Damaging Winds in Wisconsin, August 26 to 27, 2004

Name: Damaging Winds in Wisconsin, August 26 to 27, 2004
Start: 2004-08-26T22:30
End: 2004-08-27T01:25
Location: Wisconsin

August 26 to 27, 2004 · NWS MKX · 16 events in 12 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $710,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 16

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.

A line of thunderstorms bowed out as it moved through south-central and southeast Wisconsin, resulting in locally, powerful, downburst, straight-line wind gusts that leveled large trees and power lines. Pardeeville (Columbia Co.) had the worst downburst (estimated wind gusts to 70 knots, or 80 mph) with about 4 dozen homes damaged (siding and gutters). Many vehicles in Pardeeville were damaged by tree limbs or debris. Two barns and 2 homes were damaged in the Eldorado to Fond du Lac area (Fond du Lac Co.) thanks to powerful wind gusts to about 65 knots (75 mph). In Madison (Dane Co.), a wind-toppled tree fell onto a home, trapping a man in his bed. Crop damage was photographed southwest of Pell Lake (Walworth Co.) by an ultralight pilot. In the Twin Lakes area (Kenosha Co.), large tree branches damaged a home and a vehicle. Utility companies noted that about 8000 customers lost power during the storms, wtih 1500 alone in Columbia County.

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 Aug 26, 1:45 PM CST, 8 hours 45 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 26, 1:45 PM CST, 8 hours 45 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI
245 PM CDT THU AUG 26 2004

.DISCUSSION...FORECAST FOCUS IS ON TSTM CHCS AND INTENSITY TNGT...
THEN ON TIMING OF CDFNT AND RN CHC EXIT FM CWA TMRW OR SAT.

IN THE SHORT TERM...STLT WV LOOP CONTINUES TO SHW MAIN JET AND CNDN
VORT CNTR LIFTING NWD THRU MN AND DAKS. LO CLDS HV BEEN SLOW TO LV
PARTS OF CWA TDA...LIMITING OR DELAYING DE-STABILIZATION. CNVTV
ACTVTY ALG BDRY OVR NW IA HAS BEEN SLOW TO GET GOING. SO BARRING NEW
DVLPT RIGHT OVER US...LOOKS LIKE IT WL BE A LTL WHILE BEFORE ANY REAL
STG STUFF SPRDS INTO CWA. WL DLA HIER POPS UNTIL LATER AND FOLLOW SPC
GUID ON POTENTIAL SEVERITY.

OTR MAIN CHG IN FCST SCENARIO INVOLVES MOVMT OF CDFNT AND ASSOCD
PCPN. ETA IS NOT PUSHING FNT OUT OF THE STATE TIL TMRW NGT...GFS A
LTL SOONER. THIS IS REASONABLE IN LIGHT OF CRNT PSN AND UPR FEATURES
STILL LIFTING NWD AS PREV MENTIONED. BOT LINE IS WE NEED TO KP PCPN
CHC IN THE FCST AT LEAST INTO TMRW NGT.

STILL HOPING FOR DECENT WEEKEND WITH FNT FINALLY EXITING AREA...BUT
MAY HV TO HOLD ON TO CLDS/PCPN CHC ERLY.

&&

.MKX...WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE.

NJ

Hazardous weather outlook, Aug 26, 3:50 AM CST, 18 hours 40 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI
450 AM CDT THU AUG 26 2004

WIZ046-047-051-052-056>060-062>072-271000-
COLUMBIA-DANE-DODGE-FOND DU LAC-GREEN-GREEN LAKE-IOWA-JEFFERSON-
KENOSHA-LAFAYETTE-MARQUETTE-MILWAUKEE-OZAUKEE-RACINE-ROCK-SAUK-
SHEBOYGAN-WALWORTH-WASHINGTON-WAUKESHA-

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST
WISCONSIN.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS...MAINLY TONIGHT.
THE TIME PERIOD OF GREATEST CONCERN IS FROM ABOUT 10 PM TO 4 AM WITH
THE PRIMARY THREAT HAIL AND HIGH WINDS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED.

