Alert archive / Wisconsin / Tornado Warnings in 2026

Tornado Warning 49, NWS Milwaukee, WI

May 16, 2026Lafayette County, Wisconsin

NWS Milwaukee, WI issued this tornado warning at May 16, 2026, 12:07 AM CDT for Lafayette County, Wisconsin. It was in force for 23 min. 1 report 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: May 16, 2026, 12:07 AM CDT (05:07 UTC)
Expired: May 16, 2026, 12:30 AM CDT
In force: 23 min
Issued by: NWS Milwaukee, WI
Area: Storm-based polygon
Tornado: Radar indicated
Hail: 0.75 in

County Lafayette County, WI

The radar

The Quad Cities radar (KDVN), 116 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 05:11 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
May 16, 12:11 AM CDT	TORNADO	4 Ese Benton, WI	EF-0, Est. Peak Winds-85mph. Tornado appeared to start near Penny Benton Rd and County Road I, where six trees were either uprooted, had limbs topped. One tree was snapped at the trunk but appeared to have some rot with it. Some pine tree branches were noted i

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

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 15, 10:33 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	4 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Davenport, (KDVN), launched 00:00Z, 5.1 hours before the alert went out and 114 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: 392 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -247 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1683 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 50 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 75 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 214 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.6

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

066 
WFUS53 KMKX 160507
TORMKX
WIC065-160530-
/O.NEW.KMKX.TO.W.0049.260516T0507Z-260516T0530Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
Tornado Warning
National Weather Service Milwaukee/Sullivan WI
1207 AM CDT Sat May 16 2026

The National Weather Service in Milwaukee/Sullivan has issued a

* Tornado Warning for...
  Southwestern Lafayette County in south central Wisconsin...

* Until 1230 AM CDT.

* At 1206 AM CDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a
  tornado was located near Cuba City, or near Platteville, moving
  east at 40 mph.

  HAZARD...Tornado.

  SOURCE...Radar indicated rotation.

  IMPACT...Flying debris will be dangerous to those caught without 
           shelter. Mobile homes will be damaged or destroyed. 
           Damage to roofs, windows, and vehicles will occur.  Tree 
           damage is likely.

* This dangerous storm will be near...
  Shullsburg around 1210 AM CDT.
  Darlington around 1215 AM CDT.

Other locations impacted by this tornadic thunderstorm include New
Diggings, Lead Mine, and Elk Grove.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER NOW! Move to a basement or an interior room on the lowest
floor of a sturdy building. Avoid windows. If you are outdoors, in a
mobile home, or in a vehicle, move to the closest substantial shelter
and protect yourself from flying debris.

&&

LAT...LON 4271 9043 4273 9008 4251 9002 4251 9043
TIME...MOT...LOC 0506Z 260DEG 36KT 4265 9039 

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
MAX HAIL SIZE...<.75 IN

$$

MRC

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 15, 11:40 PM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MKX	Iowa, Lafayette	80 min
May 15, 11:55 PM CDT	Tornado Warning	MKX	Iowa, Lafayette	35 min
May 16, 12:10 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MKX	Columbia	50 min
May 16, 12:15 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	MKX	Iowa	17 min
May 16, 12:19 AM CDT	Tornado Warning	MKX	Lafayette	26 min
May 16, 12:21 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MKX	Sauk	39 min
May 16, 12:24 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MKX	Dane, Green, Rock	66 min
May 16, 1:06 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MKX	Jefferson, Rock, Walworth	54 min
May 16, 1:09 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MKX	Fond du Lac	51 min
May 16, 1:20 AM CDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MKX	Fond du Lac, Sheboygan	40 min
May 16, 1:33 AM CDT	Special Weather Statement	MKX	Kenosha, Milwaukee, Racine, Waukesha	57 min
May 16, 1:50 AM CDT	Special Marine Warning	MKX		85 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Wisconsin, 2026 Every tornado warning in 2026 Tornadoes in 2026

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.