A small convective complex produced thunderstorms with very heavy rain during the early morning hours around Wausau.
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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 GRB wrote it up.
A small convective complex produced thunderstorms with very heavy rain during the early morning hours around Wausau.
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 Green Bay, WI wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 14, 2:49 AM CST, 3 hours 11 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREEN BAY WI 349 AM CDT FRI AUG 14 2009 .SHORT TERM...TODAY THROUGH SATURDAY. MESOSCALE VORTICITY CENTER FROM CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY A FEW DAYS AGO WELL OUT TO OUR WEST WAS PRODUCING THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAINS AT 09Z TODAY. THIS ACTIVITY IS LARGELY NOCTURNAL...SO EXPECT IT TO DIMINSIH THROUGHOUT THE DAY AS SUNSHINE WARMS THE CLOUD TOPS AND THE LOW LEVEL JET WEAKENS. EXPECT HEAVY RAINS OVER MUCH OF CENTRAL WISCONSIN THROUGH MID MORNING WITH LIGHTER RAINS FURTHERN NORTH AND EAST. TEMPERATURES WILL BE LARGELY DEPENDENT ON HOW QUICKLY CLOUDS BREAK UP. LOWERED THE MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES A FEW DEGREES IN SOME PLACES. PATCHY FOG LIKELY TONIGHT AS SKIES CLEAR AND RECENT RAINS PUT MOISTURE IN THE BOUNDARY LAYER. SUNNY SKIES EXPECTED SATURDAY AS SOUTHERLY FLOW INCREASES AHEAD OF NEXT FRONT. .LONG TERM...SAT NGT THRU NXT THU. MEAN FLOW TO INITIALLY BE DOMINATED BY A SHRTWV TROF WHICH MOVS FROM THE ROCKIES NEWD INTO CANADA. THIS SYSTEM WL KEEP THE WEATHER OVER NE WI ON THE UNSETTLED SIDE. TOWARD THE MIDDLE OF NXT WEEK...AN UPR RDG BUILDS ALONG THE WEST COAST WHICH PLACES THE WRN GREAT LKS IN A NW FLOW ALOFT. TEMPS APR TO AVG NEAR NORMAL OVERALL. AN INCREASING LOW-LVL JET (PUSHING 50 KTS) WL TRANSPORT GULF MSTR NWD INTO THE UPR MIDWEST SAT NGT AND IMPINGE ON WRN WI DURING THE EARLY MORNING HRS. BETTER FORCING/INSTABILITY/LIFT TO REMAIN TO OUR WEST CLOSER TO THE BROAD SHRTWV TROF SITUATED OVR THE ROCKIES. QSTN REMAINS AS TO HOW FAR ANY PCPN CAN REACH OVRNGT? CURRENT INDICATIONS ARE THAT MOST OF THE PCPN WL REMAIN TO THE WEST OF THE FCST AREA WITH A MINIMAL CHC OF REACHING CNTRL WI BY DAYBREAK. HAVE INCREASED CLDS A BIT OVR CNTRL WI AND THIS WL HELP HOLD TEMPS IN THE 60S OVR ALL OF NE WI. AS A PIECE OF ENERGY LIFTS NE THRU THE NRN PLAINS AHD OF THE SHRTWV TROF ON SUNDAY...THIS WL HELP PROPEL A CDFNT EWD THRU THE UPR MIDWEST TOWARD WI. ONCE AGAIN...BETTER FORCING/LIFT/INSTABILITY ARE LOCATED TO OUR WEST. HOWEVER...WITH THE CDFNT MARCHING EAST AND WI GETTING INTO A MORE FAVORABLE PART OF THE UPR JET...EXPECT SHWRS/TSTMS TO GRADUALLY PUSH EAST AND IMPACT MAINLY NRN AND CNTRL WI BY SUNDAY AFTERNOON. WL NEED TO MENTION A SML POP EVEN TO THE LKSHR ALTHO MOST OF THE PCPN THERE SHOULD HOLD OFF TIL SUNSET. DUE TO CLDS/PCPN...WARMEST TEMPS ON SUNDAY TO BE PLACED OVR ERN WI. THE CDFNT PUSHES INTO CNTRL SECTIONS OF WI SUNDAY NGT AND WL BE THE PRIMARY FOCUS FOR ADDL SHWRS AND TSTMS ACROSS THE RGN. INSTABILITY AND MSTR WL BE IN PLACE...BUT THE LOW-LVL JET IS RATHER AVG (30 KTS) AND FORCING IS NOT VERY STG. NONETHELESS... HAVE RAISED POPS INTO THE LIKELY CATEGORY ACROSS CNTRL WI IN THE EVENING AND ERN WI AFT MIDNGT FOR NOW WITH TEMPS SIMILAR TO SAT NGT. THE SHRTWV TROF IS PROGGED TO LIFT NE FROM THE NRN PLAINS TOWARD SW ONTARIO ON MON. MEANWHILE...THE CDFNT WL BE ON THE VERGE OF CLEARING NE WI BY 00Z TUE. AS LONG AS THE FNT IS IN OUR VCNTY... HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO CARRY CHC POPS IN THE FCST WITH THE PRIMARY FOCUS OVR THE SE HALF OF THE FCST AREA. IF THIS FNT CAN GET A MOV ON...PARTS OF N-CNTRL WI MAY BE DRY ON MON. HAVE LOWERED MAX TEMPS A COUPLE OF DEGS DUE TO THE ANTICIPATED CLD CVR. THERE IS SOME MINOR MDL DIFFERENCES WITH RESPECT TO HOW FAST THE FNT WL PULL AWAY FROM WI MON NGT. THE GFS DVLPS A SFC WAVE (OR TWO) WHICH SLOWS THE FNT DOWN. NEITHER THE ECMWF...UKMET OR CANADIAN INDICATE THESE SFC WAVES...THUS HAVE GONE WITH THE MAJORITY AND ALLOWED THE FNT TO CLR WI MON NGT AND MOV TOWARD THE OHIO RIVER VALLEY ON TUE. THIS LEAVES A WEAK HI PRES OVR THE WRN GREAT LKS...THUS HAVE GONE DRY FOR BOTH MON NGT AND TUE. ATTN