Thunderstorms developed along a cold front and moved over central Wisconsin in the evening hours of June 12th. Lightning from the thunderstorms struck an oak tree and killed a dozen cows in rural Juneau County.
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.
Thunderstorms developed along a cold front and moved over central Wisconsin in the evening hours of June 12th. Lightning from the thunderstorms struck an oak tree and killed a dozen cows in rural Juneau County.
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 11, 2:11 PM CST, 2 hours 19 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI 311 PM CDT FRI JUN 11 2010 .SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT FORECAST SCENARIO REMAINS COMPLEX THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT...WITH FORECAST FOR ONE PERIOD CONTINGENT ON WHAT TRANSPIRES IN THE PERIOD OR TWO BEFORE IT. MAIN FORECAST CONCERNS THIS CYCLE...SEVERE POTENTIAL LATE THIS AFTERNOON/EVENING...SHRA/TSRA CHANCES TONIGHT THRU MON NIGHT. DATA ANALYSIS AT 18Z HAD A WAVE OF LOW PRESSURE OVER THE FORECAST AREA WITH A TRAILING TROUGH/FRONTAL BOUNDARY SOUTHWEST TO NEAR OMAHA. CONVECTION FROM THIS MORNING WAS ALREADY EAST/NORTH OF WI. VIS IMAGERY/SFC OBS SHOWED PARTIAL CLEARING ACROSS THE SOUTH HALF OF THE REGION IN THE WAKE OF THIS MORNINGS TSRA. PARTIAL CLEARING ALLOWING TEMPS/DEW POINTS...HUMIDITY/INSTABILITY TO RECOVER AND BUILD ALONG/SOUTH OF THE LOW AND FRONTAL BOUNDARY. TEMPS THESE AREAS IN THE UPPER 70S/LOW 80S WITH DEW POINTS AROUND 70F...WITH SFC BASED CAPES BUILDING TO AS MUCH AS 1.5K TO 3K J/KG SOUTH OF THE LOW AND FRONT. NO BIG ERRORS NOTED WITH 11.12Z MODEL INITIALIZATIONS. SOLUTIONS REASONABLY SIMILAR AT THE SYNOPTIC SCALE BUT DIFFERENCES CONTINUE AT THE SMALLER/CONVECTIVE SCALES...MAKING FOR DIFFERENCES IN THE SENSIBLE WEATHER OUTCOME AND LOWERED FCST CONFIDENCE ALMOST RIGHT FROM THE START. DPROG/DT OF 500MB HGTS AT 11.12Z SHOWED MODEL RUNS OF 09.12Z AND 10.12Z VERIFIED REASONABLY WELL ACROSS NOAM...WITH BETTER RUN-TO-RUN CONSISTENCY TO ECMWF...ESPECIALLY WITH THE WESTERN CONUS TROUGH. MODEL TREND TOWARD A CONSENSUS OF THEIR EARLIER RUNS THRU 36HRS...WITH RUN-TO-RUN CONSISTENCY SIMILAR AMONG ALL MODELS. SOME DIFFERENCES WITH THE TIMING OF SHORTWAVE ENERGY INTO/ACROSS THE AREA LATE TONIGHT/SAT. TREND TOWARD A COMPROMISE SOLUTION CONTINUES IN THE 36-60HR PERIOD AS A PORTION OF THE WESTERN CONUS TROUGH BEGINS TO EJECT NORTHEAST. FOR 60-84HRS MODELS CONVERGING TOWARD A SOLUTION SIMILAR TO EARLIER ECMWF RUNS AS THE TROUGH/ ENERGY LIFTS INT OTHER NORTHERN PLAINS...GFS/NAM REMAIN A BIT MORE PROGRESSIVE THAN THE OTHERS. CHECK OF OBS VS. MODEL DATA AT 18Z SHOWED WERE GENERALLY GOOD WITH THE SFC MASS FIELDS ACROSS THE CENTRAL CONUS...BUT ALL WERE A BIT WEAK/TOO