A strong cold front pushed into an unseasonably hot and humid airmass over south-central and southeast Wisconsin during the afternoon and evening, resulting in severe storms with damaging straight-line winds. Temperatures ranged from the mid 80s across south central Wisconsin to near record highs in the lower 90s across southeast Wisconsin.
Every event with a place to put it. 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.
A strong cold front pushed into an unseasonably hot and humid airmass over south-central and southeast Wisconsin during the afternoon and evening, resulting in severe storms with damaging straight-line winds. Temperatures ranged from the mid 80s across south central Wisconsin to near record highs in the lower 90s across southeast Wisconsin. There were primarily two areas that were affected by severe thunderstorms. A broken line of severe storms from Marquette to Dane County tracked east northeast into Dodge, Fond du Lac, Washington, and Sheboygan counties. This line produced damaging wind gusts from between 50 to 62 knots (58 mph to 71 mph). Tree and power line damage was reported across many areas affected by this line of storms. Another area affected by severe storms stretched from Rock county through Walworth, Waukesha, Milwaukee, and Ozaukee counties as one large supercell developed and tracked northeast along I-43. Several reports of damaging winds estimated in excess of 70 knots (80 mph) were collected from portions of Waukesha county. Widespread tree and power line damage was noted from Mukwonago through Brookfield. More sporatic tree and power line damage was reported across northern Milwaukee and southern Ozaukee counties.
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 Sep 13, 2:00 PM CST, 1 hour 45 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI 300 PM CDT TUE SEP 13 2005 .DISCUSSION...FORECAST FOCUS ON CONVECTION THIS EVENING...THEN ON QUIET WEATHER THROUGH FRIDAY. IN THE SHORT TERM...RUC/NGM/NAM/GFS PROGS IN VERY GOOD AGREEMENT WITH PROGRESSION OF COLD FRONT ACROSS CWA OVERNIGHT. MOIST UNSTABLE AIRMASS INTERACTING WITH APPROACHING COLD FRONT AND RIGHT REAR QUADRANT OF UPPER JET LOCATED OVER NORTHWEST WISCONSIN TO PROVIDE KEY INGREDIENTS TO MAINTAIN SEVERE STORMS EARLY TONIGHT. PROGS ALL END PRECIPITATION OVER CWA BY 12Z WHICH HAS BEEN A CONSISTENT FEATURE THE PAST 2 DAYS. IN THE FAR TERM...PROGS AGAIN IN VERY CLOSE AGREEMENT BRINGING SURFACE HIGH OVER STATE WEDNESDAY. THEN AS CENTER OF HIGH SLIDES EAST OF STATE PROGS DEPICT AN ENLONGATED SOUTHWEST TO NORTHEAST SURFACE RIDGE THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT OVER CWA. WITH ABSENCE OF MID/UPPER LEVEL TRIGGERS AND TIME CROSS SECTIONS SHOWING A DRY ATMOSPHERE AT ALMOST ALL LEVELS...WILL KEEP WEATHER OVER CWA QUIET THROUGH FRIDAY. && .MKX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && ZAJDEL
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI 1145 AM CDT TUE SEP 13 2005 WIZ046-047-051-052-056>060-062>072-141000- COLUMBIA-DANE-DODGE-FOND DU LAC-GREEN-GREEN LAKE-IOWA-JEFFERSON- KENOSHA-LAFAYETTE-MARQUETTE-MILWAUKEE-OZAUKEE-RACINE-ROCK-SAUK- SHEBOYGAN-WALWORTH-WASHINGTON-WAUKESHA- 1145 AM CDT TUE SEP 13 2005 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTH CENTRAL WISCONSIN...SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN AND EAST CENTRAL WISCONSIN. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS...THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING AS A COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH THE REGION. DAMAGING WIND OVER 60 MPH IS THE GREATEST THREAT...WITH LARGE HAIL ALSO POSSIBLE. THUNDERSTORMS WILL DIMINISH OR END FROM WEST TO EAST BY MID TO LATE EVENING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY THERE IS A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS AGAIN SUNDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHT. