Wisconsin, 2005

Damaging Winds in Wisconsin, August 4, 2005

August 4, 2005 · NWS MKX · 3 events in 2 counties and zones

A couple isolated thunderstorms became severe during the overnight hours across Iowa and Milwaukee counties, producing damaging winds which either toppled large trees or knocked tree branches down. ), causing car damage.

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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$20,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
3

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 couple isolated thunderstorms became severe during the overnight hours across Iowa and Milwaukee counties, producing damaging winds which either toppled large trees or knocked tree branches down. Large tree branches were knocked out of trees in the Humboldt Park area of Bayview (Milwaukee Co.), causing car damage.

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 4, 1:16 AM CST, 1 hour 14 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 4, 1:16 AM CST, 1 hour 14 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI
216 AM CDT THU AUG 4 2005

.DISCUSSION...FORECAST FOCUS ON CURRENT CONVECTION...THEN COOLER AND
DRIER AIR FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEK.

IN THE SHORT TERM...LATEST RUC SOUNDINGS AHEAD OF STRONG
CONVECTION OVER WRN WI INDICATES ELEVATED CAPE AROUND 2000 J/KG FOR
PARCELS TAKEN FROM 850-900 MB WITH CIN RANGING FROM 25-50 J/KG.
GUSTS FRONTS OF CURRENT CONVECTION SHOULD BE ABLE TO CONTINUE
MULTICELL ACTIVITY ACROSS ALL OF THE CWA THIS AM. MOST LOCATIONS WILL
SEE RAIN WITH SOME SCATTERED HEAVY TOTALS AROUND AN INCH POSSIBLE.

CAA GETS UNDERWAY BY AFTERNOON WITH CONSIDERABLE DRYING AS PWS
DROP TO AN INCH OR LESS VERSUS THE NEARLY 2 INCHES NOW. A WEST TO
NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT AND A HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE AT THE SURFACE WILL
THEN PREVAIL INTO AT LEAST SUNDAY. HIGH TEMPS NEAR NORMAL WITH COOL
OVERNIGHT LOWS IN THE 50S FOR MOST LOCATIONS.

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

&&

GEHRING
Hazardous weather outlook, Aug 3, 7:25 PM CST, 7 hours 5 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI
825 PM CDT WED AUG 3 2005

WIZ046-047-051-052-056>060-062>072-041100-
COLUMBIA-DANE-DODGE-FOND DU LAC-GREEN-GREEN LAKE-IOWA-JEFFERSON-
KENOSHA-LAFAYETTE-MARQUETTE-MILWAUKEE-OZAUKEE-RACINE-ROCK-SAUK-
SHEBOYGAN-WALWORTH-WASHINGTON-WAUKESHA-
825 PM CDT WED AUG 3 2005

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

.DAY ONE...OVERNIGHT

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE LIKELY AFTER MIDNIGHT AS A COLD FRONT
APPROACHES. THESE STORMS...HOWEVER...ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN BELOW
SEVERE LIMITS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY

THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE THURSDAY MORNING AND AGAIN NEXT MONDAY
AND TUESDAY. THE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN BELOW SEVERE
LEVELS.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED.

&&

DETAILED WEATHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE ON THE NWS MILWAUKEE
WEB-PAGE...WEATHER.GOV/MILWAUKEE     /LOWER CASE/

LMZ643>646-665-041100-
NORTH POINT LIGHTHOUSE TO WIND POINT-
PORT WASHINGTON TO NORTH POINT LIGHTHOUSE-
SHEBOYGAN WI TO PORT WASHINGTON-
WIND POINT TO WINTHROP HARBOR ILLINOIS-
825 PM CDT WED AUG 3 2005

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE WISCONSIN NEARSHORE WATERS
OF LAKE MICHIGAN.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE LIKELY AFTER MIDNIGHT AS A COLD FRONT
APPROACHES. THESE STORMS...HOWEVER...ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN BELOW
SEVERE LIMITS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY

THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE THURSDAY MORNING AND AGAIN NEXT MONDAY
AND TUESDAY. THE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN BELOW SEVERE
LEVELS.

&&

DETAILED WEATHER INFORMATION AVAILABLE ON THE NWS MILWAUKEE
WEB-PAGE...WEATHER.GOV/MILWAUKEE     /LOWER CASE/

The radar

The La Crosse radar (KARX), 104 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 08:31 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Iowa

When
August 4, 2:30 AM CST
Where
Iowa County, 5 mi NNE of Highland
Measured
56 kt (64 mph) estimated gust
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
43.117, -90.350

Thunderstorm Wind, Iowa

When
August 4, 2:45 AM CST
Where
Iowa County, 3 mi E of Mineral Pt
Measured
56 kt (64 mph) estimated gust
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
42.850, -90.117

Thunderstorm Wind, Milwaukee

When
August 4, 3:45 AM CST
Where
Milwaukee County, Milwaukee
Measured
56 kt (64 mph) estimated gust
Property damage
$20,000
Reported by
BROADCAST MEDIA
Coordinates
43.033, -87.967

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

More

Every storm in Wisconsin in 2005Every state in 2005This day in weather historyWarnings in Wisconsin, August 2005

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: 5475608, 5475609, 5475607.