OR WEATHER RADIO FOR THE LATEST
INFORMATION.

THOMPSON
Special weather statement, May 29, 6:19 PM CDT, 1 hour 37 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
620 PM CDT MON MAY 29 1989

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH UNTIL MIDNIGHT CDT FOR ADJACENT
AREAS NORTH OF LA CROSSE AND ALSO ADJACENT AREAS EAST OF LA CROSSE
UNTIL 9 PM CDT...

AS OF 620 PM CDT..A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED WELL NORTH AND
EAST OF LACROSSE. THESE STORMS WERE MOVING EAST RAPIDLY AT 55 MILES
PER HOUR. RADAR INDICATED NO THUNDERSTORMS AROUND THE LA CROSSE
AREA OR ADJACENT COUNTIES.

THE POTENTAIL FOR SEVERE WEATHER STILL EXISTS..THOUGH..FOR AREAS
MAINLY NORTH AND EAST OF LA CROSSE THIS EVENING.

PERSONS IN WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN AND THE LA CROSSE TRI STATE AREA
..ESPECIALLY HOLIDAY BOATERS AND CAMPERS..SHOULD 4STILL BE ALERT FOR
THREATENING WEATHER THIS EVENING.

STAY TUNED TO RADIO..TELEVISION..OR WEATHER RADIO FOR THE LATEST
INFORMATION.

THOMPSON
Special weather statement, May 29, 7:07 PM CDT, 49 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ROCHESTER MN
705 PM CDT MON MAY 29 1989

...THUNDERSTORMS REDEVELOPING OVER SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA...

AT 7 00 PM THUNDERSTORMS...WITH VERY HEAVY RAINS AND POSSIBLE HAIL
...STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING STRIKES WERE MOVING INTO
NORTHERN GOODHUE COUNTY AROUND THE RED WIND AREA.  THE STORMS WERE
MOVING TO THE SOUTHEAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR AND WIKL BE MOVING INTO
THE WABASHA AND ZUMBRO FALLS AREAS DURING THE NEXT HOUR.

NO SEVERE WEATHER HAS BEEN REPORTED WITH THESE STORMS AS OF 700 PM
BUT PERSONS IN SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA..ESPECIALLY PERSONS IN GOODHUE
...WABASHA AND WINONA COUNTIES SHOULD REMAIN ALERT AND MOVE TO A
PLACE OF SAFETY IF UTHREATENING WEATHER MOVES INTO YOUR AREA.

CONDITIONS REMAIN FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE WEATHER THIS EVENING.

EFFERTZ
Special weather statement, May 29, 7:34 PM CDT, 22 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
735 PM CDT MON MAY 29 1989

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH UNTIL MIDNIGHT CDT FOR ADJACENT
AREAS NORTH OF LA CROSSE AND ALSO ADJACENT AREAS EAST OF LA CROSSE
UNTIL 9 PM CDT...

AS OF 735 PM CDT..THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED FROM 60 MILES NORTHEAST OF
LA CROSSE TO 70 MILES NORTHWEST OF LA CROSSE. THE STRONGEST
STORMS WERE ABOUT 60 MILES NORTHWEST OF LA CROSSE.

THE STORMS WERE MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 30 MILES PER HOUR AND WILL AFFECT
AREAS FROM AROUND DURAND TO NELSON WISCONSIN FROM 735 PM TO 800 PM
CDT. THESE STORMS HAVE THE POTENTAIL FOR HAIL AND WERE LIKELY
PRODUCING HEAVY RAIN AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.

PERSONS IN WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN AND THE LA CROSSE TRI STATE AREA
..ESPECIALLY HOLIDAY BOATERS AND CAMPERS..SHOULD STILL BE ALERT FOR
THREATENING WEATHER THIS EVENING. IF A STORM AFFECTS YOUR AREA..
GET OFF OF LAKES AND RIVERS. STAY AWAY FROM OPEN FIELDS AND
TALL OBJECTS SUCH AS TELEPHONE POLES. REMEMBER..LIGHTNING IS A
STORMS WORST KILLER.

STAY TUNED TO RADIO..TELEVISION..OR WEATHER RADIO FOR THE LATEST
INFORMATION.

THOMPSON

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 29, 11:10 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningARXBuffalo20 min
May 30, 11:40 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningARXCrawford20 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Wisconsin, 1989Every 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.