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL LIKELY BE NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON INTO THE EVENING. LMZ643>646-665-141000- NORTH POINT LIGHTHOUSE TO WIND POINT- PORT WASHINGTON TO NORTH POINT LIGHTHOUSE- SHEBOYGAN WI TO PORT WASHINGTON- WIND POINT TO WINTHROP HARBOR ILLINOIS- 1145 AM CDT TUE SEP 13 2005 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF LAKE MICHIGAN. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS...PRIMARILY LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING AS A COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH THE REGION. A DANGEROUS WIND OVER 35 KNOTS IS THE GREATEST THREAT...WITH LARGE HAIL ALSO POSSIBLE. THUNDERSTORMS WILL DIMINISH OR END FROM WEST TO EAST BY MID TO LATE EVENING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE NEXT TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY. IT IS TOO EARLY TO DETERMINE IF ANY OF THESE WOULD BE SEVERE. ZAJDEL
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI 207 PM CDT TUE SEP 13 2005 WIZ046-047-051-052-056>060-062>072-132115- MARQUETTE-GREEN LAKE-FOND DU LAC-SHEBOYGAN-SAUK-COLUMBIA-DODGE- WASHINGTON-OZAUKEE-IOWA-DANE-JEFFERSON-WAUKESHA-MILWAUKEE- LAFAYETTE-GREEN-ROCK-WALWORTH-RACINE-KENOSHA- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...MONTELLO...BERLIN...FOND DU LAC... SHEBOYGAN...BARABOO...PORTAGE...WISCONSIN DELLS...BEAVER DAM... WEST BEND...PORT WASHINGTON...DODGEVILLE...MADISON...JEFFERSON... LAKE MILLS...WAUKESHA...BROOKFIELD...MILWAUKEE...DARLINGTON... MONROE...JANESVILLE...BELOIT...ELKHORN...LAKE GENEVA...RACINE... KENOSHA 207 PM CDT TUE SEP 13 2005 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WEST OF WISCONSIN... WHILE MUCH OF SOUTHERN WISCONSIN CONTINUES TO BE VERY WARM WITH SOME INCREASE IN DEW POINTS NOTED...THUNDERSTORMS HAVE DEVELOPED ACROSS EASTERN IOWA ALONG AND AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT. THESE STORMS WILL CONTINUE TO BE MONITORED THIS AFTERNOON AS THEY DRAW CLOSER TO SOUTH CENTRAL WISCONSIN. IT APPEARS IT WILL BE AT LEAST 4 PM BEFORE THEY REACH LOCALES FROM SAUK TO LAFAYETTE COUNTY. COLLAR
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI 323 PM CDT TUE SEP 13 2005 WIZ046-047-051-052-056>060-062>072-132230- MARQUETTE-GREEN LAKE-FOND DU LAC-SHEBOYGAN-SAUK-COLUMBIA-DODGE- WASHINGTON-OZAUKEE-IOWA-DANE-JEFFERSON-WAUKESHA-MILWAUKEE- LAFAYETTE-GREEN-ROCK-WALWORTH-RACINE-KENOSHA- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...MONTELLO...BERLIN...FOND DU LAC... SHEBOYGAN...BARABOO...PORTAGE...WISCONSIN DELLS...BEAVER DAM... WEST BEND...PORT WASHINGTON...DODGEVILLE...MADISON...JEFFERSON... LAKE MILLS...WAUKESHA...BROOKFIELD...MILWAUKEE...DARLINGTON... MONROE...JANESVILLE...BELOIT...ELKHORN...LAKE GENEVA...RACINE... KENOSHA 323 PM CDT TUE SEP 13 2005 ...A FEW STORMS DEVELOPING ACROSS SOUTHERN WISCONSIN... THUNDERSTORMS WERE DEVELOPING WITHIN AN UNSTABLE AIRMASS ACROSS SOUTHERN WISCONSIN. THESE STORMS WILL AFFECT AREAS FROM WEST OF FOND DU LAC TO GREEN LAKE AND MARQUETTE COUNTIES. ANOTHER AREA OF DEVELOPMENT WAS SOUTHWEST OF MADISON FROM SOUTHWEST DANE COUNTY INTO IOWA AND LAFAYETTE COUNTIES. AT THIS TIME THE MOST INTENSE STORMS WERE CONCENTRATED IN WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN. THESE STORMS WERE MOVING MORE IN A NORTHEAST DIRECTION. RESIDENTS SHOULD BE ALERT FOR THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT ACROSS SOUTHERN WISCONSIN DURING THE REST OF THIS AFTERNOON AND INTO THE EVENING HOURS. THERE ARE NO WATCHES OR WARNINGS IN EFFECT HOWEVER ALL OF SOUTHERN WISCONSIN HAS BEEN PLACED IN A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. COLLAR
