Alert archive / Wisconsin / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1990

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 2, NWS Milwaukee, WI

March 13, 1990Jefferson County, Wisconsin

NWS Milwaukee, WI issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Mar 13, 1990, 4:10 PM CST for Jefferson County, Wisconsin. It was in force for 50 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Mar 13, 1990, 4:10 PM CST (22:10 UTC)
Expired
Mar 13, 1990, 5:00 PM CST
In force
50 min
Issued by
NWS Milwaukee, WI
Area
Whole counties

County Jefferson 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, 10.2 hours before the alert went out and 171 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 1990-03-13Temperature 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°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 1990-03-13The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 1 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
1706 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
31 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
1 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
45 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 132213
SVRMKE
WIC055-132300-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI
410 PM CST TUE MAR 13 1990
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WHAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 500 PM CST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
 
IN SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN
          ...JEFFERSON
 
AT 410 PM WEATHER RADAR SHOWED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM ENTERING
SOUTHWEST JEFFERSON COUNTY NEAR BUSSEYVILLE...53 MILES WEST SOUTHWEST
OF MILWAUKEE. THIS STORM HAS HAD A HISTORY OF GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL WHEN
IT PASSED THROUGH GREEN AND ROCK COUNTIES. THE STORM WAS MOVING
NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH. TOWNS IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE LAKE
MILLS...48 WEST OF MILWAUKEE AND WATERTOWN...38 MILES WEST NORTHWEST
OF MILWAUKEE.
 
 
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.
 
FIELD

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, Mar 13, 1:33 PM CST, 2 hours 37 minutes before
WIZ016-017-019-020-132200-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI
125 PM CST TUE MAR 13 1990

...THUNDERSTORMS APPROACHING SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN...

AT 120 PM..RADAR SHOWED A CLUSTER OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS NEAR HARVARD
IN NORTHERN MCHENRY COUNTY ILLINOIS.  THIS IS ABOUT 20 MILES SOUTH OF
DELAVAN IN WALWORTH COUNTY.  THE STORMS WILL MOVE INTO SOUTHERN WALWORTH
COUNTY BEFORE 2 PM...WITH THE STRONGEST STORM PASSING NEAR LAKE GENEVA.
THEY WILL THEN CONTINUE ON INTO RACINE AND KENOSHA COUNTY.

SMALL HAIL HAS BEEN REPORTED WITH SOME OF THESE STORMS.  GUSTY WINDS
AND HEAVY RAINS ARE ALSO POSSIBLE.  RESIDENTS AND TRAVELERS IN THE
SOUTHEAST CORNER OF WISCONSIN SHOULD BE ON THE ALERT FOR THREATENING
WEATHER.

JOHNSTON
Special weather statement, Mar 13, 2:14 PM CST, 1 hour 56 minutes before
WIZ012-013-016-017-019-020-132200-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI
210 PM CST TUE MAR 13 1990

...THUNDERSTORMS SPREADING NORTHWARD ACROSS SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN...

AT 200 PM...RADAR SHOWED NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS OVER SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN
...GENERALLY SOUTH OF A LINE FROM PORT WASHINGTON TO JANESVILLE.  THESE
STORMS CONTINUE TO SPREAD NORTHWARD NEAR 30 MPH.

HAIL UP TO 1/2 INCH IN DIAMETER HAS BEEN REPORTED WITH SOME OF THESE
STORMS.  GUSTY WINDS AND HEAVY RAINS ARE ALSO POSSIBLE.  RESIDENTS AND
TRAVELERS IN SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN SHOULD BE ON THE ALERT FOR THREATENING
WEATHER.

JOHNSTON
Special weather statement, Mar 13, 2:25 PM CST, 1 hour 45 minutes before
WIZ010-011-014-015-018-019-140000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MADISON WI
220 PM CST TUE MAR 13 1990

...THUNDERSTORMS APPROACHING SOUTHERN WISCONSIN...

AT 220 PM..RADAR SHOWED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS IN EXTREME SOUTHEAST
ROCK COUNTY. PEA SIZE HAIL WAS REPORTED BY THE ROCK COUNTY SHERIFF JUST
EAST OF THE CITY OF BELOIT. GUSTY WINDS AND HEAVY RAINS ARE ALSO POSSIBLE.

PEOPLE AND TRAVELERS IN  SOUTHERN WISCONSIN NEAR THE WISCONSIN..ILLINOIS
BORDER SHOULD BE ON THE ALERT FOR THREATENING WEATHER.

PRZEKURAT

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 13, 3:38 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMKXRacine, Walworth67 min
Mar 13, 4:24 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMKXMilwaukee36 min
Mar 13, 5:02 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMKXDodge, Jefferson58 min
Mar 13, 5:55 PM CSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMKXDodge65 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Wisconsin, 1990Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1990

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.