High Wind in Wisconsin, March 8 to 9, 1998

Powerful winds, gusting to 64 mph, raked parts of eastcentral and southeast Wisconsin, resulting in many cases of toppled trees and powerlines, as well as some structural damage. In addition, snow accumulations of 1 to 5 inches occurred. The high winds were part of the winter storm system which left 10 to 12 inches of snow over southwest, southcentral and central Wisconsin. In the city of Sheboygan, the winds blew over a 16 foot by 16 foot construction wall. In addition, large tree branches fell on a couple cars in Sheboygan. In Fond du Lac, Ozaukee, Jefferson, Waukesha, and Milwaukee counties, about 6,000 customers were without electrical power after the high winds toppled large trees or tree branches onto power lines. In Hartford (Washington Co.), the high winds knocked large trees branches on to a home's roof and totaled a parked car. The high winds pushed large trees onto two homes in the Lake Geneva (Walworth Co.) area. One sustained moderate damage, while the other one had minor damage. There were many other reports of uprooted trees and downed power lines in Walworth county. In addition, the winds peeled a piece of plywood off a building in Deavan (Walworth Co.). It was the same story in Rock county with regards to trees and powerlines. A peak gust of 64 mph was registered at the Rock County Airport (JVL).Racine and Kenosha counties appeared to suffer the wrath of the storm more so than other counties. Groaning winds (up to 58 mph on the Racine lakefront) combined with snow and sleet to bring down many trees and powerlines across the two counties. Nearly 34,000 custormers were without electrical service or heat on the 9th. Some schools, factories, and government facilities were also closed. Huge waves of 10 to 12 feet pounded the lakeshore areas, resulting in beach/shoreline erosion. Also, large rocks and ice chunks were pushed by the waves onto nearby roads. The high winds even pushed a Racine police squad car sideways several feet on an icy road. At least 400 motor vehicle accidents were reported in these two counties due to the slippery roads. In downtown Racine, some siding on a 153 foot tall builings was loosened by the winds, but no one was injured.