A line of thunderstorms crossing southern Wisconsin during the morning hours of August 23rd produced numerous cloud-to-ground lightning strikes. Lightning struck a business in Beloit, in Rock County that started a small electrical fire.
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The episode as NWS MKX wrote it up.
A line of thunderstorms crossing southern Wisconsin during the morning hours of August 23rd produced numerous cloud-to-ground lightning strikes. Lightning struck a business in Beloit, in Rock County that started a small electrical fire. The fire was quickly put out with minimal damage by the Beloit Fire Department.
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 Aug 23, 2:31 AM CST, 4 hours 39 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI 331 AM CDT TUE AUG 23 2011 .SHORT TERM... TODAY AND TONIGHT-FORECAST CONFIDENCE MEDIUM WATER VAPOR IMAGERY SHOWS A VERY WELL DEFINED SHORT WAVE OVER THE EASTERN DAKOTAS WITH AN UPPER LEVEL JET MAX ON ITS SOUTHERN PERIPHERY INTO SE SOUTH DAKOTA EARLY THIS MORNING. INITIALLY AT 00Z TUE...THE MODELS SHOWED TWO DISTINCT SHORT WAVES...ONE OVER ERN NORTH DAKOTA...THE MAIN CIRCULATION...AND THE OVER ERN SOUTH DAKOTA INTO NRN NEBRASKA. ALL THE MODELS ESSENTIALLY MERGE THESE INTO ONE CIRCULATION OVER THE FOLLOWING 12-18HR TIMEFRAME AND BROADLY TRACK IT ACROSS THE CWA BETWEEN ABOUT 15-20Z. IN TRYING TO FIND MORE FOCUS...LOOKING AT THE POTENTIAL VORTICITY CENTER...THE BEST PV REMAINS ASSOCIATED WITH THE NORTH DAKOTA CIRCULATION THAT ROLLS SE ACROSS THE AREA IN A MORE FOCUSED FASHION. AT THE SFC...LOW PRESSURE WAS LOCATED OVER CENTRAL SOUTH DAKOTA WITH A WARM FRONT STRETCHING SOUTH SOUTHEAST ACROSS WESTERN IOWA TO NCNTRAL MISSOURI. TWO AREAS OF CONVECTION UPSTREAM ARE ASSOCIATED WITH THE MAIN SHORT WAVE/PV CENTER AND THE OTHER ON THE NOSE OF THE JET MAX/SECONDARY SHORT WAVE. ALL OF THIS SHOULD ARRIVE INTO THE WESTERN CWA BEFORE SUNRISE. PLENTY OF UNCERTAINTY AS TO HOW THESE WILL INTERACT WITH EACH OTHER. EXPECT THE NORTHERN COMPLEX TO CATCH UP WITH THE SOUTHERN ONE AND THEN ROLL THROUGH. WE COULD END UP WITH SOME COMPLICATED CELL MERGER DYNAMICS DURING THE MORNING HOURS. BUT...ALL THIS WILL IS HAPPENING DURING A DIURNALLY UNFAVORABLE TIME OF DAY. EXPECT THINGS TO SETTLE DOWN A BIT LATER THIS MORNING AND INTO THE AFTERNOON AS THE MORNING CONVECTION MOVES ON AND WEAKENS. THESE STORMS SHOULD HAVE SPREAD OUT A DECENT COLD POOL...ONLY TO HELP ENHANCE THE THERMAL DEFINITION OF THE APPROACHING WARM FRONT FOR THE AFTERNOON. MLCAPES ARE FORECAST TO CLIMB TO 3000-4000J/KG ACROSS MINNESOTA AND IOWA THIS AFTERNOON AS SUNSHINE ARRIVES AS THE CONVECTIVE DEBRIS DIMINISHES. STEEP MID LEVEL LAPSE RATES WILL BE SITTING ON TOP OF SOME VERY MOIST LOW LEVEL AIR. DEEP SHEAR ACROSS THE CWA BY MID AFTERNOON SHOULD NEAR 50KTS. THE SETUP IS LOOKING QUITE FAVORABLE FOR A SECOND ROUND OF THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON WITH SEVERE WEATHER EXPECTED. LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS ARE THE PRIMARY THREAT. THE APPROACHING WARM FRONT WILL RAISE THE RISK FOR ISOLATED TORNADOES AS WELL. EXPECT THIS TO PERSIST INTO THE EARLY EVENING...BEFORE GRADUALLY DIMINISHING OVERNIGHT. WEDNESDAY-FORECAST CONFIDENCE HIGH MODELS IN GOOD AGREEMENT AT SWEEPING COLD FRONT ACROSS CWA BETWEEN 12Z AND 18Z...AND REACHING ROUGHLY A LINE FROM SAGINAW MICHIGAN TO ST. LOUIS BY 00Z THURSDAY. UPPER TROUGH WILL DIG