The first widespread severe weather outbreak to affect south-central and southeast Wisconsin occurred on April 25th. 25 inches in diameter, a couple damaging, straight-line wind reports, two tornadoes in Columbia County, and scattered flash flooding due to heavy rains and traning thunderstorm cells.
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.
The first widespread severe weather outbreak to affect south-central and southeast Wisconsin occurred on April 25th. It consisted of mostly large hail up to 1.25 inches in diameter, a couple damaging, straight-line wind reports, two tornadoes in Columbia County, and scattered flash flooding due to heavy rains and traning thunderstorm cells. Additionally, lightning struck several buildings and started fires that left damage. Many power outages were reported thanks to tree branches snapping power lines, and up to 11,000 customers in southern Wisconsin lost power for varying time periods. Synoptically, low pressure over southeast Minnesota moved northeast with a trailing cold front. Just ahead of the cold front was found strong warm air advection and moisture advection associated with a low-level jet. Surface dewpoints poked into the mid to upper 60s ahead of the cold front while a favorable jet stream pattern existed aloft.
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 Apr 24, 1:08 PM CST, 3 hours 27 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI 208 PM CDT THU APR 24 2008 .SHORT TERM...FIRST ISSUE IS DEALING WITH PCPN THAT UP UNTIL NOW HAS BEEN STUCK ACROSS THE WRN CWA. VERY IMPRESSIVE DRY AIRMASS HOLDING GROUND ACROSS THE EASTERN CWA. LOWER AND MID 30 DWPNT AIR CONTINUES TO FEED IN FROM THE SOUTHEAST AROUND THE GREAT LAKES HIGH PRESSURE. BY CONTRAST...DWPNTS IN THE MID AND UPPER 50S IN OUR WRN CWA. THAT/S A VERY SHARP DWPNT GRADIENT. WV IMAGERY SHOWS THE ASSOC STRUNG OUT S/W FEATURE TO PROGRESS THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF SRN WI THIS EVENING. WITH SUCH DRY AIR IN PLACE THERE IS CONCERN THAT THE AREA WILL CONTINUE TO SHRINK IN SIZE AS IT MOVES EAST...LEAVING LITTLE TO FALL IN THE GAGES ACROSS THE FAR ERN CWA. ALL THE GUID BELIEVES IT WILL MEASURE IN THE EAST AND GIVEN WHAT IS OUT THERE...IT IS HARD TO BE A NON-BELIEVER. WILL CARRY HIGH POPS INTO THE EVENING...TAPER THEM OFF TONIGHT...THEN INCREASE AGAIN FOR FRIDAY. FRIDAY IS SETTING UP TO BE AN INTERESTING DAY. THIS IS AN EXTREMLY COMPLICATED EVOLUTION WITH MANY POSSIBILITIES. GUID CONTINUES TO RAISE CONCERN FOR THE POTENTIAL OF A SIGNIFICANT SEVERE WEATHER DAY ACROSS THE CWA. CHECKLISTS HERE PUT US IN THE MODERATE TO STRONG THREAT CATEGORY. BUT THIS IS LARGELY PREDICATED ON WHETHER WE CAN GET THE SUNSHINE INDUCED LLV INSTABILITY GOING. CLOUDS COULD KEEP A LID ON THINGS. CONVECTION UPSTREAM IN THE PLAINS WILL BE GOING STRONG OVERNIGHT. THE CANOPY/DEBRIS FROM THIS ALONG WITH POTENTIAL SCATTERED WAA SHOWERS AND STORMS IN THE WARM CONVEYOR BELT OVER OUR AREA COULD SPELL LOTS OF CLOUDS THAT MAY HAVE A HARD TIME SCOURING BEFORE THE CDFNT COMES THROUGH DURING THE AFTN/EVENING. IT APPEARS THE TIMING OF THE FRONT WILL BE SLOWER THAN WHAT WAS EXPECTED PREVIOUSLY. BOTH THE NAM AND THE GFS SHOW THE STRONG ASSOC MID LEVEL S/W JUST ENTERING THE AREA AROUND 06Z