Scattered severe thunderstorms developed ahead of a cold front during the afternoon of June 12. Thunderstorm winds estimated as high as 80 mph were reported, along with the touchdown of a brief tornado.
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 ARX wrote it up.
Scattered severe thunderstorms developed ahead of a cold front during the afternoon of June 12. Thunderstorm winds estimated as high as 80 mph were reported, along with the touchdown of a brief tornado. Trees and power lines were downed, while homes sustained little or no damage. Large hail was also reported in parts of central Wisconsin.
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 La Crosse, WI wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jun 12, 3:30 AM CST, 9 hours 15 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
430 AM CDT THU JUN 12 2008
.SHORT TERM...TODAY THROUGH SATURDAY
AT 4 AM...A COLD FRONT WAS LOCATED ACROSS THE EASTERN DAKOTAS.
THE DOPPLER RADARS CONTINUED TO SHOW A BROAD AREA OF RAIN AND
SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA...NORTHEAST
IOWA...AND WESTERN WISCONSIN. THE INFRARED CLOUD TOPS HAVE BEEN
GRADUALLY WARMING ACROSS SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA AND NORTHEAST IOWA
EARLY THIS MORNING. THIS IS A RESULT IN THE DECREASE OF THUNDERSTORM
ACTIVITY. HOWEVER THERE CONTINUES TO BE 35 TO 45 DBZ ECHOS MAINLY
BELOW THE FREEZING LEVEL. AS A RESULT...THIS EVENT HAS
TRANSITIONED CURRENTLY TO A HEAVY RAIN EVENT. MORE ON THIS CAN BE
FOUND IN THE HYDROLOGIC PART OF THIS AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION.
THE MAIN OTHER QUESTION TODAY AND THIS EVENING IS WHETHER THE
CURRENT PRECIPITATION WILL MOVE EAST OF THE AREA...THUS ALLOWING
THE POSSIBILITY THAT WE MAY SEE SOME RECOVERY LATE THIS MORNING
AND AFTERNOON. BOTH THE 12.00Z EASTARW4 AND EASTNMM4 AND THE
12.06Z NAM/WRF ARE HINTING THAT THIS POSSIBILITY MAY OCCUR AND
THERE WILL BE SOME REDEVELOPMENT THIS AFTERNOON. THE 12.06Z
NAM/WRF MEAN LAYER CAPE CLIMBS INTO THE 1500 TO 2500 J/KG RANGE BY
21Z THIS AFTERNOON. AT THE SAME TIME THE 0-6 KM CAPES WILL BE IN
THE EXCESS OF 50 KNOTS. THIS WILL BE SUFFICIENT FOR THE
DEVELOPMENT OF SUPERCELLS. THE GREATEST SEVERE WEATHER THREAT
LOOKS TO BE ACROSS EAST OF A WISCONSIN RAPIDS TO OELWEIN IOWA
LINE. THE SIGNIFICANT TORNADO PARAMETER AND 0-1 KN STORM RELATIVE
HELICITIES SUGGESTS THAT THERE COULD BE SOME TORNADO POTENTIAL.
IN ADDITION...THERE WILL BE A WIND AND HAIL THREAT. AGAIN THIS
HIGHLY DEPENDENT UPON WHETHER WE ARE ABLE TO BUILD SOME
INSTABILITY.
.LONG TERM...SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY
THE 12.00Z MEDIUM RANGE MODELS ARE IN VERY GOOD AGREEMENT THAT AN
UPPER LEVEL RIDGE WILL BE LOCATED ACROSS THE WESTERN UNITED STATES
AND UPPER LEVEL TROUGH ACROSS THE EASTERN UNITED STATES THROUGH
MUCH OF THIS FORECAST PERIOD. THE MODELS ARE INDICATING THAT
SEVERAL WAVES WILL BE MOVING SOUTHEAST INTO THE REGION. THE MODELS
ARE IN FAIRLY GOOD AGREEMENT THAT WE WILL SEE A CHANCE OF
PRECIPITATION FROM SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY...AND THEN THE
MODELS DIFFER ON WHETHER WE WILL SEE ANY PRECIPITATION. THE ECMWF
HAS THE AREA DRY EARLY NEXT WEEK. MEANWHILE THE GFS HAS
PRECIPITATION CHANCES ON MONDAY...AND FROM TUESDAY NIGHT INTO
WEDNESDAY. AS ALWAYS THE TIMING AND PLACEMENT OF SHORT WAVES IN
THIS TYPE OF FLOW IS NOT USUALLY HANDLED THAT WELL BY THE
MODELS...SO I WILL PASS ANY CHANGES ONTO THE DAY SHIFT.
