A cluster of storms developed over Jefferson County and moved east through Waukesha and Milwaukee Counties. Scattered reports of powerful downburst winds were received.
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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 cluster of storms developed over Jefferson County and moved east through Waukesha and Milwaukee Counties. Scattered reports of powerful downburst winds were received. The storms were associated with a short-wave trough at 500 MB moving east through Wisconsin, with a 30 knot low-level jet at 850 MB. Surface temperatures were in the lower to middle 70s with surface dewpoints around 70.
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 Jul 7, 3:03 AM CST, 4 hours 42 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI 403 AM CDT MON JUL 7 2008 FORECAST FOCUS ON THUNDERSTORM CHANCES THROUGH TUESDAY. LATEST WATER VAPOR IMAGERY INDICATED A SHORTWAVE TROUGH OVER THE NORTHERN ROCKIES...WITH MAINLY ZONAL UPPER LEVEL FLOW DOWNSTREAM OF THIS FEATURE. ONE AREA OF CONVECTION OCCURRING AHEAD OF THIS FEATURE OVER THE DAKOTAS. AT THE SURFACE...A WARM FRONT WAS LOCATED FROM NORTHERN NEBRASKA EAST THROUGH CENTRAL IOWA AND CENTRAL ILLINOIS. OTHER AREAS OF CONVECTION OCCURRING NEAR THIS BOUNDARY...OR WITH A LOW LEVEL JET NOSE...OVER NORTHEAST NEBRASKA AND CENTRAL ILLINOIS BACK INTO SOUTHEAST IOWA. .SHORT TERM...TODAY THROUGH TUESDAY... FORECAST APPEARS A BIT MORE CLEAR THAN YESTERDAY. SURFACE WARM FRONT SHOULD ADVANCE NORTHEAST THROUGH SOUTHERN WISCONSIN THIS MORNING. UPWARD VERTICAL MOTION WITH THIS FEATURE...AND MORE SO WITH THE LOW LEVEL JET NOSE THIS MORNING...SHOULD RESULT IN SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING AND MOVING OVER THE AREA. ALREADY SEEING NEW DEVELOPMENT OVER CENTRAL AND EASTERN IOWA WITH THESE FEATURES. FORECAST SOUNDINGS SHOW THE 1000 J/KG OF CAPE IS ELEVATED. GIVEN PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES OF AROUND 1.80 INCHES AND SLOW MESO BETA ELEMENTS VELOCITIES...LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL WOULD BE POSSIBLE WITH ANY OF THE STORMS. A BREAK IN THE CONVECTION IS POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON...AS WARM SECTOR MOVES INTO THE AREA. CAPPING INVERSION POSSIBLE WITH THE WARM SECTOR...WHICH WOULD ALSO LIMIT CONVECTIVE CHANCES. WILL KEEP THE CHANCE WORDING FOR THIS AFTERNOON FOR NOW. THE BEST CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS STILL LOOKS TO BE TONIGHT...AS COLD FRONT MOVES INTO THE REGION. SHORT TERM MODELS HINTING AT A POSSIBLE MCS FORMING OVER MINNESOTA AND IOWA...MOVING NORTHEAST INTO WISCONSIN OVERNIGHT. SOME QUESTION AS TO THE EXACT AREA THAT WOULD BE AFFECTED BY THE MCS. IF AREA IS AFFECTED...HEAVY RAINFALL WOULD AGAIN BE POSSIBLE GIVEN THE LOW MESO BETA ELEMENTS VELOCITIES AND PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES AROUND 2.00 INCHES. GIVEN THE UNCERTAINTY WITH THE EXACT LOCATION OF THE MCS...WILL NOT MENTION HEAVY RAIN IN THE FORECAST FOR NOW. SEVERE WEATHER...MAINLY STRAIGHT LINE WINDS...WOULD ALSO BE POSSIBLE GIVEN THE UNIDIRECTIONAL SHEAR VALUES OF UP TO 35 KNOTS...WITH MEAN LAYER CAPES OF UP TO 1500 J/KG. ONE NEGATING FACTOR WOULD BE CAPPING INVERSION LIMITING SURFACE BASED STORMS. STILL...INCREASING LOW LEVEL JET TO 40 KNOTS SHOULD TAP INTO ELEVATED INSTABILITY. COLD FRONT TO MOVE OUT OF THE AREA ON TUESDAY...BRINGING CONVECTION CHANCES DOWN WITH IT AS THE DAY PROGRESSES. .LONG TERM...TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY... HIGH PRESSURE WILL MOVE ACROSS THE REGION FOR TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY...BRINGING GENERALLY QUIET WEATHER. DEVELOPING WARM FRONT AND WARM AIR ADVECTION MAY BRING SOME PRECIPITATION TO THE AREA ON THURSDAY...AND IN THE FAR NORTHERN PORTIONS OF THE AREA THURSDAY NIGHT. ADDED POPS FOR THESE PERIODS IN THE FORECAST. THEN...A GOOD CHANCE FOR A WARMING TREND FOR FRIDAY AND SATURDAY...WITH WARM AIR ADVECTION CONTINUING TO RAISE THE 1000/500MB THICKNESSES INTO THE UPPER 570S DKM RANGE. && .AVIATION... WEAK SURFACE BOUNDARY ACROSS CENTRAL WI WITH