Alert archive / Wisconsin / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1990

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 31, NWS Milwaukee, WI

August 18, 1990Milwaukee County, Waukesha County, Wisconsin

NWS Milwaukee, WI issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 18, 1990, 12:16 AM CDT for Milwaukee County, Waukesha County, Wisconsin. It was in force for 59 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Aug 18, 1990, 12:16 AM CDT (05:16 UTC)
Expired
Aug 18, 1990, 1:15 AM CDT
In force
59 min
Issued by
NWS Milwaukee, WI
Area
Whole counties

Counties Milwaukee County, WI, Waukesha 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, 5.3 hours before the alert went out and 162 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 1990-08-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 729 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 00:00Z on 1990-08-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 28 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
729 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-6 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
740 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
13 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
28 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
47 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 180527 COR
SVRMKE
WIC079-133-180615-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED  ...CORRECTED...
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM AND SPECIAL MARINE WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI
1216 AM CDT SAT AUG 18 1990

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  115 AM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...

IN SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN
          ...MILWAUKEE...WAUKESHA

AND THE ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS OF LAKE MICHIGAN.

AT 1208 AM A WEATHER OBSERVER REPORTED 58 MPH WINDS AT PEAWAUKEE
IN ADDITION TO TREE LIMBS BEING KNOCKED DOWN.

THESE STORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 20 MPH AND WILL AFFECT THE MILWAUKEE
AND WAUKESHA COUNTY AREAS.

THE STORMS WERE PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAINS AND SOME FLOODING OF
LOW LYING AREAS WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE.

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.

HENTZ

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 17, 8:42 PM CDT, 3 hours 34 minutes before
WIZ010-011-014-015-018-019-180300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MADISON WI
835PM CDT FRI AUG 17 1990

...HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOP QUICKLY IN SOUTHWESTERN WISCONSIN...

AT 832PM
Special weather statement, Aug 17, 10:18 PM CDT, 1 hour 58 minutes before
WIZ010-011-014-015-018-019-180415-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MADISON WI
1010 PM CDT FRI AUG 17 1990

...THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN IN SOUTHWEST WISCONSIN...

AT 1010 PM CDT AN AREA OF SHOWERS WITH EMBETTED THUNDERSTORMS WAS
LOCATED OVER RICHLAND..IOWA..AND WESTERN DANE COUNTIES. THE STRONGEST
STORMS WERE 15 MILES WEST OF MADISON MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHEAST AT
5 TO 10 MPH.

VERY HEAVY DOWNPOURS..DANGEROUS LIGHTENING..SMALL SIZE HAIL AND GUSTY
WINDS CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS.

SOME CITIES IN THE PATH OF THESE STORMS ARE BLACK EARTH..MAZOMANIE AND
DANE.

ALL PERSONS SHOULD MONITOR THEIR LOCAL TV..RADIO OR NOAA WEATHER RADIO
AND BE PREPARED TO SEEK `SHELTER IF NECESSARY.
.
PRZEKURAT
Special weather statement, Aug 17, 10:24 PM CDT, 1 hour 52 minutes before
WIZ010-011-014-015-018-019-180415-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MADISON WI
1010 PM CDT FRI AUG 17 1990

...THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN IN SOUTHWEST WISCONSIN...

AT 1010 PM CDT AN AREA OF SHOWERS WITH EMBETTED THUNDERSTORMS WAS
LOCATED OVER RICHLAND..IOWA..AND WESTERN DANE COUNTIES. THE STRONGEST
STORMS WERE 15 MILES WEST OF MADISON MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHEAST AT
5 TO 10 MPH.

VERY HEAVY DOWNPOURS..DANGEROUS LIGHTENING..SMALL SIZE HAIL AND GUSTY
WINDS CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS.

SOME CITIES IN THE PATH OF THESE STORMS ARE BLACK EARTH..MAZOMANIE AND
DANE.

ALL PERSONS SHOULD MONITOR THEIR LOCAL TV..RADIO OR NOAA WEATHER RADIO
AND BE PREPARED TO SqEEK SHELTER IF NECESSARY.
.
PRZEKURAT
Special weather statement, Aug 17, 11:49 PM CDT, 27 minutes before
WIZ016-180600-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI
1147PM CDT FRI AUG 17 1990

...VERY HEAVY RAIN NOW FALLING OVER JEFFERSON COUNTY...

AT 1140 PM WEATHER RADAR INDICATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER
JEFFERSON COUNTY. VERY HEAVY RAINFALL INTENSITIES WERE BEING
OBSERVED BY THE RADAR AND REPORTED BY THE JEFFERSON COUNTY
SHERIFF IN THE CITY OF JEFFERSON...42 MILES WEST OF MILWAUKEE.

THE RAIN ACTIVITY IS MOVING EAST AROUND 15 TO 20 MPH AND WILL
PERSIST IN JEFFERSON COUNTY FOR THE NEXT FEW HOURS.

SOME FLOODING IN LOW LYING AREAS AND WELL AS PONDING OF WATER
CAN BE EXPECTED IN PORTIONS OF JEFFERSON COUNTY DUE TO THIS
HEAVY RAINFALL. ALL INTERESTS IN FLOOD PRONE AREAS SHOULD BE ALERT
FOR CHANGING CONDITIONS.
ZAJDEL
Local storm report, Aug 17, 11:55 PM CDT, 21 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MADISON WI
1140PM CDT FRI AUG 17 1990

WW# NONE ISSUED.

900PM CDT IOWA COUNTY...SEVERE LIGHTNING..WINDS UP TO 50 MPH AND VERY
                        HEAVY RAIN IN AND NEAR DODGEVILLE.
                        ALSO LOSS OF PHONE SYSTEM AT SHERIFFS OFFICE.

904PM CDT GRANT COUNTY...HEAVY RAINS IN MUSCODA...LOTS OF LIGHTNING IN
                         FENNEMORE.
ALTHOUGH THE FOLLOWING REPORTS WERE RECEIVED AFTER 1100PM FROM THE
GRANT COUNTY SHERIFFS OFFICE ...THE DAMAGES WERE BELIEVED TO HAVE
OCCURRED AT ABOUT THE TIME OF THE ABOVE REPORT...OLD BARN DOWN NEAR
BOSCOBEL..WINDOWS OUT OF A RESIDENCE IN MUSCODA...CORNFIELD FLATTENED
NEAR MONTFORT.

944PM CDT DANE COUNTY...HEAVY LIGHTNING IN MOUNT VERNON AND HEAVY RAINS
                        IN CROSS PLAINS.
.
1000PM CDT IOWA COUNTY...CONTINUOUS SEVERE LIGHTNING...HEAVY RAINS..
                         AND HEAVY WINDS AT TIMES.

1001PM CDT RICHLAND COUNTY...LOTS OF LIGHTNING IN LONE ROCK.

1004PM CDT GRANT COUNTY...SOME TREES DOWN NEAR BOSCOBEL...SOUTHEAST OF
                          TOWN BLOCKING COUNTY TRUNK MS.

1018PM CDT VERNON COUNTY...SMALLER THAN PEA SIZE HAIL IN READSTOWN.

1047PM CDT GRANT COUNTY...WATER OVER ROADS SOUTHEAST OF BOSCOBEL ON
                          COUNTY TRUNK S.

1108PM CDT IOWA COUNTY...SOME FLOODING IN COBB.
STIMACH

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.