Strong winds developed behind an area of low pressure. Gusts of 45 to at least 50 mph were reported over much of central and east-central Wisconsin.
Every event with a place to put it; 3 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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 GRB wrote it up.
Strong winds developed behind an area of low pressure. Gusts of 45 to at least 50 mph were reported over much of central and east-central Wisconsin. At least two dozen trees were knocked down, as were numerous power lines. A semitrailer in Winnebago County was blown over by the strong winds.
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 May 5, 2:09 AM CST, 8 hours 51 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREEN BAY WI 309 AM CDT WED MAY 5 2010 .SHORT TERM...TODAY/TONIGHT/THURSDAY. A BAND OF SHOWERS CONTINUES TO TRACK EASTWARD OVER THE SOUTHEAST HALF OF WISCONSIN ALONG AND NEAR THE COLD FRONT. EXPECT THE LAST OF THE SHOWERS TO DEPART MTW COUNTY AROUND DAYBREAK. WILL LEAVE OUT OF THE MORNING FORECAST PACKAGE FOR TODAY AND WILL HANDLE ANY LINGERING EARLY MORNING SHOWERS WITH NOWCASTS. OTHERWISE THE MAIN FOCUS TODAY IS MAX WIND SPEEDS AND GUSTS AS THE DRY SLOT WORKS OVER THE REGION AND UPPER JET DISSECTS THE STATE. ANTICIPATE DEEP MIXING OF THE BOUNDARY LAYER WINDS TO PRODUCE AT LEAST 30 KTS GUSTS LATE THIS MORNING INTO THE AFTERNOON. WILL CONTINUE THE IDEA OF WRAP AROUND CLOUDS AND LITE SHOWER MENTION OVER THE NORTH LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND INTO THIS EVENING AS THE COLD UPPER LOW DRIFTS OVER THE NORTHERN GREAT LAKES REGION. MIN TEMPS FALLING INTO THE 30S OVERNIGHT AND SOME POTENTIAL OF FROST IF SIGNIFICANT CLEARING AND WINDS CALM...BUT EXPECT THE GRADIENT WILL KEEP TEMPS AT THE 3 HOURLY RANGE AND ABOVE THE FROST TEMP RANGE. WEAK SURFACE RIDGE WITH A MID LEVEL RIDGE PROGGED TO PASS OVER THURSDAY TO PROVIDE A PERIOD OF QUIET WEATHER. LIKELY AFFECTS OF THE NEXT SYSTEM APPROACHING FROM THE PLAINS WILL BE INCREASING CLOUDS FROM SOUTHWEST TO NORTHEAST THURSDAY AFTERNOON. .LONG TERM...THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY... GFS QUICKER BRINGING PRECIPITATION INTO THE REGION THURSDAY NIGHT COMPARED TO THE WRF/ECMWF. TOOK A BLEND BETWEEN THE TWO FOR PRECIPITATION CHANCES. LOWEST CHANCES WILL OVER THE FAR NORTHEAST AND HIGHEST CHANCES ACROSS THE SOUTHWEST. ON FRIDAY...UPPER LOW EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO THE WESTERN GREAT LAKES REGION. THE COMBINATION OF THE UPPER LOW MOVING TOWARDS WISCONSIN...FAIRLY DECENT SHORTWAVE ENERGY MOVING ACROSS THE STATE...WEAK LOW LEVEL WARM ADVECTION AND THE REGION WILL BE IN THE LEFT EXIT REGION OF A 135 KNOT JET (WRF) SHOULD BRING OCCASIONAL RAIN TO THE AREA ON FRIDAY. PRECIPITATION SHOULD BEGIN TO TAPER OFF FRIDAY AFTERNOON OVER THE SOUTHERN PORTION OF THE AREA AS BEST DYNAMICS SHIFT TO NORTHERN WISCONSIN. BASED ON 925MB TEMPERATURES...HIGHS SHOULD BE IN THE UPPER 40S TO LOWER 50S AWAY FROM THE LAKE. THINGS GET INTERESTING FRIDAY NIGHT AS NEW WRF/ECMWF BRING DECENT QPF TOTALS ACROSS THE NORTH. 