Alert archive / Wisconsin / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1989

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 49, NWS Milwaukee, WI

August 5, 1989Walworth County, Wisconsin

NWS Milwaukee, WI issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 5, 1989, 1:42 PM CDT for Walworth County, Wisconsin. It was in force for 36 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 5, 1989, 1:42 PM CDT (18:42 UTC)
Expired
Aug 5, 1989, 2:18 PM CDT
In force
36 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.

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Aug 5, 1:56 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 61Walworth, 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, 6.7 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 1989-08-05Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 58 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 1989-08-05The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 104 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
58 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-353 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1157 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
35 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
104 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
87 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 051844
SVRMKE
WIC055-127-051930-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE WI
142 PM CDT SAT AUG 5 1989
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MILWAUKEE HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  230 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
 
IN SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN
          ...JEFFERSON...WALWORTH
 
AT 140 PM CDT WEATHER RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS
FROM NEAR STOUGHTON IN SOUTHEAST DANE COUNTY TO WALWORTH IN WALWORTH
COUNTY...30 MILES NORTHEAST OF ROCKFORD. THE STORMS ARE MOVING
NORTHEAST AROUND 50 MPH AND WILL BE AFFECTING THE TOWNS OF
JEFFERSON..FORT ATKINSON..WHITEWATER..ELKHORN AND LAKE GENEVA.
 
 
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE DAMAGING WIND IN EXCESS OF 55
MPH...DESTRUCTIVE HAIL...DEADLY LIGHTNING...AND VERY HEAVY RAIN.
FOR YOUR PROTECTION MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR
OF YOUR HOME OR BUSINESS.  HEAVY RAINS FLOOD ROADS QUICKLY SO
DON'T DRIVE INTO AREAS WHERE WATER COVERS THE ROAD.

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 5, 12:40 PM CDT, 1 hour 2 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MADISON WI
1240 PM CDT SAT AUG 5 1989

     ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ENTERING EXTREME SOUTHERN WISCONSIN...

AT 1230 PM CDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR DETECTED A SMALL CLUSTER
OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ENTERING SOUTHERN WISCONSIN IN LAFAYETTE COUNTY.
THESE STORMS ARE MOVING EAST-NORTHEAST AT AROUND 35 MPH AND WILL BE
AFFECTING THE CITIES OF DARLINGTON AND GRATIOT WITHIN THE NEXT HOUR.
RADAR INDICRATED SMALL HAIL WITH THESE STORMS AND STRONG WINDS HAVE BEEN
REPORTED IN IOWA AND NORTHERN ILLINOIS.

MOONEY
Special weather statement, Aug 5, 12:53 PM CDT, 49 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE WI
1252 PM CDT FRI AUG 4 1989

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS HEADING FOR WALWORTH COUNTY...

AT 1250 PM WEATHER RADAR SHOWED A LINE OF VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS
FROM SOUTHWESTERN ROCK COUNTY TO THE WEST OF JANESVILLE...SOUTHWARD
INTO NORTHERN ILLINOIS.

THE STORMS WERE RACING EASTWARD AT 50 MPH AND WILL BE APPROACHING
WESTERN WALWORTH COUNTY BETWEEN 130 AND 145 PM.

STRONG WIND GUSXTS TO 50 MPH...VERY HEAVY DOWNPOURS...AND SMALL HAIL
CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS. PERSONS IN WALWORTH COUNTY...
ESPECIALLY THOSE ENGAGED IN OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES SHOULD PREPARE FOR
THESE STORMS NOW.

FIELD
Special weather statement, Aug 5, 1:15 PM CDT, 27 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER AND MARINE STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE WI
115 PM CDT FRI AUG 4 1989

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS APPROACHING SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN...

AT 115 PM CDT...WEATHER RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS
IN SOUTH CENTRAL WISCONSIN MOVING RAPIDLY NORTHEAST AT AROUND 50 MPH.
AT THIS SPEED...THE STORMS WILL BE AFFECTING THE SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN
COUNTIES OF JEFFERSON...WALWORTH...WAUKESHA...MILWAUKEE...RACINE...AND
KENOSHA BETWEEN 145 PM AND 215 PM. THE COASTAL WATERS OF LAKE MICHIGAN
BETWEEN KENOSHA AND MILWAUKEE WILL ALSO BE AFFECTED.

THESE STORMS HAVE A HISTORY OF PRODUCING WIND GUSTS TO 50 MPH. HAIL...
HEAVY RAINS...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING CAN ALSO BE EXPECTED.|

PERSONS IN SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN AND BOATERS ON LAKE MICHIGAN FROM
MILWAUKEE SOUTHWARD...ARE ADVISED TO STAY ALERT FOR THESE STORMS AND BE
PREPARED TO SEEK SAFE SHELTER AND OR HARBOR SHOULD THREATNING WEATHER
APPROACH.
^
KOCHIS
Special weather statement, Aug 5, 1:39 PM CDT, 3 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER AND MARINE STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE WI
138 PM CDT SAT AUG 5 1989

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS APPROACHING SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN...

AT 135 PM CDT...WEATHER RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS
IN SOUTH CENTRAL WISCONSIN MOVING RAPIDLY NORTHEAST AT AROUND 50 MPH.
THE STORMS EXTENDED FROM NEAR STOUGHTON IN SOUTHEAST DANE COUNTY
SOUTHEAST TO MILTON IN NORTHEAST ROCK COUNTY TO WALWORTH IN WALWORTH
COUNTY...30 MILES NORTHEAST OF ROCKFORD.

THESE STORMS HAVE PRODUCED AT WIND GUST OF 46 MPH AT THE JANESVILLE
AIRPORT AT 125 PM CDT.

THE STORMS WILL MOVE THROUGH JEFFERSON AND WALWORTH COUNTIES BETWEEN
NOW AND 230 PM CDT AND AFFECT THE CITIES OF JEFFERSON...WHITEWATER AND
LAKE GENEVA.

PERSONS IN SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN AND BOATERS ON LAKE MICHIGAN FROM
MILWAUKEE SOUTHWARD ARE ADVISED TO STAY ALERT FOR THESE STORMS
AND BE READY TO SEEK SAFE HARBOR AND SHELTER SHOULD THREATENING WEATHER
APPROACH.

ZAJDEL

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 4, 9:02 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMKXDodge58 min
Aug 4, 9:02 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMKXFond du Lac43 min
Aug 4, 9:40 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMKXJefferson50 min
Aug 4, 9:58 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMKXWashington, Waukesha62 min
Aug 4, 10:07 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMKXWalworth68 min
Aug 4, 10:18 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMKXKenosha, Milwaukee, Racine57 min
Aug 4, 10:18 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMKXOzaukee50 min
Aug 4, 10:29 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMKXJefferson31 min
Aug 5, 1:42 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMKXJefferson48 min
Aug 5, 2:09 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMKXRacine21 min
Aug 5, 2:09 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMKXWaukesha36 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.