Alert archive / Wisconsin / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2013

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 62, NWS La Crosse, WI

May 31, 2013Buffalo County, Wisconsin

NWS La Crosse, WI issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 31, 2013, 9:45 PM CDT for Buffalo County, Wisconsin. It was in force for 15 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued: May 31, 2013, 9:45 PM CDT (02:45 UTC)
Expired: May 31, 2013, 10:00 PM CDT
In force: 15 min
Issued by: NWS La Crosse, WI
Area: Storm-based polygon
Hail: 1.0 in
Wind: 60.0 mph

County Buffalo County, WI

The radar

The La Crosse radar (KARX), 103 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:46 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.

Did it verify

Not verified. The Iowa Environmental Mesonet's Cow found no qualifying storm report inside this severe thunderstorm warning while it was in force. That is not proof nothing happened: reports are thin where few people live.

Cow counts a report within 15 km of the polygon while the warning was in force: a tornado for a tornado warning; hail of 1 inch or more, a gust of 58 mph or more or wind damage for a severe thunderstorm warning; a flash flood report for a flash flood warning.

The watch it was issued in

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

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
May 31, 2:35 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	9 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Minneapolis, MN (KMPX), launched 00:00Z, 2.8 hours before the alert went out and 133 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: 1 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL: 2032 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 17 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 38 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 101 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.

465 
WUUS53 KARX 010245
SVRARX
WIC011-010300-
/O.NEW.KARX.SV.W.0062.130601T0245Z-130601T0300Z/

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
945 PM CDT FRI MAY 31 2013

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LA CROSSE HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  NORTHWESTERN BUFFALO COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN...

* UNTIL 1000 PM CDT

* AT 942 PM CDT...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED NEAR DURAND...AND
  MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.

  HAZARD...QUARTER SIZE HAIL AND 60 MPH WIND GUSTS.

  SOURCE...RADAR INDICATED.

  IMPACT...HAIL DAMAGE TO VEHICLES AND CROPS IS EXPECTED. EXPECT WIND
           DAMAGE TO ROOFS...SIDING AND TREES.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT MAINLY RURAL AREAS OF
  NORTHWESTERN BUFFALO COUNTY.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

FOR YOUR PROTECTION MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF A
BUILDING.

&&

LAT...LON 4458 9204 4460 9201 4460 9179 4458 9182
      4450 9198 4449 9205 4454 9205
TIME...MOT...LOC 0245Z 232DEG 26KT 4458 9198

HAIL...1.00IN
WIND...60MPH

$$

RRS

1 follow-up statement

953 
WWUS53 KARX 010254
SVSARX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
954 PM CDT FRI MAY 31 2013

WIC011-010304-
/O.EXP.KARX.SV.W.0062.000000T0000Z-130601T0300Z/
BUFFALO WI-
954 PM CDT FRI MAY 31 2013

...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR NORTHWESTERN BUFFALO COUNTY
WILL EXPIRE AT 1000 PM CDT...

THE STORM WHICH PROMPTED THE WARNING HAS MOVED OUT OF THE WARNED
AREA.

ADDITIONAL STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ARE STILL POSSIBLE...AND A SEVERE 
THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT.

LAT...LON 4458 9204 4460 9201 4460 9179 4458 9182
      4450 9198 4449 9205 4454 9205
TIME...MOT...LOC 0254Z 232DEG 26KT 4462 9191

$$

RRS

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.

NWS La Crosse, WI wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at May 31, 6:51 PM CDT, 2 hours 54 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 31, 6:51 PM CDT, 2 hours 54 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
651 PM CDT FRI MAY 31 2013

