Alert archive / Wisconsin / Tornado Warnings in 1989

Tornado Warning 7, NWS Milwaukee, WI

May 25, 1989Racine County, Wisconsin

NWS Milwaukee, WI issued this tornado warning at May 25, 1989, 12:42 AM CDT for Racine County, Wisconsin. It was in force for 37 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 25, 1989, 12:42 AM CDT (05:42 UTC)
Expired
May 25, 1989, 1:19 AM CDT
In force
37 min
Issued by
NWS Milwaukee, WI
Area
Whole counties

County Racine 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 00:00Z, 5.7 hours before the alert went out and 196 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 00:00Z on 1989-05-25Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 533 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Green Bay/Straub, WI at 00:00Z on 1989-05-25The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 161 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
533 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-89 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1473 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
39 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
161 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
230 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.1
Supercell composite
2.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KMKE 250543
TORMKE
WIC101-250630-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO AND SPECIAL MARINE WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE WI
1242 AM CDT THU MAY 25 1989
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MILWAUKEE HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING AND
SPECIAL MARINE WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  130 AM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
 
IN SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN
          ...RACINE
 
AND ADJOINING COASTAL WATERS OF LAKE MICHIGAN.
 
AT 1240 AM SHERIFFS REPORTED A TORNADO 8 MILES SOUTH OF
MUKWONAGO APPARANTLY HEADING INTO RACINE COUNTY TO THE EAST.
 
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.
HENTZ

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 24, 7:18 PM CDT, 5 hours 24 minutes before
SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MADISON WI
715 PM CDT WEDNESDAY MAY 24 1989

...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF WISCONSIN THIS EVENING...
...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR MARQUETTE/WAUSHARA COUTIES TIL 745 PM...

AT 705 NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A CLUSTER OF SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS IN CENTRAL WISCONSIN EXTENDING FROM 5 MILES WEST-SOUTHWEST
OF THE WISCONSIN DELLS OR 45 MILES NORTHWEST OF MADISON TO 5 MILES
NORTH OF WAUTOMA..OR 65 MILES DUE NORTH OF MADISON.
70 MPH WINDS AND PEA SIZE HAIL WERE REPORTED IN THE PLAINFEILD AREA AT
710 PM.  ALSO..ONE QUATER TO ONE HALF INCH  HAIL AND SIGNS BLOWING ACROSS
ROADS WERE REPORTED IN EAST ADAMS COUNTY.  HEAVY RAINS AND 2FREQUENT
LIGHTNING ARE OCCURING WITH THESE STORMS.  THEY ARE MOVING EAST-NORTHEAST
AT 30 MPH.
PERSONS IN THE PATH OF THESE STORMS SHOULD SEEK SHELTER IMMEDIATELY.

MOONEY
Special weather statement, May 24, 8:25 PM CDT, 4 hours 17 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE WI
823 PM CDT WED MAY 24 1989

...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN UNTIL MIDNIGHT...
...THUNDERSTORMS APPROACHING FOND DU LAC COUNTY...

AT 820 PM WEATHER RADAR DETECTED SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS IN WESTERN
FOND DU LAC COUNTY. FARTHER TO THE WEST...A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS
WITH SMALL HAIL AND VERY HEAVY RAINS EXTENDED FROM NORTHEAST GREEN
LAKE COUNTY TO SOUTHWEST MARQUETTE COUNTY.

AT 812 PM MARBLE SIZE HAIL WAS REPORTED IN WESTERN MARQUETTE COUNTY
NEAR OXFORD.

THE LINE OF STORMS IN MARQUETTE AND GREEN LAKE COUNTY WILL BEGIN
AFFECTING WESTERN FOND DU LAC COUNTY BETWEEN 830 AND 900 PM.

A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT IN THESE AREAS. PERSONS IN FOND DU LAC
COUNTY SHOULD STAY TUNED TO THE LATEST STATEMENTS AND BE PREPARED TO
SEEK SHELTER SHOULD THREATENING WEATHER APPROACH.

FIELD
Special weather statement, May 24, 8:33 PM CDT, 4 hours 9 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE WI
831 PM CDT WED MAY 24 1989

...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN UNTIL MIDNIGHT...
...LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING FROM FOND DU LAC TO JEFFERSON
   COUNTY...

AT 830 PM WEATHER RADAR SHOWED A LINE OF DEVELOPING THUNDERSTORMS...
SOME WITH VERY HEAVY RAINS...FROM EASTERN FOND DU LAC COUNTY SOUTHWARD
THROUGH EASTERN DODGE AND EASTERN JEFFERSON COUNTIES.