&&
.AVIATION...TODAY AND TONIGHT
LARGE AREA OF STRATIFORM RAIN OCCURRING OVER THE REGION THIS MORNING
AHEAD OF THE SYNOPTIC COLD FRONT. MVFR CEILINGS PREVAIL IN THIS AREA
OF RAIN WITH MAINLY VFR VISIBILITIES. COULD BE SOME OCCASIONAL MVFR
VISIBILITIES IN THE AREAS OF HEAVIER RAIN. THIS AREA OF RAIN AND
MVFR/VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED TO PERSIST AT BOTH TAF SITES FOR A
WHILE THIS MORNING WITH THE EASTARW4 SHOWING THE RAIN PUSHING TO THE
EAST BY 15Z. THE SYNOPTIC SCALE COLD FRONT DOES NOT LOOK LIKE IT
WILL PUSH THROUGH THE TAF SITES UNTIL MID TO LATE AFTERNOON. ANOTHER
NARROW LINE OF SHOWERS COULD ACCOMPANY THE PASSAGE OF THE FRONT WITH
MVFR CEILINGS POSSIBLE. NOT MUCH OF A WIND SHIFT WILL OCCUR WITH THE
PASSAGE OF THE COLD FRONT GOING FROM SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST. VFR
CONDITIONS EXPECTED AFTER THE PASSAGE OF THE FRONT.
&&
.HYDROLOGY...TODAY AND TONIGHT
LAPS 12.07Z SHOWING WARM CLOUD DEPTHS JUST OVER 4 KM ACROSS
SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA AND NORTHEAST IOWA. THE 12.06Z RUC SHOWS THAT
THESE WARM CLOUD LAYER DEPTHS AND STRONGEST 850 MB MOISTURE
TRANSPORT WILL MOVE EAST INTO WESTERN WISCONSIN EARLY THIS
MORNING. IN ADDITION MOST OF THE HIGHER RETURNS ARE BELOW THE
FREEZING LEVEL. AS A RESULT...IT LOOKS LIKE WE HAVE TRANSITIONED
MORE TO A HEAVY RAIN EVENT. WITH THE MODELS IN A GOOD AGREEMENT
THAT THE HEAVIEST PRECIPITATION WILL END GENERALLY WEST OF AN
OSSEO WISCONSIN TO NEW HAMPTON IOWA LINE...I HAVE MOVED UP THE END
TIME OF THE FLASH FLOOD WATCH TO 1 PM THIS AFTERNOON. UP TO AN
INCH OF ADDITIONAL RAIN LOOKS POSSIBLE ACROSS DODGE AND MOWER IN
SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA...AND MITCHELL AND FLOYD COUNTIES IN NORTHEAST
IOWA. ONE TO TWO INCHES OF ADDITIONAL RAIN WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS
THE REMAINDER OF SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA AND NORTHEAST IOWA. MEANWHILE
WESTERN WISCONSIN MAY SEE BETWEEN 1 AND 4 INCHES THROUGH THIS EVENING.
THE GREATEST TOTALS LOOK TO BE ACROSS SOUTHWEST WISCONSIN.
&&
.ARX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WI...FLASH FLOOD WATCH UNTIL 1 PM CDT THIS AFTERNOON FOR WIZ032-
WIZ033.
FLASH FLOOD WATCH THROUGH LATE TONIGHT FOR WIZ017-WIZ029-WIZ034-
WIZ041-WIZ042-WIZ043-WIZ044-WIZ053-WIZ054-WIZ055-WIZ061.
MN...FLASH FLOOD WATCH UNTIL 1 PM CDT THIS AFTERNOON FOR MNZ079-
MNZ086-MNZ087-MNZ088-MNZ094-MNZ095.
FLASH FLOOD WATCH THROUGH LATE TONIGHT FOR MNZ096.
IA...FLASH FLOOD WATCH UNTIL 1 PM CDT THIS AFTERNOON FOR IAZ008-
IAZ009-IAZ018-IAZ019.
FLASH FLOOD WATCH THROUGH LATE TONIGHT FOR IAZ010-IAZ011-IAZ029-
IAZ030.