FAR WEST WITH THE SFC LOW OVER THE FCST AREA. PER WV IMAGERY...GEM/NAM/ECMWF BETTER WITH THEIR DEPICTIONS OF THE SHORTWAVE OVER THE REGION THIS MORNING AND WITH WITH THE 12Z-18Z PRECIP OVER THE REGION...VS. GFS. OVERALL... FAVORED A MODEL/ENSEMBLE CONSENSUS TONIGHT THRU SAT NIGHT...THEN FAVORED A MODEL BLEND WEIGHTED TOWARD ECMWF FOR SUN THRU MON NIGHT. GIVEN THE DIFFERNCES...MODEL/ENSEMBLE SPREAD EARLY ON...SHORT-TERM FCST CONFIDENCE REMAINS ON THE LOW SIDE THIS CYCLE. FOR THE SHORT TERM...UNSTABLE AIRMASS IN PLACE ALONG/SOUTH OF THE LOW FRONT AT MID AFTERNOON. QUESTION IS WHEN WILL LOWER LEVEL CONVERGENCE ALONG THE FRONT/NEAR THE LOW OVERCOME THE CAPPING. LOWER RESOLUTION MODELS LEAN TOWARD THE CAP HOLDING WHILE HIGH- RESOLUTION LOCAL/REGIONAL WRF MODELS INDICATE CONVECTION TO DEVELOP ALONG THE BOUNDARY LATE THIS AFTERNOON...THEN DROP SOUTH THRU THE FCST AREA THIS EVENING. HIGH-RESOLUTIONS MODELS TENDED TO BETTER CAPTURE THE DETAIL OF THE CONVECTIVE COMPLEX THAT ROLLED ACROSS THE REGION THIS MORNING...SO HAVE TO SIDE WITH THEM ON THE DETAILS OF CONVECTION ALONG THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY LATE THIS AFTERNOON/EVENING. RAISED RAIN CHANCE TO LIKELY FOR A PORTION OF THE FCST AREA THIS EVENING. THOUGH HEALTHY CAPE IN PLACE SOUTH OF THE LOW/FRONT... MODELS INDICATE ONLY AROUND 20KTS OF 0-6KM BULK SHEAR OVER THE SOUTH HALF OF THE FCST AREA BY 00Z THIS EVENING. SEVERE RISK FOR LATE THIS AFTERNOON/EVENING APPEARS SHORT LIVED. SEE SWODY1 FOR MORE DETAILS. NEXT PIECES OF SHORTWAVE ENERGY EJECT OUT OF THE WESTERN TROUGH AND ACROSS THE CENTRAL PLAINS TONIGHT. MODELS LESS CONSISTENT WITH THE LOW LEVEL JET/MOISTURE TRANSPORT DEVELOPMENT IN THE PLAINS TONIGHT...BUT GIVEN THE SHORTWAVE SUPPORT ALOFT...APPEARS ANOTHER CONVECTIVE COMPLEX DUE TO DEVELOP IN THE KS/NEB AREA LATER TONIGHT...THEN LIFT NORTHEAST TOWARD THE AREA TOWARD SAT MORNING. WITH FURTHER SOUTH START OF THIS POTENTIAL COMPLEX AND TREND THE PAST COUPLE NIGHTS FOR THEM TO TRACK FURTHER SOUTH THAN DEPICTED BY MODELS...ONLY CARRIED A 50-60 PERCENT SHRA/TSRA CHANCE OVER THE SOUTHWEST HALF OF THE FCST AREA. WITH UNCERTAINTIES OF TRACK OF TONIGHTS CONVECTIVE COMPLEX AND FRONTAL BOUNDARY HAVING SAGGED SOUTH OF THE AREA...LEFT RAIN CHANCE SAT IN THE 40-50 PERCENT RANGE. LEFT RAIN CHANCES SAT NIGHT IN THE 30-50 PERCENT RANGE GIVEN UNCERTAINTIES OF NEXT SHORTWAVE ENERGY LIFTING OUT OF THE TROUGH. BY SUNDAY...BIT BETTER MODEL CONSENSUS FOR A STRONGER SHORTWAVE TO CROSS THE REGION...HOWEVER LOWER LEVEL THERMO-DYNAMIC FORCING APPEARS WEAK BUT DID ADD MORE OF A SMALL -SHRA/TSRA CHANCE TO THE SOUTHWEST PART OF THE FCST AREA FOR SUN AFTERNOON. ADDED A SMALL -SHRA/TSRA CHANCE TO THE THE SOUTH HALF OF THE FCST AREA FOR SUN NIGHT WITH CONSISTENCY OF