Alert archive / Wisconsin / Mesoscale Discussions in 2026

Mesoscale Discussion 481

April 17, 202613 counties in Wisconsin

The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at Apr 17, 2026, 5:06 PM CDT for 13 counties in Wisconsin. It was in force for 114 min.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Apr 17, 2026, 5:06 PM CDT (22:06 UTC)
Expired
Apr 17, 2026, 7:00 PM CDT
In force
114 min
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Concerning
Tornado watch 129

Counties Adams County, WI, Clark County, WI, Forest County, WI, Jackson County, WI, Langlade County, WI, Lincoln County, WI, Marathon County, WI, Menominee County, WI, Oneida County, WI, Portage County, WI, Shawano County, WI, Waupaca County, WI, Wood County, WI

The radar

The Green Bay radar (KGRB), 121 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:07 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.

The nearest sounding before it

Minneapolis, MN (KMPX), launched 12:00Z, 10.1 hours before the alert went out and 320 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, Minneapolis, MN at 12:00Z on 2026-04-17Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1 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, Minneapolis, MN at 12:00Z on 2026-04-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 188 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
1 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
2301 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
39 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
188 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
229 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

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SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 17, 7:44 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCPierce, Saint Croix91 min
Apr 17, 9:23 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCAdams, Ashland, Barron, Bayfield, Buffalo, Burnett and 29 more11 hr
Apr 17, 11:48 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAdams, Buffalo, Columbia, Crawford, Dane, Dodge and 19 more2 hr
Apr 17, 12:40 PM CDTTornado WatchSPCAdams, Brown, Buffalo, Calumet, Clark, Columbia and 43 more9 hr
Apr 17, 2:05 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCLafayette55 min
Apr 17, 2:49 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBuffalo, Crawford, La Crosse, Pepin, Trempealeau116 min
Apr 17, 3:07 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAshland, Barron, Bayfield, Burnett, Chippewa, Douglas and 9 more53 min
Apr 17, 4:42 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCGreen, Kenosha, Milwaukee, Racine, Rock, Walworth and 1 more2 hr

Nearby

Mesoscale Discussions in Wisconsin, 2026Every mesoscale discussion 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.