.MESOSCALE DISCUSSION...
ISSUED AT 637 PM CDT FRI MAY 31 2013

A LINE OF SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS HAS FIRED UP FROM WEST OF EAU
CLAIRIE WI TO EAST OF ROCHESTER MN AND CHARLES CITY IA. THESE
STORMS ARE ALONG A DRY LINE. THEY TOOK A LITTLE BIT TO REALLY GET
GOING...APPEARING TO WAIT FOR A 300MB JET STREAK COMING UP THROUGH
CENTRAL IA TO AID IN UPPER LEVEL DIVERGENCE. NCAPE VALUES ARE
QUITE HIGH...AROUND 0.25 PER RAP ANALYSIS...WHICH WOULD FAVOR
RAPID THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT GIVEN THE FORCING. THIS MAY BE A
REASON WHY THE STORMS IN WABASHA...WINONA AND BUFFALO
COUNTIES...AS WELL AS FLOYD...MITCHELL AND HOWARD COUNTIES IN
IOWA. THE STORM IN NORTHEAST IOWA HAS HAD A HISTORY OF FUNNELS.
0-1KM SHEAR HAS INCREASED...TOWARDS 15-20 KT...SO WILL HAVE TO
MONITOR POTENTIAL FOR TORNADOES.

&&

.SHORT TERM...(TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT)
ISSUED AT 227 PM CDT FRI MAY 31 2013

WATER VAPOR IMAGERY/RAP ANALYSIS THIS AFTERNOON SHOWING A CLOSED LOW
OVER THE DAKOTAS WITH AN EMBEDDED SHORTWAVE TROUGH ROTATING
NORTHEAST ACROSS IA. THIS WAS KICKING OFF CONVECTION ACROSS PORTIONS
OF SOUTHEAST MN/NORTHEAST IA WHERE LAPS WAS PRODUCING AN AXIS OF
1000-1500J/KG 0-1KM MLCAPE. 0-6KM BULK SHEAR WAS RUNNING AROUND
65KT. CONVECTION...SOME SEVERE WITH INCREASING CAPE AND HIGHER-END
BULK SHEAR...WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND CONTINUE
INTO THIS EVENING AS THE TROUGH ROTATES NORTHEAST THROUGH THE AREA.
LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS LOOK TO BE THE MAIN THREAT WITH AN
ISOLATED TORNADO ALSO POSSIBLE. LOOK FOR THE BULK OF THE
SHOWER/THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY TO PUSH EAST OF THE AREA BY MIDNIGHT.

LOOK FOR THE CLOSED LOW TO FILL AS IT ROTATES INTO THE AREA ON
SATURDAY. STEEP LOW TO MID LEVEL LAPSE RATE ASSOCIATED WITH THE
COOL/CYCLONIC FLOW WILL BE THE IMPETUS FOR MORE SHOWER AND ISOLATED
THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT...ESPECIALLY GOING INTO THE AFTERNOON
HOURS. NAM INDICATING 0-1KM MLCAPE IN THE 150-300J/KG RANGE WITH ANY
DECENT BULK SHEAR SHIFTING ACROSS EASTERN WI. THIS SHOULD LIMIT THE
POTENTIAL FOR ANY SEVERE THUNDERSTORM THREAT. OTHERWISE...EXPECT
MOSTLY CLOUDY CONDITIONS BY AFTERNOON WITH HIGHS RANGING FROM THE
65-70 DEGREE ACROSS NORTHEAST IA/SOUTHEAST MN...TO THE 70-75 DEGREE
RANGE EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER.

SCATTERED SHOWERS ARE EXPECTED TO LINGER INTO SATURDAY NIGHT AS THE
MID-LEVEL TROUGH AXIS ROTATES EAST THROUGH THE AREA WITH OVERNIGHT
LOWS DROPPING INTO THE 40S AND LOWER 50S.

.LONG TERM...(SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY)
ISSUED AT 227 PM CDT FRI MAY 31 2013

HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD INTO THE AREA SUNDAY THROUGH MONDAY FOR A
MUCH DESERVED PERIOD OF DRY WEATHER. TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO BE
A BIT ON THE COOLER THAN NORMAL SIDE THOUGH WITH HIGHS MAINLY IN THE
60S. LOWS SUNDAY NIGHT ARE EXPECTED TO DIP INTO THE LOWER 40S ALONG
AND NORTHEAST OF I-94...TO THE MID/UPPER 40S ELSEWHERE.