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI 400 PM CDT TUE SEP 13 2005 WIZ046-047-051-052-056>060-062>072-132300- MARQUETTE-GREEN LAKE-FOND DU LAC-SHEBOYGAN-SAUK-COLUMBIA-DODGE- WASHINGTON-OZAUKEE-IOWA-DANE-JEFFERSON-WAUKESHA-MILWAUKEE- LAFAYETTE-GREEN-ROCK-WALWORTH-RACINE-KENOSHA- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...MONTELLO...BERLIN...FOND DU LAC... SHEBOYGAN...BARABOO...PORTAGE...WISCONSIN DELLS...BEAVER DAM... WEST BEND...PORT WASHINGTON...DODGEVILLE...MADISON...JEFFERSON... LAKE MILLS...WAUKESHA...BROOKFIELD...MILWAUKEE...DARLINGTON... MONROE...JANESVILLE...BELOIT...ELKHORN...LAKE GENEVA...RACINE... KENOSHA 400 PM CDT TUE SEP 13 2005 ...THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO DEVELOP ACROSS SOUTHERN WISCONSIN... SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED TO DEVELOP AND HAVE BEEN SHOWING SOME SIGNS OF STRENGTHENING. THESE STORMS EXTENDED FROM SAUK THROUGH IOWA TO LAFAYETTE COUNTIES. THESE STORMS WERE MOVING RAPIDLY NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH. BETWEEN 4 PM AND 5 PM LOOK FOR THESE STORMS TO CONTINUE MOVING ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL WISCONSIN....WITH THE STRONGEST STORMS HEADED FOR NORTHWEST DANE...SAUK AND WESTERN COLUMBIA COUNTIES. EXPECT WINDS UP TO 40 MPH AND POSSIBLY SOME SMALL HAIL AS THESE STORMS MOVE THROUGH. COLLAR
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI 432 PM CDT TUE SEP 13 2005 WIZ046-047-051-052-056>060-062>072-132345- MARQUETTE-GREEN LAKE-FOND DU LAC-SHEBOYGAN-SAUK-COLUMBIA-DODGE- WASHINGTON-OZAUKEE-IOWA-DANE-JEFFERSON-WAUKESHA-MILWAUKEE- LAFAYETTE-GREEN-ROCK-WALWORTH-RACINE-KENOSHA- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...MONTELLO...BERLIN...FOND DU LAC... SHEBOYGAN...BARABOO...PORTAGE...WISCONSIN DELLS...BEAVER DAM... WEST BEND...PORT WASHINGTON...DODGEVILLE...MADISON...JEFFERSON... LAKE MILLS...WAUKESHA...BROOKFIELD...MILWAUKEE...DARLINGTON... MONROE...JANESVILLE...BELOIT...ELKHORN...LAKE GENEVA...RACINE... KENOSHA 432 PM CDT TUE SEP 13 2005 ...THUNDERSTORMS SWEEPING THROUGH SOUTH CENTRAL WISCONSIN... A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS FROM BARABOO TO NEAR MADISON WILL CONTINUE TO RACE NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH. BETWEEN 430 PM AND 515 PM THE STORMS WILL SHIFT EAST THROUGH DANE...COLUMBIA AND MARQUETTE COUNTIES. THE STORMS WILL ALSO REACH GREEN LAKE COUNTY. SO FAR ONLY PEA SIZE HAIL HAS BEEN REPORTED WITH THESE STORMS. NO WIND REPORTS HAVE BEEN RECEIVED THUS FAR...BUT SINCE THE STORMS HAVE EVOLVED INTO MORE INTO A LINE...IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THESE STORMS COULD GENERATE WINDS OF 30 TO 40 MPH. RAINFALL RATES OF 1/4 TO 3/4 OF AN INCH PER HOUR ARE LIKELY WITH THIS LINE OF STORMS. COLLAR
The Milwaukee radar (KMKX), 87 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:45 UTC.
42 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Large trees and road signs down.
A one foot diameter tree fell onto a house, damaging the roof and attic.
A tree fell onto a chicken house.
Powerful thunderstorm winds toppled a tree, which fell onto a car, injuring one person.
There were widespread reports of trees and powerlines toppled across Waukesha County. Law enforcement reported a measured gust of 58 knots (67 mph) around the city of Waukesha. Trained spotters estimated wind gusts of 70 to 74 knots (80 to 85 mph) embedded within the larger area of damaging winds between just south of Waukesha through Brookfield.
Widespread large trees down. Measured peak gust on UW-Milwaukee campus.
Measured by the Fox TV-6 school network site at UW-Milwaukee. Large tree branches down.
Large picnic table and chairs scattered and thrown 20 feet by wind gusts, and large trees down.
Measured by the Fox TV-6 school network site at North High School.
A barn door was blown off and items were blown out of the barn.
Measured by the Fox TV-6 school network site at Kettle Moraine High School.
Large trees and power lines down.
Trees blown over.
Trees and power lines were blown down and a few houses sustained some minor damage.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Wisconsin in 2005Every state in 2005This day in weather historyWarnings in Wisconsin, September 2005
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: 5474601, 5474602, 5474708, 5474515, 5474520, 5474519, 5474516, 5474517, 5474610, 5474518, 5474603, 5474605, 5474604, 5474607, 5474612, 5474606, 5474609, 5474613, 5474608, 5474614, 5474616, 5474617, 5474615, 5474622, 5474618, 5474611, 5474619, 5474626, 5474620, 5474621, 5474624, 5474700, 5474698, 5474701, 5474702, 5474623, 5474625, 5474699, 5474705, 5474703, and more.