Alert archive / Wisconsin / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1999

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 15, NWS Milwaukee, WI

May 16, 1999Dane County, Wisconsin

NWS Milwaukee, WI issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 16, 1999, 5:08 PM CDT for Dane County, Wisconsin. It was in force for 62 min. 1 report 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 16, 1999, 5:08 PM CDT (22:08 UTC)
Expired
May 16, 1999, 6:10 PM CDT
In force
62 min
Issued by
NWS Milwaukee, WI
Area
Whole counties

County Dane County, WI

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 16, 5:12 PM CDTThunderstorm WindMadison, 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 16, 2:15 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC6 hr
May 16, 4:45 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Davenport, (KDVN), launched 12:00Z, 10.1 hours before the alert went out and 184 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 1999-05-16Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 266 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 1999-05-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 114 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
266 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-240 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
780 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
20 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
114 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
138 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

The text of this product is not in the archive. The NWS text archive before 2002 is incomplete.

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, May 16, 11:13 AM CDT, 5 hours 55 minutes before
WIZ046-047-051-052-056>060-062>072-162300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI
1113 AM CDT SUN MAY 16 1999

...SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS LATE THIS AFTERNOON
AND TONIGHT...
...FOR SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN...

THREAT...
LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS.

DISCUSSION...
A SOUTHERLY FLOW OF MOIST AND MORE UNSTABLE AIR IS WORKING
NORTH INTO SOUTHERN WISCONSIN THIS AFTERNOON. AN UPPER AIR
DISTURBANCE AND STRENGTHENING LOW LEVEL JET STREAM ARE EXPECTED TO
INTERACT WITH THE INSTABILTY...TO PRODUCE PERIODS OF THUNDERSTORMS
LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. SOME ISOLATED STORMS MAY BECOME
SEVERE.

SPOTTER ACTIVATION...
STORM SPOTTER GROUPS MAY NEED TO BE ACTIVATED THIS AFTERNOON
INTO TONIGHT.
Special weather statement, May 16, 11:13 AM CDT, 5 hours 55 minutes before
WIZ046-047-051-052-056>060-062>072-162300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI
1113 AM CDT SUN MAY 16 1999

...SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS LATE THIS AFTERNOON
AND TONIGHT...
...FOR SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN...

THREAT...
LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS.

DISCUSSION...
A SOUTHERLY FLOW OF MOIST AND MORE UNSTABLE AIR IS WORKING
NORTH INTO SOUTHERN WISCONSIN THIS AFTERNOON. AN UPPER AIR
DISTURBANCE AND STRENGTHENING LOW LEVEL JET STREAM ARE EXPECTED TO
INTERACT WITH THE INSTABILTY...TO PRODUCE PERIODS OF THUNDERSTORMS
LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. SOME ISOLATED STORMS MAY BECOME
SEVERE.

SPOTTER ACTIVATION...
STORM SPOTTER GROUPS MAY NEED TO BE ACTIVATED THIS AFTERNOON
INTO TONIGHT.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 16, 3:19 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMKXIowa56 min
May 16, 3:55 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMKXSauk60 min
May 16, 4:15 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMKXDane, Iowa60 min
May 16, 5:33 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMKXJefferson57 min
May 16, 6:34 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMKXKenosha, Racine, Walworth61 min
May 16, 6:56 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMKXMilwaukee64 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Wisconsin, 1999Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1999

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.