FOR TUESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY...ANOTHER CLOSED LOW IS SLATED TO MOVE
FROM THE NORTHERN PLAINS AND THROUGH THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI RIVER
REGION. THIS WILL GIVE THE AREA ANOTHER ROUND OF SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS ALONG WITH OVERALL COOLER THAN NORMAL TEMPERATURES.
MODELS ARE INDICATING THE LOW LIFTING OUT OF THE AREA THURSDAY
NIGHT/FRIDAY TIME FRAME. LEFT A SMALL CHANCE OF SHOWERS IN FOR NOW
AND WILL PASS ALONG TO LATER SHIFTS FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF DRYING
THINGS OUT.

&&

.AVIATION...(FOR THE 00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z SATURDAY EVENING)
ISSUED AT 650 PM CDT FRI MAY 31 2013

SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS HAVE FORMED ACROSS SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA...
SOME AHEAD OF A DRY LINE AND OTHERS AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT. RIGHT
NOW BOTH TAF SITES ARE NOT BEING AFFECTED... HOWEVER...AM
ANTICIPATING THAT BOTH COULD SEE SHOWERS AND/OR STORMS WITHIN THE
NEXT FEW HOURS. HAVE COVERED THAT WITH VCTS FOR NOW GIVEN THE
SCATTERED NATURE. IF THE STORMS ORGANIZE INTO A MORE CONGEALED
LINE...WILL AMEND THE TAFS TO PUT THE TSRA. THESE STORMS COULD
PRODUCE LARGE HAIL AND STRONG WINDS. THE COLD FRONT ITSELF IS BACK
JUST WEST OF I-35. ONCE THE FRONT PASSES LATE THIS
EVENING...EXPECT MUCH OF THE PRECIPITATION CONCERN TO END. MVFR
STRATUS BECOMES THE NEXT ISSUE...ASSOCIATED WITH LOW PRESSURE IN
THE DAKOTAS MOVING TO THE EAST. IT APPEARS THIS STRATUS WILL GET
INTO RST AROUND 13Z. THE VALLEY LOCATION OF LSE SHOULD KEEP THE
CEILINGS VFR. A SECONDARY COLD FRONTAL PASSAGE LOOKS TO MOVE
THROUGH THE TAF SITES LATE IN THE DAY. IN ITS WAKE...SHOWERS AND
POSSIBLY EVEN A FEW THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD MOVE INTO THE TAF SITES.
HAVE ONLY INCLUDED THE -SHRA AT THIS TIME...SINCE THUNDERSTORM
UNCERTAINTY IS QUITE HIGH.

&&

.HYDROLOGY...
ISSUED AT 227 PM CDT FRI MAY 31 2013

WITH THE ATMOSPHERE BECOMING PROGRESSIVELY DRIER TONIGHT THROUGH
SATURDAY NIGHT...LOOK FOR RAINFALL AMOUNTS TO BE SUBSTANTIALLY LOWER
WITH ANY SHOWERS/THUNDERSTORMS THAT DEVELOP. THEREFORE...RUNOFF IS
EXPECTED TO BE LESS OF AN ISSUE GOING INTO THIS WEEKEND. AS OF THIS
AFTERNOON...SEVERAL RIVERWAYS INCLUDING THE TURKEY...UPPER
IOWA...AND TREMPEALEAU STILL HAVE ONGOING FLOODING. FOR FURTHER
DETAILS...PLEASE SEE THE LATEST RIVER FLOOD STATEMENTS.

&&

.ARX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WI...NONE.
MN...NONE.
IA...NONE.
&&

MESOSCALE...AJ
SHORT TERM...DAS
LONG TERM...DAS
AVIATION...AJ
HYDROLOGY...DAS

Hazardous weather outlook, May 31, 7:29 PM CDT, 2 hours 16 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
729 PM CDT FRI MAY 31 2013

IAZ008>011-018-019-029-030-MNZ079-086>088-094>096-WIZ017-029-032>034-
041>044-053>055-061-011200-
ADAMS-ALLAMAKEE-BUFFALO-CHICKASAW-CLARK-CLAYTON-CRAWFORD-DODGE-
FAYETTE-FILLMORE-FLOYD-GRANT-HOUSTON-HOWARD-JACKSON-JUNEAU-LA CROSSE-
MITCHELL-MONROE-MOWER-OLMSTED-RICHLAND-TAYLOR-TREMPEALEAU-VERNON-
WABASHA-WINNESHIEK-WINONA-
729 PM CDT FRI MAY 31 2013

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PARTS OF SOUTHEAST
MINNESOTA...NORTHEAST IOWA...AND SOUTHWEST INTO CENTRAL WISCONSIN.

