Wisconsin, 2002

Hail and Damaging Wind in Wisconsin, March 9, 2002

March 9, 2002 · NWS MKX · 4 events in 3 counties and zones

Scattered severe thunderstorms affected parts of Rock and Walworth counties. The fast-moving storms generated damaging winds estimated to at least 52 knots (60 mph) in eastern Rock County, resulting in toppled large trees.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$55,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
4

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS MKX wrote it up.

Scattered severe thunderstorms affected parts of Rock and Walworth counties. The fast-moving storms generated damaging winds estimated to at least 52 knots (60 mph) in eastern Rock County, resulting in toppled large trees. Large hail was noted in northern Walworth County. A lightning strike ignited a fire that severely burned a home's garage in Janesville. North of Colgate (Washington Co.) a lightning strike caused extensive damage to appliances and electrical service in at least 3 homes.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Milwaukee, WI wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 8, 3:15 PM CST, 10 hours 7 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 8, 3:15 PM CST, 10 hours 7 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI
315 PM CST FRI MAR 8 2002

FORECAST PROBLEMS INCLUDE FOG AND TSTMS TNGT...THEN TIMING OF CDFNT
AND SURGE OF CAA AND STG WINDS SAT.

SHORT TERM...BALMY 60 DEGREE TEMPS JUST TO OUR SOUTH ATTM AND TEMPS
SHUD CONT TO RISE OR HOLD STEADY THRU MDNGT BEFORE STARTING DOWNWRD
TREND. BREEZY SOUTH WINDS INCRSG TNGT WITH WAA BUT WITH AREAS OF
FOG IN THE LULL BEFORE THE WINDS. HOPEFULLY THIS WL NOT REQUIRE
ISSUANCE OF FOG ADVYS TNGT. LGT RAIN SHWRS SPRDG INTO WRN PTN OF
CWA ATTM AND FCST TREND WITH CONTD INCRS WITH UNSTBL CONDS YIELDING A
CHC OF TSTMS ONCE AGAIN TNGT.

LONGER TERM...DEEPENING LO IN ERN CO XPCTD TO DVLP FAST TRACK ACRS
KS TNGT...REACHING IA BY 12Z SAT...THEN CONTG NEWD INTO CNTRL WI
WITH ETA TAKING MOST NRN PATH...BUT FAIR AGRMNT WITH MODELS. HWVR
MODELS DISAGREE WITH SPEED OF CDFNT/CAA ACRS SRN WI WITH NGM MUCH
TOO SLOW...AVN FASTEST AND ETA TAKING MIDDLE GRD. SOUNDING DATA OFF
AWIPS AND BUFKIT AND ISENT PROGS IMPLYING STG DWNWRD MIXING DVLPG
SAT ALG WITH TIGHT PRES GRAD. CUD SEE GUSTS TO 50 MPH AT TIMES SAT
WITH SUSTAINED 30 TO 40 MPH. WIND ADVYS HV BEEN POSTED FOR SRN WI
SAT. PRECIP TREND IS AS BEFORE...STARTING OUT LIQUID ERLY...THEN
MXING WITH SNOW BEFORE CHGG OVR TO SNOW SHWRS WITH MINOR ACCUMS.

WINDS BLOW BUT DCRS SAT NGT WITH CLRG AND COLDER CONDS. AVN MODEL
IS THE COLDEST AT H850 WITH -18C BY 12Z SUN. SOME SUN AND WEAK WAA WL
ALLOW TEMP TO REBOUND SOMEWHAT SUN.

XTNND FCST...UNSETTLED AS USUAL WITH OCNL CHANCES OF PRECIP EITHER
RAIN OR SNOW FM MON NGT THRU FRI. TEMPS AOA CLIMO NORMALS.

.MKX...WIND ADVY SAT FOR ALL OF SRN WI ZNS.

0.../.../...0.../.../

The radar

The Milwaukee radar (KMKX), 54 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 07:26 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 lightning, 1 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Lightning, Rock

When
March 9, 1:22 AM CST
Where
Rock County, Janesville
Property damage
$30,000
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
42.671, -89.072 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm Wind, Rock

When
March 9, 1:25 AM CST
Where
Rock County, 4 mi E of Emerald Grove
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
42.667, -88.817

Hail, Walworth

When
March 9, 1:38 AM CST
Where
Walworth County, 2 mi NE of La Grange
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
42.817, -88.567

Lightning, Washington

When
March 9, 2:00 AM CST
Where
Washington County, 2 mi N of Colgate
Property damage
$25,000
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
43.369, -88.231 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Lightning
A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.
Thunderstorm Wind
Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Wisconsin in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Wisconsin, March 2002

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5286384, 5286382, 5286383, 5286385.