ECMWF SHOWING A PORTION OF THE WESTERN TROUGH BEGINNING TO EJECT INTO THE CENTRAL/NORTHERN PLAINS. INCREASING MID/UPPER LEVEL DYNAMICS SPREAD ACROSS THE AREA FOR MON/MON NIGHT...WITH A SLOW INCREASE OF LOWER LEVEL THERMO-DYNAMIC FORCING AS THE NEXT WAVE OF SFC LOW PRESSURE TRACKS INTO THE MID MS VALLEY. CONTINUED THE 30 PERCENT SHRA/TSRA CHANCES FOR MON/MON NIGHT. WITH THE MOIST AIRMASS IN PLACE ACROSS THE AREA...NUMERICAL GUIDANCE LOWS LOOK TO BE A CATEGORY OR TWO TOO COOL TONIGHT. FAVORED WARMER OF GUIDANCE HIGHS FOR SAT...AS SHOULD SEE AT LEAST A LITTLE SUNSHINE MUCH LIKE TODAY. TRENDED TOWARD A BLEND OF GUIDANCE VALUES FOR LOWS/HIGHS FOR SAT NIGHT THRU MON NIGHT. .LONG TERM...TUESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY 11.00Z MEDIUM RANGE MODELS IN MODEST AGREEMENT ON TUE AS THE REMNANTS OF THE SOUTHWEST CONUS LOW ARE EJECTED NORTHEAST ACROSS THE REGION...A BIT FLATTER/WEAKER THAN THE 10.00Z RUNS. 11.06Z GFS TRENDS TOWARD AN ANOMALOUS STRONG UPPER LOW OVER EASTERN IA/SOUTHERN WI ON TUE. BETTER MODEL CONSENSUS FOR SHORTWAVE RIDGING TO BUILD ACROSS THE REGION WED...WITH A TREND TOWARD STRONGER TROUGHING INTO THE WESTERN CONUS. RUN-TO-RUN CONSISTENCY CONTINUES TO SUFFER THOUGH. LITTLE BETTER CONSISTENCY SEEN IN THE THU/FRI TIME-FRAME AS THE WESTERN CONUS TROUGH OR A PORTION OF IT PROGRESSES INTO THE NORTH-CENTRAL CONUS. MODELS SHOW REASONABLE CONSISTENCY WITH THEIR 10.00Z RUNS THU/FRI...ECMWF REMAINING FASTER EJECTING THE TROUGH NORTHEAST...GFS SLOWER. WITH THE MODEL DIFFERENCES...LONG-TERM FCST CONFIDENCE REMAINS ON THE LOW SIDE. OVERALL...PREFERRED A MODEL/ ENSEMBLE BLEND. WITH THE UPPER TROUGH REMNANT EJECTING NORTHEAST ACROSS THE REGION TUE...CONTINUED A 20 TO 30 PERCENT -SHRA/TSRA CHANCE TUE/TUE NIGHT. WITH SOME CONSENSUS FOR THE SHORTWAVE RIDGING ALOFT BUILDING ACROSS THE REGION FOR WED...REMOVED RAIN CHANCE FROM WED. FAVORING THE MODEL/ENSEMBLE CONSENSUS...NEXT TROUGH/SHORTWAVE ENERGY MOVES EAST ALONG THE US/CAN BORDER THU/FRI AND EVENTUALLY DRAGS A COLD FRONT INTO/ACROSS THE AREA INTO WHAT SHOULD BE A MOIST/UNSTABLE AIRMASS. 30 TO 40 PERCENT CHANCE OF SHRA/TSRA THU/FRI REASONABLE FOR NOW GIVEN SOME BETTER ECMWF/ENSEMBLE CONSENSUS ON DAYS 6/7. ONCE AGAIN...GENERALLY FAVORED A BLEND OF THE GFS MEX/ENSEMBLE MOS AND HPC GUIDANCE FOR HIGHS/LOWS THRU THE PERIOD... WHICH AIDS IN CONTINUITY WITH PREVIOUS FCST GRID-SET. && .AVIATION...