Alert archive / Wisconsin / Tornado Warnings in 2008

Tornado Warning 3, NWS Milwaukee, WI

January 7, 2008Kenosha County, Racine County, Wisconsin

NWS Milwaukee, WI issued this tornado warning at Jan 7, 2008, 4:39 PM CST for Kenosha County, Racine County, Wisconsin. It was in force for 21 min. 2 reports came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued: Jan 7, 2008, 4:39 PM CST (22:39 UTC)
Expired: Jan 7, 2008, 5:00 PM CST
In force: 21 min
Issued by: NWS Milwaukee, WI
Area: Storm-based polygon

Counties Kenosha County, WI, Racine County, WI

The radar

The Milwaukee radar (KMKX), 69 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:40 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

Time	Report	Where	Remark
Jan 7, 4:53 PM CST	TORNADO 1	3 N Kenosha, WI	* 4 INJ * 17TH COURT AND 15TH STREET IN KENOSHA. WINDS FROM POSSIBLE TORNADO CAUSED SECOND STORY OF APARTMENT BUILDING TO COLLAPSE. UPDATED FOR PRELIMINARY EF-SCALE RATING.
Jan 7, 4:53 PM CST	TORNADO	3 N Kenosha, WI	17TH COURT AND 15TH STREET IN KENOSHA.WINDS FROM POSSIBLE TORNADO CAUSED SECOND STORY OF APARTMENT BUILDING TO COLLAPSE.

Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.

The nearest sounding before it

Green Bay/Straub, WI (KGRB), launched 12:00Z, 10.7 hours before the alert went out and 202 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL: 1003 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 57 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 44 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 135 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 
WFUS53 KMKX 072240
TORMKX
WIC059-101-072300-
/O.NEW.KMKX.TO.W.0003.080107T2239Z-080107T2300Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI
439 PM CST MON JAN 7 2008

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SULLIVAN HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHEASTERN KENOSHA COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN...
  EAST CENTRAL RACINE COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN...
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF DOWNTOWN RACINE...

* UNTIL 500 PM CST

* AT 436 PM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A 
  TORNADO 9 MILES SOUTHWEST OF DOWNTOWN RACINE...OR ABOUT 4 MILES 
  NORTHWEST OF DOWNTOWN KENOSHA...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  DOWNTOWN RACINE...7 MILES SOUTHEAST OF RACINE BATTEN AIRPORT AND 8
  MILES SOUTHEAST OF WIND POINT BY 450 PM CST...

THIS IS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND LIFE THREATENING SITUATION. THIS
STORM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING STRONG TO VIOLENT TORNADOES. IF YOU ARE
IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO...TAKE COVER IMMEDIATELY

THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS IN A BASEMENT. GET UNDER A
WORKBENCH OR OTHER PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. IF NO BASEMENT IS
AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF THE BUILDING IN AN
INTERIOR HALLWAY OR ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET. USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO
COVER YOUR BODY AND ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

IF IN MOBILE HOMES OR VEHICLES...EVACUATE THEM AND GET INSIDE A
SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER. IF NO SHELTER IS AVAILABLE...LIE FLAT IN THE
NEAREST DITCH OR OTHER LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

LAT...LON 4268 8777 4265 8777 4264 8778 4259 8778
      4258 8793 4267 8793 4280 8777 4279 8775
      4270 8775
TIME...MOT...LOC 2239Z 247DEG 33KT 4264 8786

$$

BORGHOFF

2 follow-up statements

000 
WWUS53 KMKX 072249
SVSMKX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI
448 PM CST MON JAN 7 2008

WIC101-072258-
/O.CAN.KMKX.TO.W.0003.000000T0000Z-080107T2300Z/
RACINE WI-
448 PM CST MON JAN 7 2008

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR EAST CENTRAL RACINE COUNTY IS CANCELLED...

THE STORM HAS MOVED OFFSHORE INTO LAKE MICHIGAN.

LAT...LON 4264 8778 4259 8778 4261 8782 4267 8783
      4267 8777 4265 8777
TIME...MOT...LOC 2248Z 248DEG 36KT 4267 8773

$$

WIC059-072300-
/O.CON.KMKX.TO.W.0003.000000T0000Z-080107T2300Z/
KENOSHA WI-
448 PM CST MON JAN 7 2008

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 500 PM CST FOR EXTREME
NORTHEASTERN KENOSHA COUNTY...

AT 442 PM CST...LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT REPORTED TWO TORNADOES ABOUT 3 
NORTHWEST OF KENOSHA.  THIS STORM IS MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH AND 
SHOULD BE OFFSHORE IN A FEW MINUTES AND THE WARNING WILL BE 
CANCELLED IN A FEW MINUTES.

THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS IN A BASEMENT. GET UNDER A
WORKBENCH OR OTHER PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. IF NO BASEMENT IS
AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF THE BUILDING IN AN
INTERIOR HALLWAY OR ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET. USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO
COVER YOUR BODY AND ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

LAT...LON 4264 8778 4259 8778 4261 8782 4267 8783
      4267 8777 4265 8777
TIME...MOT...LOC 2248Z 248DEG 36KT 4267 8773

$$

CRAVEN

000 
WWUS53 KMKX 072254
SVSMKX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI
452 PM CST MON JAN 7 2008

WIC059-072302-
/O.EXP.KMKX.TO.W.0003.000000T0000Z-080107T2300Z/
KENOSHA WI-
452 PM CST MON JAN 7 2008

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR EXTREME NORTHEASTERN KENOSHA COUNTY
EXPIRES AT 500 PM CST...

THE STORM HAS MOVED NORTHEAST OUT OVER LAKE MICHIGAN.

LAT...LON 4264 8778 4259 8778 4261 8782 4267 8783
      4267 8777 4265 8777
TIME...MOT...LOC 2252Z 248DEG 36KT 4268 8768

$$

CRAVEN

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jan 7, 6:40 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MKX	Lafayette	50 min
Jan 7, 11:13 AM CST	River Flood Warning	MKX	Kenosha	8 days
Jan 7, 11:15 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MKX	Dodge	30 min
Jan 7, 11:33 AM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MKX	Dodge, Fond du Lac, Washington	27 min
Jan 7, 2:52 PM CST	Dense Fog Advisory	MKX	Columbia, Dane, Dodge, Fond du Lac, Green, Green Lake and 14 more	18 hr
Jan 7, 3:21 PM CST	Tornado Warning	MKX	Rock, Walworth	54 min
Jan 7, 3:30 PM CST	Special Marine Warning	MKX		60 min
Jan 7, 3:51 PM CST	Tornado Warning	MKX	Kenosha, Racine	54 min
Jan 7, 4:03 PM CST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MKX	Milwaukee, Racine, Walworth, Waukesha	42 min
Jan 7, 4:19 PM CST	Special Marine Warning	MKX		56 min
Jan 7, 5:38 PM CST	Tornado Warning	MKX	Racine	22 min
Jan 7, 5:51 PM CST	Special Marine Warning	MKX		54 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Wisconsin, 2008 Every tornado warning in 2008 Tornadoes in 2008

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.