SAT. AND IT CONTINUES TO GO NEG TILT. THIS MAY HOLD BACK THE ARRIVAL OF THE SFC LOW/CDFNT A BIT LONGER. IF SO...IT WILL PROVIDE EVEN MORE TIME FOR THINGS TO CLEAN OUT AS MDT SRLY SFC WNDS DVLP IN TIGHT GRADIENT FLOW. FROPA AT KMSN LOOKS TO BE ABOUT 00Z SAT AND KMKE A FEW HOURS LATER. THIS COULD BE DELAYED A BIT MORE. THERE IS PLENTY OF SUPPORT FOR SEVERE STORMS IF THEY GET GOING. DEEP LAYER SHEAR CONTINUES AROUND 40KTS. H5 JET MAX AT 50KTS OVR THE FRONT...STILL HIGHER BACK TO THE WEST. SFC DWPNTS INCREASINGLY LOOK LIKE THEY COULD CONSOLIDATE INTO A RIBBON OF MID 60S JUST AHEAD OF THE FRONT. THEY AREN/T THAT FAR AWAY ATTM. COULD SEE POOLING DWPNTS ALONG ANY OLD OUTFLOW BNDRYS FROM THE OVERNIGHT AND MORNING CONVECTION...ALONG WITH SHARP DIFFERENTIAL HEATING ALONG SOME OF THESE BNDRYS THAT COULD ENHANCE THE LLV HELICITY. H7-H5 LAPSE RATES NEAR 8C/KM. SO...GIVEN THE UNKNOWNS WITH RESPECT TO WHAT HAPPENS TONIGHT AND EARLY TOMORROW IN THE PREFRONTAL ZONE OF SRN WI...IT IS INDEED COMPLICATED WITH INHERENT UNCERTAINTIES. STAY TUNED. IN THE EXTENDED...THE SUNDAY/MONDAY SYSTEM APPEARS TO HEADING MORE TO OUR SOUTH NOW. SATURDAY LOOKS DRY. THEN A DRY PERIOD FROM MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY. && .AVIATION...MAIN ISSUE FOR TAFS THIS PERIOD IS EXPECTED FLIGHT CATEGORIES WITH RAIN AREA THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS...AND WITH SCATTERED CONVECTION ON FRIDAY. AREA OF RAIN MOVING SLOWLY NORTH NORTHEAST TOWARDS KMSN...ASSOCIATED WITH SHORTWAVE/VORTICITY MAXIMUM. DRY AIR EAST OF THIS AREA KEEPING KMKE AND KENW DRY. WOULD EXPECT THE RAIN TO EVENTUALLY MOVE INTO KMSN BY 20Z...AND KMKE AND KENW BY 00Z FRIDAY. PREVAILING VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED...WITH SOME MVFR CONDITIONS MIXED IN AT TIMES THROUGH MID EVENING. MOIST LOW LEVELS MAY SUPPORT MVFR FOG AND CEILINGS AT KMSN OVERNIGHT...THOUGH CONFIDENCE IS LOW. SCATTERED CONVECTION POSSIBLE WITH WARM FRONTAL PASSAGE TOWARD DAWN...AND AGAIN LATER IN THE DAY WITH THE ADVANCING COLD FRONT. CONFIDENCE IS AGAIN LOW IN EXACT TIMING OF CONVECTION...SO WILL KEEP TAFS MAINLY IN THE VFR CATEGORY. && .MARINE...SURFACE PRESSURE GRADIENT TIGHTENS TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT WITH THE PASSAGE OF THE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM. HOWEVER...THIS WILL BE WORKING AGAINST THE COOLER BOUNDARY LAYER AIR OVER THE NEARSHORE WATERS. THIS WAS OBSERVED AT THE SOUTHERN MID LAKE BUOY...WITH WIND GUSTS LIMITED TO AROUND 17 KNOTS TODAY. FORECAST SOUNDINGS OVER THE WATER AND EVEN AT MILWAUKEE SHOWED THIS INVERSION LIMITING THE MIXING OF THE WINDS ALOFT...WITH WIND GUST MAGNITUDES JUST BELOW SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY CRITERIA. SO...WILL HOLD OFF ON THAT FOR NOW. BEST CHANCE APPEARS TO BE ON SATURDAY...WITH COLD AIR ADVECTION HELPING TO MIX DOWN STRONGER WINDS ALOFT. && .MKX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WI...NONE. LM...NONE. && SHORT/LONG TERM...05 AVIATION/MARINE...08