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT

SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED THIS EVENING...SOME OF WHICH
MAY BE SEVERE. THE STORMS HAVE HAD A HISTORY OF LARGE HAIL...
DAMAGING WINDS AND EVEN ISOLATED TORNADOES. THE POTENTIAL FOR THESE
SEVERE HAZARDS WILL CONTINUE UNTIL 10 PM WHEN THE STORMS ARE EXPECTED
TO WEAKEN.

FLOODING WILL CONTINUE ALONG THE UPPER IOWA AND TURKEY RIVERS IN
NORTHEAST IOWA...AND THE BLACK AND TREMPEALEAU RIVERS IN WESTERN
WISCONSIN.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY

ON SATURDAY...ISOLATED THUNDERSTORM WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE
ENTIRE AREA. NONE OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO BECOME
SEVERE.

MANY RIVERS WILL BE IN FLOOD OR RUNNING HIGH THROUGH THE WEEKEND.

FROM MONDAY NIGHT INTO THURSDAY...THERE WILL BE A CHANCE OF
THUNDERSTORMS. IT IS TOO EARLY DISCERN WHETHER ANY OF THEM WILL
BECOME SEVERE.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTERS WILL BE NEEDED THIS EVENING.

.EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COORDINATION...

NO WEBINAR IS SCHEDULED.

AJ

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 31, 9:13 PM CDT, 32 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
913 PM CDT FRI MAY 31 2013

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0903 PM     HAIL             AUSTIN                  43.67N 92.97W
05/31/2013  E0.50 INCH       MOWER              MN   BROADCAST MEDIA

            REPORTED AT KAAL TELEVISION

&&

SHEA

Local storm report, May 31, 9:27 PM CDT, 18 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
927 PM CDT FRI MAY 31 2013

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0925 PM     HAIL             LYLE                    43.51N 92.94W
05/31/2013  E0.25 INCH       MOWER              MN   911 CALL CENTER

&&

SHEA

Local storm report, May 31, 9:33 PM CDT, 12 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
933 PM CDT FRI MAY 31 2013

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0933 PM     HAIL             4 E STEWARTVILLE        43.86N 92.41W
05/31/2013  E0.75 INCH       OLMSTED            MN   AMATEUR RADIO

&&

SHEA

Local storm report, May 31, 9:38 PM CDT, 7 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
938 PM CDT FRI MAY 31 2013

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0937 PM     HAIL             4 E STEWARTVILLE        43.86N 92.41W
05/31/2013  E0.88 INCH       OLMSTED            MN   AMATEUR RADIO

            WIND IS PICKING UP

&&

SHEA

Local storm report, May 31, 9:40 PM CDT, 5 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
940 PM CDT FRI MAY 31 2013

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0940 PM     HAIL             PREDMORE                43.93N 92.34W
05/31/2013  E1.00 INCH       OLMSTED            MN   AMATEUR RADIO

            GROUND COVERED WITH HAIL

&&

SHEA

Local storm report, May 31, 9:43 PM CDT, 2 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
943 PM CDT FRI MAY 31 2013

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0943 PM     HAIL             2 SW EYOTA              43.97N 92.26W
05/31/2013  E0.25 INCH       OLMSTED            MN   TRAINED SPOTTER

&&

SHEA

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 31, 8:01 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	ARX	Jackson, Trempealeau	29 min
May 31, 8:27 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	ARX	Clark, Jackson	33 min
May 31, 8:40 PM CDT	River Flood Warning	ARX	La Crosse, Trempealeau	71 hr
May 31, 9:24 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ARX	Buffalo	66 min
May 31, 10:25 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	ARX	Buffalo, Trempealeau	50 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Wisconsin, 2013 Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2013

Sources

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