DAVIS

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Aug 26, 10:08 PM CST, 22 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI
1108 PM CDT THU AUG 26 2004

WIZ046-047-051-052-056>060-062>072-270515-
COLUMBIA-DANE-DODGE-FOND DU LAC-GREEN-GREEN LAKE-IOWA-JEFFERSON-
KENOSHA-LAFAYETTE-MARQUETTE-MILWAUKEE-OZAUKEE-RACINE-ROCK-SAUK-
SHEBOYGAN-WALWORTH-WASHINGTON-WAUKESHA-
1108 PM CDT THU AUG 26 2004

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 789 CONTINUES FOR SOUTHERN WISCONSIN...

A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS AND NUMEROUS CLUSTERS EXTENDING FROM
OXFORD IN MARQUETTE COUNTY TO NEAR DUBUQUE IOWA...WILL GRADUALLY
AFFECT ALL OF SOUTH CENTRAL WISCONSIN BETWEEN 11 PM AND 1230 AM.
THESE STORMS WERE MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT AROUND 35 MPH.

THE STRONGEST STORMS WILL AFFECT SAUK...IOWA...AND LAFAYETTE
COUNTIES. THESE STORMS HAVE THE POTENTIAL FOR PRODUCING HEAVY
DOWNPOURS OF GREATER THAN 1 INCH PER HOUR...HAIL OF UP TO ONE HALF
INCH IN DIAMETER...AND GUSTY WINDS UP TO 50 MPH.

DRH/PC

The radar

The Quad Cities radar (KDVN), 125 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 04:30 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

16 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Lafayette

When: August 26, 10:30 PM CST
Where: Lafayette County, 4 mi W of Belmont
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 42.733, -90.417

Thunderstorm Wind, Lafayette

When: August 26, 10:45 PM CST
Where: Lafayette County, 1 mi S of Gratiot
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 42.567, -90.017

Thunderstorm Wind, Sauk

When: August 26, 11:00 PM CST
Where: Sauk County, Lake Delton
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 43.583, -89.783

Thunderstorm Wind, Columbia

When: August 26, 11:10 PM CST
Where: Columbia County, Pardeeville
Measured: 70 kt (81 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $400,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 43.533, -89.283

Thunderstorm Wind, Green

When: August 26, 11:30 PM CST to 11:40 PM CST
Where: Green County, Browntown
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $20,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 42.583, -89.817

Thunderstorm Wind, Dane

When: August 26, 11:45 PM CST
Where: Dane County, Madison
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $30,000
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 43.067, -89.417

Thunderstorm Wind, Dodge

When: August 26, 11:50 PM CST
Where: Dodge County, 3 mi NW of Fox Lake
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $20,000
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 43.600, -88.950

Thunderstorm Wind, Fond du Lac

When: August 26, 11:53 PM CST to August 27, 12:07 AM CST
Where: Fond du Lac County, 4 mi SSE of Eldorado
Measured: 65 kt (75 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $200,000
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 43.767, -88.600

Thunderstorm Wind, Fond du Lac

When: August 27, 12:05 AM CST
Where: Fond du Lac County, Ripon
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 43.833, -88.833

Thunderstorm Wind, Sheboygan

When: August 27, 12:39 AM CST
Where: Sheboygan County, 7 mi W of Cascade
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates: 43.667, -88.133

Thunderstorm Wind, Rock

When: August 27, 12:43 AM CST
Where: Rock County, 2 mi E of Beloit
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 42.517, -89.000

Thunderstorm Wind, Walworth

When: August 27, 12:50 AM CST
Where: Walworth County, 2 mi SW of Delavan
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) measured gust
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 42.617, -88.667

Thunderstorm Wind, Walworth

When: August 27, 12:55 AM CST
Where: Walworth County, 2 mi SW of Pell Lake
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $30,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 42.517, -88.400

Thunderstorm Wind, Kenosha

When: August 27, 1:00 AM CST
Where: Kenosha County, Twin Lakes
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 42.533, -88.250

Thunderstorm Wind, Kenosha

When: August 27, 1:10 AM CST
Where: Kenosha County, 1 mi W of Paddock Lake
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 42.583, -88.133

Thunderstorm Wind, Racine

When: August 27, 1:25 AM CST
Where: Racine County, Burlington
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 42.667, -88.267

What these are

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.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Wisconsin in 2004 Every state in 2004 This day in weather history Warnings in Wisconsin, August 2004

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: 5417910, 5417909, 5417911, 5417912, 5417917, 5417916, 5417915, 5417913, 5417914, 5417921, 5417918, 5417919, 5417920, 5417922, 5417923, 5417924.