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI 419 PM CDT THU APR 24 2008 WIZ046-047-051-052-056>060-062>072-250945- MARQUETTE-GREEN LAKE-FOND DU LAC-SHEBOYGAN-SAUK-COLUMBIA-DODGE- WASHINGTON-OZAUKEE-IOWA-DANE-JEFFERSON-WAUKESHA-MILWAUKEE- LAFAYETTE-GREEN-ROCK-WALWORTH-RACINE-KENOSHA- 419 PM CDT THU APR 24 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EAST CENTRAL WISCONSIN...SOUTH CENTRAL WISCONSIN AND SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS ALL OF SOUTHERN WISCONSIN THIS EVENING...WITH A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS AFTER MIDNIGHT. THE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN BELOW SEVERE CRITERIA. SEVERAL RIVERS...INCLUDING THE FOX RIVER AND THE ROCK RIVER...WILL REMAIN ABOVE FLOOD STAGE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED FRIDAY AND FRIDAY EVENING. THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND EARLY FRIDAY EVENING ACROSS ALL OF SOUTHERN WISCONSIN. THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS COULD PRODUCE DAMAGING WINDS...LARGE HAIL AND ISOLATED TORNADOES. SEVERAL RIVERS WILL REMAIN ABOVE FLOOD STAGE THROUGH THE PERIOD. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED FRIDAY AND EARLY FRIDAY EVENING. LMZ643>646-250945- SHEBOYGAN TO PORT WASHINGTON WI- PORT WASHINGTON TO NORTH POINT LIGHT WI- NORTH POINT LIGHT TO WIND POINT WI- WIND POINT WI TO WINTHROP HARBOR IL- 419 PM CDT THU APR 24 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF LAKE MICHIGAN. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED THIS EVENING...WITH A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS AFTER MIDNIGHT. THE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN BELOW SEVERE CRITERIA. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY CONDITIONS MAY BE MET FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY...DUE TO BRISK WINDS AND HIGH WAVES. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED FRIDAY AND FRIDAY EVENING. THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND EARLY FRIDAY EVENING. THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS COULD PRODUCE DAMAGING WINDS...LARGE HAIL AND ISOLATED WATERSPOUTS. WOOD WWW.WEATHER.GOV/MKX
The Milwaukee radar (KMKX), 52 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:36 UTC.
26 hail, 5 lightning, 4 flash flood, 3 tornado, 2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Lightning struck the steeple of St. Stephen Catholic Church in Milwaukee, just south-southwest of Milwaukee Mitchell Field. The fire was contained to just the steeple and belfry area.
LIghtning struck a communications tower belonging to the Iowa County Sheriff Department. Radios and computer equipment were damaged. The time of this event is estimated, since the newspaper article indicated that the event occurred during the morning hours.
During the pre-dawn hours, lightning struck a telephone pole behind the Police Department, damaging an outdoor siren, and several pieces of computer equipment.
Actual location of this hail report was about 3.0ENE Green Corners.
This hail report came from an airfield.
Flash flooding washed out the gravel shoulders of roads and driveways and deposited tree branch and mud debris which temporarily closed Durwards Glen Road in the vicinity of the headwaters of a small creek near the county line.
Flash flooding due to heavy rains resulted in washed-out gravel shoulders and driveways on Durwards Glen Road along a creek that eventually crosses STH 78.