MAIN WARM FRONT ACROSS IA AND CENTRAL IL. GENERAL WARM AIR ADVECTION IN SOUTHWEST LOW LEVEL FLOW. AS MAIN SHORTWAVE MOVES ACROSS THE NORTHERN PLAINS TODAY AND REACHES THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY TONIGHT...THE LOW LEVEL JET WILL INCREASE AND AN MCS IS EXPECTED TO MOVE ACROSS SOUTHERN AND/OR CENTRAL WISCONSIN TONIGHT. UNSTABLE AIRMASS WILL INCREASE ACROSS SOUTHERN WI WITH OCCASIONAL SHOWERS AND SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS TODAY. MORE THUNDERSTORMS EXPECTED TONIGHT. AREAS OF MVFR CIGS WITH DEVELOPING CU THIS MORNING...WITH MAINLY VFR THIS AFTERNOON...ALTHOUGH MVFR CIGS/VSBYS WITH ISOLATED IFR CONDITIONS IN THUNDERSTORMS. GREATEST SEVERE THUNDERSTORM THREAT TONIGHT. && .MARINE... WINDS MAY APPROACH SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY CONDITIONS TONIGHT...AS SOUTHWEST WINDS INCREASE AHEAD OF A STRENGTHENING LOW OVER THE UPPER GREAT LAKES BY TUESDAY MORNING. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS TODAY...BUT MORE WIDESPREAD TONIGHT...WITH GREATEST WIND THREAT IN THUNDERSTORMS TONIGHT. && .MKX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WI...NONE. LM...NONE. && SHORT/LONG TERM...08/WOOD AVIATION/MARINE...06/HENTZ
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI 449 AM CDT MON JUL 7 2008 WIZ046-047-051-052-056>060-062>072-081500- MARQUETTE-GREEN LAKE-FOND DU LAC-SHEBOYGAN-SAUK-COLUMBIA-DODGE- WASHINGTON-OZAUKEE-IOWA-DANE-JEFFERSON-WAUKESHA-MILWAUKEE- LAFAYETTE-GREEN-ROCK-WALWORTH-RACINE-KENOSHA- 449 AM CDT MON JUL 7 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EAST CENTRAL WISCONSIN...SOUTH CENTRAL WISCONSIN AND SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THUNDERSTORMS ARE LIKELY TODAY AND TONIGHT. THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. THE PRIMARY THREAT WILL BE HIGH WINDS MAINLY TONIGHT...ALTHOUGH THERE IS SOME RISK OF HAIL...AND ISOLATED TORNADOES...MAINLY OVER SOUTH CENTRAL WISCONSIN. SOME STORMS MAY PRODUCE HEAVY RAINS...ESPECIALLY TONIGHT. SOME LAKES...RIVERS AND STREAMS REMAIN ABOVE FLOOD STAGE. MUCH OF THE ROCK RIVER IN SOUTHERN WISCONSIN CONTINUES TO EXPERIENCE MODERATE FLOODING...WITH PORTIONS STILL AT MAJOR FLOOD. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY THERE IS A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS TUESDAY...WITH A SLIGHT RISK SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS MAINLY OVER THE FAR SOUTHEAST...SOUTH OF A LINE FROM MILWAUKEE TO BELOIT. THERE IS A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS AGAIN SATURDAY AND SUNDAY. MUCH OF THE ROCK RIVER WILL REMAIN IN MODERATE FLOOD...HOWEVER RIVER LEVELS WILL CONTINUE TO SLOWLY FALL. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. LMZ643>646-081500- 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- 449 AM CDT MON JUL 7 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF LAKE MICHIGAN. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THUNDERSTORMS ARE LIKELY TODAY AND TONIGHT. SOME STORMS MAY PRODUCE WINDS IN EXCESS OF 35 KNOTS. WINDS AND WAVES MAY APPROACH SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY CRITERIA TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY THERE IS A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS TUESDAY...WITH A SLIGHT RISK SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS MAINLY SOUTH OF MILWAUKEE. THERE IS A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS AGAIN SATURDAY AND SUNDAY. HENTZ WWW.WEATHER.GOV/MKX
The Milwaukee radar (KMKX), 30 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 13:43 UTC.
2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Powerful thunderstorm winds knocked large branches out of several trees.
Powerful thunderstorm winds pushed over several large trees and knocked branches out of some trees. One tree fell on a home in Franklin (Milwaukee Co.) and resulted in minor damage.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Wisconsin in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in Wisconsin, July 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: 120114, 120118.