THE STORMS WERE MOVING TO THE EAST AT AROUND 30 MPH AND WILL BE
AFFECTING EASTERN FOND DU LAC...MUCH OF WASHINGTON...AND WESTERN
AND CENTRAL WAUKESHA COUNTIES BETWEEN 830 AND 915 PM.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN UNTIL
MIDNIGHT. PERSONS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING WEATHER
CONDITIONS...LISTEN TO LATER STATEMENTS...AND NE PREPARED TO SEEK A
PLACE OF SAFETY IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES.
FIELD
Special weather statement, May 24, 9:10 PM CDT, 3 hours 32 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE WI
909 PM CDT WED MAY 24 1989

...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN UNTIL MIDNIGHT...
...LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS HEADING TOWARD DODGE COUNTY...

AT 907 PM WEATHER RADAR SHOWED A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS...SOME WITH
VERY HEAVY RAINS AND SMALL HAIL FROM SOUTHWEST FOND DU LAC COUNTY
NEAR BRANDON TO NEAR POYNETTE IN CENTRAL COLUMBIA COUNTY.

THIS LINE WAS MOVING TO THE EAST AT AROUND 30 MPH AND WILL BE
AFFECTING DODGE COUNTY BETWEEN NOW AND 1000 PM.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN UNTIL
MIDNIGHT. PERSONS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING WEATHER
CONDITIONS...LISTEN TO LATER STATEMENTS./..AND BE PREPARED TO SEEK A
PLACE OF SAFETY IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES.

FIELD
Special weather statement, May 24, 11:56 PM CDT, 46 minutes before
SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MADISON WI
1150 PM CDT WED MAY 24 1989

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF SOUTHEAST
WISCONSIN UNTIL 5 AM CDT THIS WEDNESDAY MORNING.

AT 1120 PM CDT A LINE OF INTENSE THUNDERTORMS EXTENDS FROM SHEBOYEGAN
TO WATERTOWN..30 MILES EAST OF MADISON, TO EDGERTON..SOUTHEAST OF
MADISON. THE MOST INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS ARE OVER EASTERN DODGE COUNTY
AND NORTHEASTWARD.  ALMOST CONTINUOUS LIGHTNING, VERY HEAVY RAIN AND
GUSTY WINDS CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS. WATERTOWN REPORTED
50 MPH WIND AND UP TO 1/2 INCH HAIL AT 1140 PM.

SWENSON
Special weather statement, May 24, 11:59 PM CDT, 43 minutes before
SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MADISON WI
1150 PM CDT WED MAY 24 1989

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF SOUTHEAST
WISCONSIN UNTIL 5 AM CDT THIS WEDNESDAY MORNING.

AT 1140 PM CDT A LINE OF INTENSE THUNDERTORMS EXTENDS FROM SHEBOYEGAN
TO WATERTOWN..30 MILES EAST OF MADISON, TO EDGERTON..SOUTHEAST OF
MADISON. THE MOST INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS ARE OVER EASTERN DODGE COUNTY
AND NORTHEASTWARD.  ALMOST CONTINUOUS LIGHTNING, VERY HEAVY RAIN AND
GUSTY WINDS CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS. WATERTOWN REPORTED
50 MPH WIND AND UP TO 1/2 INCH HAIL AT 1140 PM.

SWENSON

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 24, 8:41 PM CDTTornado WarningMKXFond du Lac19 min
May 24, 8:59 PM CDTTornado WarningMKXFond du Lac16 min
May 24, 9:07 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMKXMarathon, Wood53 min
May 24, 9:20 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMKXFond du Lac55 min
May 24, 9:27 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMKXPortage63 min
May 24, 10:31 PM CDTTornado WarningMKXFond du Lac20 min
May 24, 10:31 PM CDTTornado WarningMKXSheboygan29 min
May 24, 10:56 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMKXDodge, Fond du Lac, Jefferson64 min
May 24, 11:30 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMKXSheboygan, Washington60 min
May 24, 11:44 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMKXOzaukee61 min
May 24, 11:58 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMKXMilwaukee, Waukesha62 min
May 25, 12:12 AM CDTTornado WarningMKXMilwaukee33 min
May 25, 12:14 AM CDTTornado WarningMKXWaukesha31 min
May 25, 12:17 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMKXKenosha, Racine58 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Wisconsin, 1989Every tornado warning in 1989Tornadoes 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.