Strong, gradient, west to northwest winds, on the back side of a low pressure system, raked parts of south-central and southeast Wisconsin during the afternoon hours of March 7, 2004. Scattered snow showers were associated with the strong winds.
Every event with a place to put it; 12 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
The episode as NWS MKX wrote it up.
Strong, gradient, west to northwest winds, on the back side of a low pressure system, raked parts of south-central and southeast Wisconsin during the afternoon hours of March 7, 2004. Scattered snow showers were associated with the strong winds. Peak gusts were in the 35 to 49 kt range (40-57 mph), resulting in numerous reports of tree limbs knocked out of trees and/or pushed onto power lines. A few vehicles sustained minor damage due to tree-branch debris.
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 7, 3:15 AM CST, 7 hours 45 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI 315 AM CST SUN MAR 7 2004 .DISCUSSION...FORECAST FOCUS ON WINDS TODAY AND THEN ON PCPN CHCS INTO MID WEEK. 30 UNIT VORT MAX PER RUC/WATER VAPOR PLOWING THRU CNTRL WI THIS MRNG. PCPN WITHIN CWA ASSOC W/TAIL OF VORT QUICKLY EXITING CWA...THO VORT ITSELF WRAPPING PCPN SEWD TOWARDS CWA...SO STILL ANOTHER SHOT OF PCPN YET THIS MRNG. CWA WILL THEN BE DRY SLOTTED. WILL HAVE A NE/SW GRADIENT OF POPS TODAY....ESP SEEING H7 LOW CLOSE OFF IN LWR MI WITH SECONDARY VV MAX ROTATE SEWD INTO NERN PTN CWA. AFTN SOUNDINGS MOIST IN LOW LAYERS AND PROGGD CAPE NEXT TO NIL. ON THE PLUS SIDE IS H5 COLD POOL COMING ACRS WITH OVERALL CYCLONIC FLOW AND DVLPMT OF E-W ORIENTED SFC TROUGH. HIGHS ARE BEING ESTABLISHED THIS MRNG WITH SLUG OF WAA AHEAD OF SFC LOW. WEST WINDS WILL USHER IN SLIGHTLY COOLER TEMPS. MAIN STORY TODAY LIKELY TO END UP BEING THE WINDS. IMPRESSIVE NVA AS SYS PULLS AWAY TODAY. ALL MODELS SHOW 50KT AT H8 WITH SOME 40KT PLUS WINDS BENEATH. BUFFY SOUNDINGS INDICATING A WELL MIXED COLUMN THRU ALMOST 4K. AT THE VERY LEAST WILL HAVE 20-35 WITH HIGHER GUSTS. WILL STICK WITH GOING FCST WRT PCPN ON MON. ETA AND GFS NOT THAT DIFF WRT TIMING OF FORCING. ETA MUCH SLOWER TO MOISTEN UP COLUMN THAN GFS...HOLDING OFF PCPN UNTIL MON NGT. ETA VV WOULD TEND TO FAVOR GFS QPF TIMING. H8 TEMPS/1000-H5 THICKNESSES FAVOR SN AS PCPN TYPE OF CHOICE...THO ETA SHOWING WARMER BL TEMPS...SO WILL KEEP IT AS EITHER/OR FOR NOW. YET ANOTHER CHC OF PCPN STILL ON TRACK FOR WED. && .MKX...WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE.
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI 500 AM CST SUN MAR 7 2004 WIZ046-047-051-052-056>060-062>072-081045- COLUMBIA-DANE-DODGE-FOND DU LAC-GREEN-GREEN LAKE-IOWA-JEFFERSON- KENOSHA-LAFAYETTE-MARQUETTE-MILWAUKEE-OZAUKEE-RACINE-ROCK-SAUK- SHEBOYGAN-WALWORTH-WASHINGTON-WAUKESHA- 500 AM CST SUN MAR 7 2004 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHERN WISCONSIN. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT WINDY CONDITIONS WILL BE SEEN ACROSS SOUTHERN WISCONSIN TODAY AS WEST TO NORTHWEST WINDS INCREASE TO 20 TO 35 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS. THERE WILL ALSO BE A CHANCE OF RAIN OR SNOW SHOWERS. LITTLE...IF ANY SNOW ACCUMULATION IS EXPECTED. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY THERE IS A CHANCE OF LIGHT SNOW MONDAY AFTERNOON AND MONDAY NIGHT. ACCUMULATIONS OF AN INCH OR LESS ARE EXPECTED...BUT UNTREATED ROADS MAY BECOME SLIPPERY. SCATTTERED SNOW SHOWERS ARE POSSIBLE LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS WILL NOT BE NEEDED TODAY AND TONIGHT. XX
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
12 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Wisconsin in 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyWarnings in Wisconsin, March 2004
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: 5389856, 5389857, 5389858, 5389859, 5389860, 5389861, 5389949, 5389950, 5389951, 5389952, 5389953, 5389954.