Alert archive / Wisconsin / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 102, NWS Milwaukee, WI

September 19, 1997Rock County, Walworth County, Wisconsin

NWS Milwaukee, WI issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Sep 19, 1997, 1:09 PM CDT for Rock County, Walworth County, Wisconsin. It was in force for 46 min. 2 reports 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
Sep 19, 1997, 1:09 PM CDT (18:09 UTC)
Expired
Sep 19, 1997, 1:55 PM CDT
In force
46 min
Issued by
NWS Milwaukee, WI
Area
Whole counties

Counties Rock County, WI, Walworth County, WI

The radar

The Milwaukee radar (KMKX), 39 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:09 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Sep 19, 1:20 PM CDTThunderstorm WindClinton, WI
Sep 19, 1:30 PM CDTThunderstorm WindSharon, 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.

The watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Sep 19, 11:00 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Davenport, (KDVN), launched 12:00Z, 6.2 hours before the alert went out and 182 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, Davenport, at 12:00Z on 1997-09-19Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1652 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, Davenport, at 12:00Z on 1997-09-19The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 366 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
1652 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-144 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
825 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
34 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
366 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
366 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
18.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

980 
WUUS1 KMKE 191808 RRA
SVRMKE
WIC105-127-191855-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI
109 PM CDT FRI SEP 19 1997

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR
  EASTERN ROCK COUNTY - SOUTH CENTRAL WISCONSIN
  WALWORTH COUNTY - SOUTHEASTERN WISCONSIN

* UNTIL 155 PM CDT
 
* SOME LOCATIONS AFFECTED
  CLINTON
  AVALON
  DELAVAN
  WALWORTH

* AT 105 PM CDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS JANESVILLE TO CLINTON. THIS LINE OF
  STORMS WAS MOVING EAST AT 45 MPH. POWER LINES WERE DOWNED IN
  BELOIT.

* THESE STORMS WILL BE NEAR WALWORTH AND DELAVAN BY 130 PM CDT.

THE MAIN THREAT FROM THESE STORMS IS DAMAGING WINDS. DO NOT GO
OUTDOORS.



KAPELA/JH

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, Sep 19, 11:22 AM CDT, 1 hour 47 minutes before
WIZ046-047-051-052-056>060-062>072-200600-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI
1130 AM CDT FRI SEP 19 1997

...SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON...NO RISK
TONIGHT SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN...

THREAT...
DAMAGING WINDS...POSSIBLY LARGE HAIL

DISCUSSION...
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS MAY DEVELOP IN THE MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIRMASS
OVER THE FAR SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST.  SURFACE DEWPOINTS IN THE LOWER
70S...STRONG SURFACE COLD FRONT APPROACHING AND MID LEVEL TROUGH WILL
COMBINE TO BRING STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TO SOUTHERN WISCONSIN.

SPOTTER ACTIVATION...
STORM SPOTTER GROUPS HAVE BEEN ACTIVATED DUE TO THE SEVERE THUNDERSTO`RM
WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 PM FOR THE FAR SOUTH.
DAVIS
Special weather statement, Sep 19, 11:30 AM CDT, 1 hour 39 minutes before
WIZ046-047-051-052-056>060-062>072-200600-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI
1130 AM CDT FRI SEP 19 1997

...SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON...NO RISK
TONIGHT SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN...

THREAT...
DAMAGING WINDS...POSSIBLY LARGE HAIL

DISCUSSION...
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS MAY DEVELOP IN THE MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIRMASS
OVER THE FAR SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST.  SURFACE DEWPOINTS IN THE LOWER
70S...STRONG SURFACE COLD FRONT APPROACHING AND MID LEVEL TROUGH WILL
COMBINE TO BRING STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TO SOUTHERN WISCONSIN.

SPOTTER ACTIVATION...
STORM SPOTTER GROUPS HAVE BEEN ACTIVATED DUE TO THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 PM FOR THE FAR SOUTH.
DAVIS

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 18, 7:44 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMKXFond du Lac, Sheboygan, Washington46 min
Sep 19, 6:14 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMKXJefferson61 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Wisconsin, 1997Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1997

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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.