&&
SHORT AND LONG TERM - BOYNE
AVIATION - 04
HYDROLOGY - BOYNEHAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI 545 AM CDT THU JUN 12 2008 IAZ008-009-018-019-MNZ079-086>088-094-095-WIZ032-033-131100- BUFFALO-CHICKASAW-DODGE-FILLMORE-FLOYD-HOWARD-MITCHELL-MOWER-OLMSTED- TREMPEALEAU-WABASHA-WINONA- 545 AM CDT THU JUN 12 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PARTS OF SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA... NORTHEAST IOWA...AND WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE NORTHEAST ACROSS THE AREA TODAY. THE BEST CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL LIKELY OCCUR BEFORE 1 PM. NONE OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO BECOME SEVERE...HOWEVER...THEY WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING HEAVY RAIN. ADDITIONAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS WILL BE LESS THAN INCH WEST OF A MANTORVILLE MINNESOTA TO CHARLES CITY IOWA LINE...AND 1 TO 2 INCHES ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA...NORTHEAST IOWA...AND PARTS OF WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN. WITH GROUNDS ALREADY SATURATED AND RIVER LEVELS HIGH...ANY ADDITIONAL HEAVY RAINFALL COULD RESULT IN FLASH FLOODING AND FURTHER RIVER FLOODING. A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THIS AREA UNTIL 1 PM THIS AFTERNOON. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE FROM FRIDAY INTO MONDAY. AT THIS TIME...NO SEVERE WEATHER IS ANTICIPATED WITH THESE THUNDERSTORMS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED FOR TODAY OR TONIGHT. HOWEVER...RAINFALL AND FLOODING REPORTS WOULD BE APPRECIATED. .EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COORDINATION... NO CALL IS SCHEDULED. IAZ010-011-029-030-MNZ096-WIZ017-029-034-041>044-053>055-061-131100- ADAMS-ALLAMAKEE-CLARK-CLAYTON-CRAWFORD-FAYETTE-GRANT-HOUSTON-JACKSON- JUNEAU-LA CROSSE-MONROE-RICHLAND-TAYLOR-VERNON-WINNESHIEK- 545 AM CDT THU JUN 12 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PARTS OF SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA... NORTHEAST IOWA...AND WESTERN INTO CENTRAL WISCONSIN. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE NORTHEAST ACROSS THE AREA TODAY AND TONIGHT. IF ENOUGH INSTABILITY DEVELOPS THIS AFTERNOON...A FEW OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS MAY BECOME SEVERE. THE LOW LEVEL WINDS LOOK TO BE FAVORABLE FOR THE POSSIBLE DEVELOPMENT OF A FEW TORNADOES SOUTHEAST OF AN OELWEIN IOWA TO NECEDAH WISCONSIN LINE. IN ADDITION TO THE TORNADO THREAT...THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS...AND HEAVY RAIN. THE GREATEST LIKELIHOOD OF SEVERE WEATHER WILL BE FROM 2 PM THROUGH 8 PM. RAINFALL AMOUNTS THROUGH THIS EVENING WILL BE IN THE 1 TO 4 INCH RANGE. WITH GROUNDS ALREADY SATURATED AND RIVER LEVELS HIGH...ANY ADDITIONAL HEAVY RAINFALL COULD RESULT IN FLASH FLOODING AND FURTHER RIVER FLOODING. A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THIS AREA UNTIL 1 AM FRIDAY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE FROM FRIDAY INTO MONDAY. AT THIS TIME...NO SEVERE WEATHER IS ANTICIPATED WITH THESE THUNDERSTORMS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED BETWEEN 2 PM AND 8 PM THIS AFTERNOON. IN ADDITION...RAINFALL AND FLOODING REPORTS WOULD BE APPRECIATED. .EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COORDINATION... NO CALL IS SCHEDULED. BOYNE
The Quad Cities radar (KDVN), 120 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:44 UTC.
4 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
The top of a silo was blown off and a barn or shed was blown down along County Road O north of Dickeyville. Water was flowing over some nearby roads.
A brief tornado touched down 0.6 miles northeast of Union, or 0.2 miles north of the intersection of Town Hall Road and County Road AD. Winds were estimated at 70 to 80 mph. An enhanced area of tree damage occurred, with a few 18 inch diameter pines snapped off 15 feet above the ground. A nearby residence sustained little damage, although power lines were downed.
Winds were strong enough to push the rear of a spotter's sport utility vehicle two feet to the side.
Numerous tree branches were downed and some farm machinery was damaged. Lots of flooding was observed as well.
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, June 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: 97270, 97264, 97278, 97273, 97277, 113001.