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT MAIN FORECAST CONCERNS ARE ON THIS AFTERNOONS CHANCES FOR THUNDERSTORMS AND THEN AN IFR CLOUD DECK THAT IS EXPECTED TO MOVE IN ACROSS THE REGION TONIGHT. THIS MORNINGS COMPLEX OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS HAS MOVED OFF TO THE EAST INTO THE GREAT LAKES AND IN ITS WAKE IT HAS LEFT SOME HIGH LEVEL CLOUD COVER TO CONTEND WITH. A WARM FRONT WILL LIFT NORTHWARD ACROSS SOUTHERN WISCONSIN THIS AFTERNOON AS A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM TRACKS FROM SOUTHERN MINNESOTA INTO CENTRAL WISCONSIN. THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO REDEVELOP LATER THIS AFTERNOON...BUT CONFIDENCE WAS NOT HIGH ENOUGH AT THIS POINT TO PUT A MENTION OF THEM INTO THE TAFS AT LSE OR RST GIVEN THAT THE BEST INSTABILITY IS EXPECTED TO BE OFF TO THE SOUTHEAST. SOME OF THE FORECAST GUIDANCE IS ALSO SUGGESTING THAT A LINE OF STORMS WILL ROLL THROUGH THE REGION LATER THIS EVENING...BUT AM NOT CONVINCED AT THIS POINT THAT THIS WILL HAPPEN. AS THIS SYSTEM MOVES OFF TO THE EAST...A LOW END MVFR TO IFR CEILINGS ARE EXPECTED TO MOVE IN AS THE WIND SHIFTS AROUND TO THE NORTHWEST TO NORTH. THESE CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO PERSIST OVERNIGHT INTO THE MORNING ON SATURDAY BEFORE LIFTING BACK TO MVFR OR HIGHER FOR THE REST OF THE DAY. && .ARX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WI...NONE. MN...NONE. IA...NONE. && SHORT/LONG TERM...RRS AVIATION..........HALBACH
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI 1137 AM CDT FRI JUN 11 2010 IAZ008>011-018-019-029-030-MNZ079-086>088-094>096-WIZ017-029-032>034- 041>044-053>055-061-121100- ADAMS-ALLAMAKEE-BUFFALO-CHICKASAW-CLARK-CLAYTON-CRAWFORD-DODGE- FAYETTE-FILLMORE-FLOYD-GRANT-HOUSTON-HOWARD-JACKSON-JUNEAU-LA CROSSE- MITCHELL-MONROE-MOWER-OLMSTED-RICHLAND-TAYLOR-TREMPEALEAU-VERNON- WABASHA-WINNESHIEK-WINONA- 1137 AM CDT FRI JUN 11 2010 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PARTS OF NORTHEAST IOWA... SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA AND SOUTHWEST INTO CENTRAL WISCONSIN. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO REDEVELOP ACROSS THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON INTO TONIGHT AS A WAVE OF LOW PRESSURE TRACKS FROM CENTRAL MINNESOTA INTO CENTRAL WISCONSIN. INSTABILITY LOOKS LIKE IT WILL REBOUND ACROSS PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST IOWA AND SOUTHERN WISCONSIN AS THAT REGION WAS NOT IMPACTED BY THE EARLIER COMPLEX OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. CLEARING HAS TAKEN PLACE BEHIND AND SOUTH OF THIS COMPLEX THIS MORNING WHICH HAS ALLOWED TEMPERATURES TO CLIMB BACK UP. THE MAIN THREAT APPEARS TO BE IN SOUTHERN WISCONSIN AND NORTHEAST IOWA FOR WHERE LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS ARE THE MAIN THREATS. AN ISOLATED TORNADO CANNOT BE RULED OUT..PARTICULARLY IN SOUTHERN WISCONSIN ALONG THE NORTHWARD MOVING WARM FRONT. IN ADDITION...HEAVY RAINFALL IS ALSO POSSIBLE WITH THESE STORMS WITH SOME LOCALIZED FLOODING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY THUNDERSTORM CHANCES