Alert archive / Wisconsin / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1998

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 13, NWS Milwaukee, WI

May 15, 1998Dodge County, Jefferson County, Walworth County, Wisconsin

NWS Milwaukee, WI issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 15, 1998, 9:46 PM CDT for Dodge County, Jefferson County, Walworth County, Wisconsin. It was in force for 59 min. 8 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
May 15, 1998, 9:46 PM CDT (02:46 UTC)
Expired
May 15, 1998, 10:45 PM CDT
In force
59 min
Issued by
NWS Milwaukee, WI
Area
Whole counties

Counties Dodge County, WI, Jefferson County, WI, Walworth County, WI

The radar

The Milwaukee radar (KMKX), 13 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:50 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
May 15, 10:00 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 52Lake Mills, WI
May 15, 10:15 PM CDTThunderstorm WindMayville, WI
May 15, 10:17 PM CDTThunderstorm WindWalworth, WI
May 15, 10:33 PM CDTThunderstorm WindJuneau, WI
May 15, 10:40 PM CDTThunderstorm WindElkhorn, WI
May 15, 10:40 PM CDTThunderstorm WindSharon, WI
May 15, 10:45 PM CDTThunderstorm WindLake Geneva, WI
May 15, 10:45 PM CDTThunderstorm WindLa Grange, 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
May 15, 7:30 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC6 hr
May 15, 8:45 PM CDTTornado WatchSPC4 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Green Bay/Straub, WI (KGRB), launched 00:00Z, 2.8 hours before the alert went out and 167 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 1998-05-16Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 577 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 1998-05-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 194 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
577 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-445 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1364 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
43 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
194 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
195 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 160246 RRA
SVRMKE
WIC027-055-127-160345-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI
946 PM CDT FRI MAY 15 1998

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  DODGE COUNTY IN SOUTHEASTERN WISCONSIN
  JEFFERSON COUNTY IN SOUTHEASTERN WISCONSIN
  WALWORTH COUNTY IN SOUTHEASTERN WISCONSIN

* UNTIL 1045 PM CDT

* AT 940 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
  A LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FROM BELOIT TO DEERFIELD TO
  PARDEEVILLE.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR...
  FORT ATKINSON BY 950 PM CDT
  BEAVER DAM BY 1000 PM CDT
  ELKHORN BY 1015 PM CDT


A TORNADO WATCH IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR THE WARNED AREA. REMEMBER
THAT SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE
TORNADOES. IF YOU ARE IN THESE AREAS... SEEK SAFETY IN A SMALL
INTERIOR ROOM AWAY FROM WINDOWS. A BASEMENT OFFERS THE BEST
PROTECTION.

TH/RK

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 15, 7:28 PM CDTTornado WarningMKXLafayette62 min
May 15, 7:56 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMKXIowa64 min
May 15, 8:04 PM CDTTornado WarningMKXIowa46 min
May 15, 8:21 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMKXDane, Sauk59 min
May 15, 8:25 PM CDTTornado WarningMKXLafayette45 min
May 15, 8:58 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMKXGreen, Rock62 min
May 15, 9:07 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMKXColumbia, Dane63 min
May 15, 9:11 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMKXLafayette34 min
May 15, 9:55 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMKXFond du Lac, Green Lake60 min
May 15, 10:38 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMKXFond du Lac, Washington, Waukesha62 min
May 15, 10:38 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMKXKenosha, Racine62 min
May 15, 10:57 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMKXSheboygan63 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Wisconsin, 1998Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1998

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.