Alert archive / Wisconsin / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 33, NWS Milwaukee, WI

June 15, 1997Rock County, Walworth County, Wisconsin

NWS Milwaukee, WI issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jun 15, 1997, 9:40 PM CDT for Rock County, Walworth County, Wisconsin. It was in force for 60 min. 3 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
Jun 15, 1997, 9:40 PM CDT (02:40 UTC)
Expired
Jun 15, 1997, 10:40 PM CDT
In force
60 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 02:43 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
Jun 15, 9:52 PM CDTThunderstorm WindFootville, WI
Jun 15, 10:10 PM CDTThunderstorm WindJanesville, WI
Jun 15, 10:13 PM CDTThunderstorm WindWalworth, 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
Jun 15, 5:15 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC5 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Davenport, (KDVN), launched 00:00Z, 2.7 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 00:00Z on 1997-06-16Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 654 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 00:00Z on 1997-06-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 34 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
654 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-18 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1426 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
27 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
34 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
145 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.1
Supercell composite
0.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KMKE 160240 RRA
SVRMKE
WIC105-127-160345-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI
940 PM CDT SUN JUN 15 1997

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

* UNTIL 1040 PM CDT
 
* SOME LOCATIONS AFFECTED
  JOHNSTOWN
  DELAVAN
  LAKE GENEVA

* AT 940 NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE
  THUNDERSTORM 5 MILES EAST SOUTHEAST OF JANESVILLE. THE STORM WAS
  MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH.

THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM. IF YOU ARE IN ITS PATH YOU SHOULD MOVE
INSIDE A STRONG BUILDING. DO NOT STAND BY WINDOWS. DO NOT USE
TELEPHONES OR ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES UNLESS IN AN EMERGENCY UNTIL
THE STORM HAS PASSED.

DAVIS

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, Jun 15, 8:21 PM CDT, 1 hour 19 minutes before
WIZ046-047-056-057-160225-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI
821 PM CDT SUN JUN 15 1997

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH CANCELED...

AT 820 PM...WEATHER RADAR INDICATED WIDESPREAD SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS COVERING MUCH OF THE SOUTH HALF OF WISCONSIN.
ALTHOUGH ISOLATED STRONG STORMS ARE STILL POSSIBLE...THE AIRMASS
HAS STABLIZED...AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE NO LONGER EXPECTED
NORTH OF A MADISON TO LONE ROCK LINE.

AS A RESULT...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH HAS BEEN CANCELED FOR
SAUK...COLUMBIA...MARQUETTE...AND GREEN LAKE COUNTIES.

VERY HEAVY RAINS AND GUSTY WINDS WILL STILL BE LIKELY FOR THE NEXT
SEVERAL HOURS.
Special weather statement, Jun 15, 8:22 PM CDT, 1 hour 18 minutes before
WIZ046-047-056-057-160225-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI
821 PM CDT SUN JUN 15 1997

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH CANCELED...

AT 820 PM...WEATHER RADAR INDICATED WIDESPREAD SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS COVERING MUCH OF THE SOUTH HALF OF WISCONSIN.
ALTHOUGH ISOLATED STRONG STORMS ARE STILL POSSIBLE...THE AIRMASS
HAS STABLIZED...AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE NO LONGER EXPECTED
NORTH OF A MADISON TO LONE ROCK LINE.

AS A RESULT...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH HAS BEEN CANCELED FOR
SAUK...COLUMBIA...MARQUETTE...AND GREEN LAKE COUNTIES.

VERY HEAVY RAINS AND GUSTY WINDS WILL STILL BE LIKELY FOR THE NEXT
SEVERAL HOURS.
Special weather statement, Jun 15, 8:58 PM CDT, 42 minutes before
WIZ051-052-058>060-064>066-070>072-526>529-160305-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI
858 PM CDT SUN JUN 15 1997

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 442 CANCELED...

AT 858 PM...WEATHER RADAR INDICATED NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS OVER MUCH OF SOUTHERN WISCONSIN. HOWEVER...THE
AIRMASS HAS STABLIZED...AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE NO LONGER
EXPECTED. AS A RESULT...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR EAST AND
SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN HAS BEEN CANCELED.

THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE ACROSS SOUTHERN WISCONSIN
THROUGHOUT MUCH OF THE NIGHT...AND SOME STORMS MAY STILL PRODUCE
STRONG WINDS. PERIODS OF HEAVY RAINS MAY PRODUCE URBAN AND SMALL
STREAM FLOODING.
Special weather statement, Jun 15, 8:59 PM CDT, 41 minutes before
WIZ051-052-058>060-064>066-070>072-526>529-160305-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI
858 PM CDT SUN JUN 15 1997

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 442 CANCELED...

AT 858 PM...WEATHER RADAR INDICATED NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS OVER MUCH OF SOUTHERN WISCONSIN. HOWEVER...THE
AIRMASS HAS STABLIZED...AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE NO LONGER
EXPECTED. AS A RESULT...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR EAST AND
SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN HAS BEEN CANCELED.

THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE ACROSS SOUTHERN WISCONSIN
THROUGHOUT MUCH OF THE NIGHT...AND SOME STORMS MAY STILL PRODUCE
STRONG WINDS. PERIODS OF HEAVY RAINS MAY PRODUCE URBAN AND SMALL
STREAM FLOODING.
@

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 15, 7:07 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMKXGreen, Rock53 min
Jun 15, 8:50 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningMKXGreen, Iowa, Lafayette4 hr

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.