WILL CONTINUE THROUGH SATURDAY AS A COLD FRONT SLOWLY SAGS SOUTHEAST THROUGH THE AREA. RIGHT NOW IT APPEARS THE BEST CHANCE FOR ANY SEVERE WEATHER WILL BE SOUTH OF THE AREA. THUNDERSTORM CHANCES WILL RETURN TO THE AREA MONDAY AND LAST THROUGH THURSDAY AS SEVERAL DISTURBANCES APPROACH THE AREA FROM THE PLAINS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NECESSARY THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH THIS EVENING. SPOTTERS ARE URGED TO STAY TUNED FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION PERTAINING TO THE SEVERE THREAT. .EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COORDINATION... NO CALL IS SCHEDULED. DAS/HALBACH
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
1133 AM CDT FRI JUN 11 2010
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0940 AM NON-TSTM WND DMG PRESTON 43.67N 92.08W
06/11/2010 FILLMORE MN COUNTY OFFICIAL
LARGE BRANCHES DOWN AROUND SEVERAL PARTS OF THE CITY
&&
ADAMSPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
1222 PM CDT FRI JUN 11 2010
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1048 AM NON-TSTM WND DMG MINDORO 44.02N 91.10W
06/11/2010 LA CROSSE WI EMERGENCY MNGR
TRANSFORMER ON FIRE DUE TO DOWNED TREE BRANCHES
&&
ADAMSPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
112 PM CDT FRI JUN 11 2010
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0940 AM NON-TSTM WND DMG PRESTON 43.67N 92.08W
06/11/2010 FILLMORE MN COUNTY OFFICIAL
LARGE BRANCHES DOWN AROUND SEVERAL PARTS OF THE CITY
1040 AM NON-TSTM WND DMG 5 N HOLMEN 44.03N 91.26W
06/11/2010 LA CROSSE WI EMERGENCY MNGR
20 INCH DIAMETER TREE DOWN ALONG WITH SEVERAL BRANCHES 6
INCHES IN DIAMETER AND LESS.
1043 AM NON-TSTM WND DMG LA CROSSE 43.83N 91.23W
06/11/2010 LA CROSSE WI EMERGENCY MNGR
A FEW TREES DOWN IN CENTRAL AND EAST PARTS OF TOWN
INCLUDING ALONG BLISS ROAD.
1048 AM NON-TSTM WND DMG 1 N ONALASKA 43.90N 91.22W
06/11/2010 LA CROSSE WI EMERGENCY MNGR
TREE DOWN ACROSS THE ROAD
1048 AM NON-TSTM WND DMG MINDORO 44.02N 91.10W
06/11/2010 LA CROSSE WI EMERGENCY MNGR
TRANSFORMER ON FIRE DUE TO DOWNED TREE BRANCHES
1059 AM NON-TSTM WND DMG LA CROSSE 43.83N 91.23W
06/11/2010 LA CROSSE WI EMERGENCY MNGR
TREES DOWN ON POWER LINES AT MORMON COULEE ROAD AND
BROADVIEW INTERSECTION WHICH HAS CAUSED TRAFFIC SIGNAL TO
MALFUNCTION
&&
ADAMSThe La Crosse radar (KARX), 108 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:29 UTC.
1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
Lightning struck an oak tree and killed a dozen cattle on a farm on County Road N.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Wisconsin in 2010Every state in 2010This day in weather historyWarnings in Wisconsin, June 2010
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: 231776.