A long-tracked, partially rain-wrapped, tornado traveled through mostly rural areas of Columbia County and affected only a small portion of one village; otherwise property damage would have been more extensive. This tornado spun up about 2.75 miles east of Dekorra, just northwest of the intersection of STH 51 and CTH VJ, near Columbia Lake. It then tracked east-northeast through the far southeast reaches of the village of Wyocena, and crossed STH 22 just north of Patchin Road. It then moved through the intersection of CTH G and W. Hill Road, where the last structural damage to a couple barns and home occurred. Thereafter, this tornado tracked more northeast through rural areas (crossing STH 33 midway between Cunningham Road and Englehart Road), and eventually exited Columbia County just east of North County Line Road and Sterk Road. It continued for a few more miles through southeastern Green Lake County. Based on ground damage evidence, this tornado briefly lifted a couple times when it was north of STH 33. Most of the structural damage occurred south and southeast of Wyocena. Otherwise the rural damage consisted of uprooted trees or broken branches. At least two trained spotters video taped the tornado.
The Columbia County Emergency Management situation report indicated that 4 residential homes sustained minor damage, and 1 home suffered major damage. Additionally, 2 farm buildings had minor damage, 2 suffered major damage, and 3 were destroyed. The report estimated that private sector damage totaled about $550,000 (excluding electrical line damage). Public sector debris clearance totaled $3500, and protective measures totaled $1000. The Sheriff's Office had to close down 4 roads until power lines and trees could be cleared. Electrical line replacement is estimated at about $50,000. The lat-long pairs of numbers for this tornado segment in Columbia County include: N43.46179/W89.41637, N43.49223/W89.27809, N43.54813/W89.18491, and N43.63221/W89.06693. On the EF-scale, DI #1 (SBO) was used with a DOD of 6, for an EF-rating of EF1 and an wind estimate of about 100 mph (87 knots).
This brief tornado spun up about 3.85 miles west-southwest of the village of Wyocena just east of the intersection of Dunning Road and Patchin Road. It was captured in a video tape. Only some damage to tree branches was noted. The starting and ending lat-lon numbers are N43.47857/W89.37096 and N43.48060/w89.36700. On the EF-Scale, this tornado was given a rating of EF0, based on DI #27 (TH), DOD2.
Lightning struck the steeple of Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Portage, resulting in a fire. The event time is estimated, and the actual time could have been up to an hour or two earlier since other storms visited the area prior to 1630 CST.
This tornado segment is a continuation of a long-tracked tornado that spun up east of Dekorra in Columbia County and affected the Wyocena area. It entered Green Lake County at the intersection of North County Line Road and Proscarian Road (3.78 miles south-southwest of Manchester) and tracked northeast to a point 1.85 miles southeast of Markesan on the Grand River near the southwestern intersection of CTH A and CTH S. In Green Lake County, this tornado affected only rural areas, and only intermitent tree branch damage was noted in a NWS storm survey. The beginning and ending lat-lon numbers for this tornado segment in Green Lake County were N43.63221/W89.06693 and N43.69813/W88.95858. This segment was rated EF0 on the EF-Scale, based on a DI #27, DOD2, with winds of 65 mph (58 knots).
Powerful thunderstorm winds uprooted trees and flipped over lawn furniture.
Powerful thunderstorm winds uprooted trees and broken branches fell onto power lines. The end result was a power outage.
Lightning struck a home and resulted in a fire that extensively damaged the roof and 2nd story.
Heavy rains due to training thunderstorms resulted in brief flash flooding in Boltonville. There were gravel shoulder washouts and mud deposits on roads near Stoney Creek.
Heavy rains due to training thunderstorms resulted in brief flash flooding in on the northwest side of Waldo. There were gravel shoulder washouts and mud deposits on roads near a creek that feeds into Waldo Mill Pond. Water depths on roads were at least 6 inches.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Wisconsin in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Wisconsin, 2008Warnings in Wisconsin, April 2008
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: 107104, 107101, 97232, 97517, 94774, 94785, 94776, 94780, 94777, 94793, 94795, 94787, 94789, 94783, 94794, 94800, 94791, 97477, 97485, 94796, 94802, 94951, 94967, 94797, 94801, 107105, 94803, 97439, 94804, 94963, 94808, 94790, 94810, 94812, 94813, 94755, 94758, 107102, 97507, 97511.