1000/850MB THICKNESS DROP SUBSTANTIALLY FRIDAY EVENING TO THE POINT THAT PRECIPITATION WILL TURN TO ALL SNOW OVER THE FAR NORTH. QUESTION IS HOW MUCH SNOW COULD FALL IS STILL IN QUESTION DEPENDING ON SNOWFALL RATES...WARM GROUND AND HOW MUCH QPF IS ACTUALLY LEFT BEFORE PRECIPITATION CHANGES TO ALL SNOW. WILL HIGHLIGHT IN THE HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK. DID SHIFT THE CHANCE OF SNOW FURTHER SOUTH INTO THE FOX VALLEY REGION AND LAKESHORE COUNTIES LATE FRIDAY NIGHT INTO SATURDAY MORNING. DO NOT EXPECT ANY ACCUMULATIONS IN THIS REGION. HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS INTO THE REGION SATURDAY AFTERNOON. WILL LINGER A SMALL CHANCE OF RAIN OR SNOW SHOWERS SATURDAY MORNING BEFORE HIGH ESTABLISHES ITSELF ACROSS WISCONSIN. SYSTEM FOR EARLY TO MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK STILL UNCERTAIN AS ECMWF FURTHER NORTH WITH SYSTEM. THE GFS HAS SHIFTED SYSTEM FURTHER SOUTH. WILL LEAVE CURRENT FORECAST SINCE THERE IS PLENTY OF TIME TO GET A HANDLE ON THIS SYSTEM AND SEE WHICH DIRECTION IT WILL TAKE. ANTICIPATE FREEZE/FROST WARNINGS SUNDAY MORNING. CONDITIONS APPEAR FAVORABLE FOR A LONG HARD FREEZE...ESPECIALLY OVER THE NORTH. && .AVIATION...AFTER A BAND OF SHOWERS DEPARTS EASTERN WISCONSIN THIS MORNING...VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL. SOME PATCHY MVFR CIGS MAY WORK INTO FAR NORTHERN WISCONSIN THIS AFTERNOON WITH ANY SHOWER ACTIVITY. BREEZY TO WINDY CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP TODAY. && .GRB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && TDH/ECKBERG
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREEN BAY WI 435 AM CDT WED MAY 5 2010 WIZ005-010>013-018>022-030-031-035>040-045-048>050-073-074-060945- 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- 435 AM CDT WED MAY 5 2010 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST WISCONSIN. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY THERE IS SOME POTENTIAL FOR A LATE SEASON SNOWFALL FRIDAY NIGHT ACROSS FAR NORTH CENTRAL WISCONSIN. IT IS WAY TOO EARLY TO DETERMINE SNOWFALL AMOUNTS AT THIS TIME. A HARD FREEZE IS EXPECTED SATURDAY NIGHT ACROSS PORTIONS OF CENTRAL AND NORTH CENTRAL WISCONSIN. FROST AND FREEZE HEADLINES WILL LIKELY BE NEEDED SATURDAY NIGHT ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED TODAY OR TONIGHT. LMZ521-522-541>543-060945- THE BAY OF GREEN BAY SOUTH OF A LINE FROM CEDAR RIVER MI TO ROCK ISLAND PASSAGE-LAKE MICHIGAN FROM WASHINGTON ISLAND TO SHEBOYGAN- 435 AM CDT WED MAY 5 2010 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST LAKE MICHIGAN AND THE WATERS OF GREEN BAY. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT WINDS AND WAVES WILL REACH SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY CRITERIA TODAY BEFORE SUBSIDING THIS EVENING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY GUSTY EAST WINDS AND BUILDING WAVES MAY REACH SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY CRITERIA FROM TIME TO TIME FRIDAY. ON FRIDAY NIGHT INTO SATURDAY...GUSTY NORTHWEST WINDS WILL CREATE HAZARDOUS CONDITIONS FOR SMALL CRAFT. ECKBERG/TDH
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Strong winds knocked down over a dozen trees in Waupaca County. Numerous power lines were also downed.
Strong winds knocked down at least a half dozen trees which blocked traffic on area roads in Appleton. Twelve power lines were also downed by the wind.
Strong winds gusting to around 50 mph knocked over a semi-trailer near the intersection of Highways 10 and 45 near Winchester. Numerous trees and power lines were down across the county.
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, May 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: 236017, 236019, 236020.