THEN SHIFTS TO THE NRN PLAINS/UPR MIDWEST ON WED WHERE ANOTHER SHRTWV TROF TO BE DROPPING SEWD. THERE REMAINS SOME DEBATE AMONG THE MDLS WITH THE STRENGTH OF THE TROF (ECMWF WEAK/GFS STG). A MORE PRONOUNCED DIGGING MAY SLOW THE ONSET OF PCPN...SO WL HAVE TO WATCH THE TRENDS IN THE COMING DAYS. && .AVIATION...THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAINS WILL MOVE ACROSS CENTRAL WISCONSIN THROUGH MIDDAY WITH LIGHTER RAINS FURTHER NORTH AND EAST IN THE AFTERNOON. DESPITE THE HEAVY RAINS CEILINGS AND VISIBILITIES WILL BE MOSTLY VFR AS THE RAIN IS FALLING FROM A MIDDLE CLOUD DECK. THERE WILL BE ISOLATED IFR CONDITIONS THOUGH TODAY. && .GRB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && RDM/KALLAS
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREEN BAY WI 642 AM CDT FRI AUG 14 2009 WIZ005-010>013-018>022-030-031-035>040-045-048>050-073-074-151145- VILAS-ONEIDA-FOREST-FLORENCE-NORTHERN MARINETTE-LINCOLN-LANGLADE- MENOMINEE-NORTHERN OCONTO-DOOR-MARATHON-SHAWANO-WOOD-PORTAGE- WAUPACA-OUTAGAMIE-BROWN-KEWAUNEE-WAUSHARA-WINNEBAGO-CALUMET- MANITOWOC-SOUTHERN MARINETTE-SOUTHERN OCONTO- 642 AM CDT FRI AUG 14 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST WISCONSIN. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT TORRENTIAL RAINS ARE EXPECTED THIS MORNING ACROSS PARTS OF CENTRAL WISCONSIN. THIS WILL CAUSE FLOODING OF SMALL STREAMS AND URBAN AREAS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY THUNDERSTORMS ARE LIKELY SUNDAY AFTERNOON OR SUNDAY NIGHT. THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE THAT SOME OF THEM COULD BE SEVERE. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE ASKED TO CALL IN REPORTS OF EXCESSIVE RAINFALL TODAY. LMZ521-522-541>543-151145- THE BAY OF GREEN BAY SOUTH OF A LINE FROM CEDAR RIVER MI TO ROCK ISLAND PASSAGE-LAKE MICHIGAN FROM WASHINGTON ISLAND TO SHEBOYGAN- 642 AM CDT FRI AUG 14 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST LAKE MICHIGAN AND THE WATERS OF GREEN BAY. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY THUNDERSTORMS ARE LIKELY SUNDAY NIGHT. THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE THAT SOME OF THEM COULD BE SEVERE.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREEN BAY WI 119 AM CDT FRI AUG 14 2009 WIZ030-035-140745- MARATHON-WOOD- 119 AM CDT FRI AUG 14 2009 ...TORRENTIAL RAINS EXPECTED IN PARTS OF WOOD AND WESTERN MARATHON COUNTIES... AT 113 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING THUNDERSTORMS WITH TORRENTIAL RAINS ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM 40 MILES WEST OF MEDFORD TO 5 MILES WEST OF ABBOTSFORD TO 10 MILES WEST OF SPENCER TO 30 MILES SOUTHWEST OF SPENCER TO 60 MILES WEST OF BABCOCK...MOVING EAST AT 15 MPH. IN ADDITION TO THE TORRENTIAL RAINS...WINDS AROUND 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS. THE STORMS COULD PRODUCE 3 INCHES OR MORE OF RAIN IN SOME PLACES. IF YOU LIVE IN A FLOOD PRONE AREA YOU SHOULD LISTEN FOR LATER UPDATES. RDM
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREEN BAY WI 633 AM CDT FRI AUG 14 2009 WIZ030-141215- MARATHON- 633 AM CDT FRI AUG 14 2009 ...TORRENTIAL RAINS WILL AFFECT HIGHWAY 29 BETWEEN WAUSAU AND EDGAR... ...URBAN FLOODING LIKELY IN WAUSAU THIS MORNING... AT 628 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WITH TORRENTIAL RAINS OF AN INCH OR TWO PER HOUR BETWEEN WAUSAU AND EDGAR ALONG HIGHWAY 29. THE TORRENTIAL RAINS WILL LIKELY CAUSE VERY POOR VISIBILITIES ON THE HIGHWAY...AND FLOODING OF STREETS AND UNDERPASSES IN WAUSAU FOR THE MORNING RUSH HOUR. PLEASE SLOW DOWN IN HEAVY RAIN AND DO NOT DRIVE ACROSS ROADS WITH STANDING WATER. RDM
The Green Bay radar (KGRB), 131 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 12:01 UTC.
1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Slow moving thunderstorms dumped 3 to 5 inches of rain between 4:00 am and 8:30 am in Wausau. Water approached the roof of cars and manhole covers were blown off by the force of the water. A storm spotter measured 5.00 inches of rain during the period.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Wisconsin in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in Wisconsin, August 2009
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: 185696.