Scattered thunderstorms developed in south-central Wisconsin along a cold front during the early afternoon hours and pushed into southeast Wisconsin during the late afternoon hours. Some storms became severe producing damaging winds to around 60 mph, large hail, and vivid lightning.
Every event with a place to put it; 3 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.
Scattered thunderstorms developed in south-central Wisconsin along a cold front during the early afternoon hours and pushed into southeast Wisconsin during the late afternoon hours. Some storms became severe producing damaging winds to around 60 mph, large hail, and vivid lightning.
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 2, 1:46 PM CST, 54 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI 246 PM CDT WED AUG 2 2006 .DISCUSSION...FORECAST FOCUS IS ON CONVECTION THIS EVENING...THEN ON QUIET AND SEASONAL WEATHER THROUGH SATURDAY. MODELS ARE IN GOOD AGREEMENT WITH SYNOPTIC SITUATION THROUGH 84 HOURS. CDFNT WILL SAG THROUGH SOUTHERN WISCONSIN THIS EVENING...INTO NORTHERN ILLINOIS TOWARD MIDNIGHT. WILL GENERALLY FOLLOW WRF TIMING WHICH IS BETWEEN NGM AND GFS. EXPECT SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS TO INCREASE IN COVERAGE AND INTENSITY LATE AFTERNOON AND IN EVENING HOURS. ISOLATED SEVERE IS POSSIBLE WITH WET MICROBURSTS. PRECIPITABLE WATER AROUND 2 INCHES. DRY RIDGE BUILDS INTO CWA BEHIND CDFNT LATE TONIGHT AND THURSDAY. ALTHOUGH MODELS INDICATE ANOTHER SHORT WAVE ROTATING THROUGH CWA THURSDAY WITH RR QUAD 90KT H300 JET...COLUMN IS VERY DRY. WILL GO WITH ALL MODELS AND MOS GUIDANCE...AND KEEP THURSDAY DRY. RIDGE LINGERS OVER WISCONSIN THROUGH SATURDAY. COLUMN REMAINS DRY THROUGH THE PERIOD. SEASONAL TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED WITH COMFORTABLE DEW POINTS. && .MKX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI 332 PM CDT WED AUG 2 2006 WIZ046-047-051-052-056>060-062>072-031000- MARQUETTE-GREEN LAKE-FOND DU LAC-SHEBOYGAN-SAUK-COLUMBIA-DODGE- WASHINGTON-OZAUKEE-IOWA-DANE-JEFFERSON-WAUKESHA-MILWAUKEE- LAFAYETTE-GREEN-ROCK-WALWORTH-RACINE-KENOSHA- 332 PM CDT WED AUG 2 2006 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EAST CENTRAL WISCONSIN...SOUTH CENTRAL WISCONSIN AND SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THERE WILL BE SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS TONIGHT. THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. THE MAIN THREAT WILL BE DAMAGING WINDS. LARGE HAIL AND AN ISOLATED TORNADO IS POSSIBLE. THE VERY MOIST ATMOSPHERE MAY ALSO CAUSE LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN...WHICH COULD PRODUCE FLOODING PROBLEMS. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN UNTIL 11 PM CDT THIS EVENING. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE ACROSS CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN WISCONSIN THIS EVENING AND HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BECOME SEVERE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY THERE IS ALSO A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS SUNDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHT. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL LIKELY BE NEEDED TONIGHT. LMZ643>646-665-031000- SHEBOYGAN TO PORT WASHINGTON- PORT WASHINGTON TO NORTH POINT LIGHTHOUSE- NORTH POINT LIGHTHOUSE TO WIND POINT- WIND POINT TO WINTHROP HARBOR ILLINOIS- WISCONSIN ADJACENT OPEN WATERS OF LAKE MICHIGAN TO MID LAKE- 332 PM CDT WED AUG 2 2006 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF LAKE MICHIGAN. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THERE WILL BE SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TONIGHT. THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. THE MAIN THREAT WILL BE DAMAGING WINDS. LARGE HAIL AND AN ISOLATED WATERSPOUT IS POSSIBLE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY THERE IS ALSO A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS SUNDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHT.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI 239 PM CDT WED AUG 2 2006 WIZ046-047-051-052-056>060-062>072-022030- COLUMBIA-DANE-DODGE-FOND DU LAC-GREEN-GREEN LAKE-IOWA-JEFFERSON- KENOSHA-LAFAYETTE-MARQUETTE-MILWAUKEE-OZAUKEE-RACINE-ROCK-SAUK- SHEBOYGAN-WALWORTH-WASHINGTON-WAUKESHA- 239 PM CDT WED AUG 2 2006 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 673 HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR ALL OF SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN UNTIL 11 PM.... AT 235 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING FROM DARLINGTON...TO MADISON...TO BEAVER DAM...TO WEST BEND...AS WELL AS IN THE RIPON AREA. THESE STORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AROUND 40 MPH AND WILL AFFECT THE CITIES OF FOND DU LAC...SHEYBOYGAN...AND PORT WASHINGTON BY 4 PM. EXPECT HEAVY DOWNPOURS...FREQUENT LIGHTNING...AND WIND GUSTS TO 40 MPH TO ACCOMPANY THESE STORMS. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR FAVORITE MEDIA OUTLET THIS MORNING FOR POSSIBLE WARNINGS AND STATEMENTS. KRR/AFK
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI 315 PM CDT WED AUG 2 2006 WIZ046-047-051-052-056>060-062>072-022100- COLUMBIA-DANE-DODGE-FOND DU LAC-GREEN-GREEN LAKE-IOWA-JEFFERSON- KENOSHA-LAFAYETTE-MARQUETTE-MILWAUKEE-OZAUKEE-RACINE-ROCK-SAUK- SHEBOYGAN-WALWORTH-WASHINGTON-WAUKESHA- 315 PM CDT WED AUG 2 2006 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 673 CONTINUES IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF OF SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN UNTIL 11 PM.... AT 310 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING FROM DARLINGTON...TO EAST OF MADISON...TO WATERTOWN...TO WEST BEND...TO JUST SOUTH OF SHEBOYGAN. ANOTHER SHORT LINE OF SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDS FROM SOUTH OF RIPON TO ELKHART LAKE. BOTH LINES WERE NEARLY STATIONARY IN POSITION WHILE THE INDIVIDUAL STORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH. BY 4 PM...THE CITIES OF MONROE...TO FORT ATKINSON...TO OCONOMOWOC...TO MEQUON SHOULD BE AFFECTED BY THESE STORMS. EXPECT HEAVY DOWNPOURS...FREQUENT LIGHTNING...AND WIND GUSTS TO 40 MPH TO ACCOMPANY THESE STORMS. RAINFALL TOTALS OF ONE TO TWO INCHES AN HOUR WILL PRODUCE PONDING OF WATER TO THE TOP OF CURBS IN URBAN AREAS. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR FAVORITE MEDIA OUTLET THIS MORNING FOR POSSIBLE WARNINGS AND STATEMENTS. KRR/AFK
The Milwaukee radar (KMKX), 58 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:42 UTC.
5 thunderstorm wind, 2 lightning, 1 hail, 1 funnel cloud. Local standard time, as filed.
Trees down due to powerfule thunderstorm winds. One large tree branch damaged three parked vehicles in West Bend.
Trees and power-poles down.
Trees down.
Lightning struck a downtown Cedarburg building's chimney. The collapsed chimney then tore a hole in the roof, allowing rain water to run into the building and damage some contents.
Tree branches down.
Lightning struck a church steeple, setting it on fire. The remainder of the church building was saved.
Trees down.
A brief funnel cloud was witnessed at county roads A and W.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Wisconsin in 2006Every state in 2006This day in weather historyWarnings in Wisconsin, August 2006
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: 5532244, 5532246, 5532245, 5532252, 5532247, 5532248, 5532251, 5532249, 5532250.