BY TO THE NORTHEAST...WITH SIGNIFICANT DEEP LAYER DRYING SHOWN BY THE AFTERNOON WITH 1000-500 MB RH DOWN BELOW 30 PERCENT. IT APPEARS THAT IT WILL BE A WARM AND HUMID DAY TO START...WITH DEWPOINTS FALLING FAST AND A SHIFT TO WEST WINDS BY AFTERNOON. THUS WENT DRY AND EXPECT DIURNAL STORMS TO FIRE JUST SOUTH AND EAST OF THE CWA TOWARD EVENING. WENT ABOVE MOST GUIDANCE AND CLOSER TO MET BULLETIN WITH CONSENSUS 925 MB TEMPS AROUND 25C AND PLENTY OF SUNSHINE. PER SUGGESTION FROM WFO ARX WENT WITH HIGHER WINDS AND CONSENSUS OF THE RAW MODEL WIND GUIDANCE FROM 18Z TO 21Z WITH DEEPER MIXING EXPECTED. LOWERED THE DEWPOINTS UNDER GUIDANCE 3-4F AND THAT MAY NOT BE ENOUGH AS BOTH GFS AND NAM LOWEST 1KM MEAN TDS ARE IN THE 40S BY THE AFTERNOON IN THE NORTHWEST PORTION TOWARD WISCONSIN DELLS. THURSDAY-FORECAST CONFIDENCE HIGH BIG SURFACE HIGH AND DECENT UPPER RIDGING WILL COMBINE FOR A DRY DAY WITH SEASONABLE TEMPERATURES. .LONG TERM... FRIDAY AND SATURDAY-FORECAST CONFIDENCE MEDIUM ANOTHER DRY DAY EXPECTED AS RIDGING TRIES TO HOLD ON BEFORE A WEAK FRONT APPROACHES FRIDAY NIGHT. AS IRENE COMES UP INTO THE CAROLINAS...SOME RIDGING TO THE WEST OF IT BUILDS INTO THE OHIO VALLEY AND SEEMS TO BLOCK AND WEAKEN THE UPSTREAM TROUGH. HAVE SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS FRIDAY NIGHT INTO SATURDAY ALONG THE FRONT BUT COULD EASILY END UP DRY PER ECMWF SOLUTION. SUNDAY-FORECAST CONFIDENCE MEDIUM LOOKS DRY FOR THE MOST PART WITH RIDGING AHEAD OF MORE SIGNIFICANT TROUGH. MONDAY-FORECAST CONFIDENCE MEDIUM SIGNIFICANT TROUGH AND COLD FRONT SWEEPS ACROSS THE AREA WITH A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS. THIS TROUGH AMPLIFIES QUITE A BIT OVER THE GREAT LAKES AS IT INTERACTS WITH AND PICKS UP IRENE AS IT LIFTS OVER NEW ENGLAND. && .AVIATION... STRONG CONVECTION WILL BE THE MAJOR OPERATIONAL IMPACT TODAY. LOOK FOR TWO ROUNDS OF IT...ONE THIS MORNING...UP THROUGH ABOUT 16-17Z. THEN LOOK FOR A BRIEF BREAK IN THE ACTIVITY THROUGH MID AFTERNOON...FOLLOWED BY RENEWED DEVELOPMENT DURING THE HEAT OF THE DAY. THIS SECOND ROUND WILL HAVE THE HIGHEST POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE STORMS. VFR CONDITIONS ARE GENERALLY EXPECTED THROUGH THE PERIOD...WITH THE USUAL MVFR CIGS/VSBYS WITHIN AND AROUND THE THUNDERSTORMS. LOOK FOR IMPROVING CONDITIONS AFTER 03-04Z THIS THIS EVENING. WINDS WILL BE SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST THROUGH THE DAY. A STRONG COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED TO SWEEP THROUGH SOUTHERN WISCONSIN LATE WEDNESDAY MORNING AND EARLY AFTERNOON. SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL SHIFT QUICKLY TO THE NORTHWEST. && .MARINE... SOUTH WINDS INCREASE TODAY...BUT CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN BELOW SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY LEVELS. THE HIGHEST WAVES WILL BE SEEN UP AROUND SHEBOYGAN. WINDS SHIFT NORTHWEST AFTER A COLD FRONTAL PASSAGE LATE WEDNESDAY MORNING AND EARLY AFTERNOON. WIND GUSTS MAY APPROACH SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY LEVELS DURING THIS TIME. SUBSEQUENT WAVES SHOULD REMAIN BELOW CRITERIA...WITH THE HIGHEST REMAINING NEAR THE OPEN WATERS. && .MKX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WI...NONE. LM...NONE. && SHORT/LONG TERM...CRAVEN/02 VERY SHORT TERM/AVIATION/MARINE...DAVIS/05
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI 355 AM CDT TUE AUG 23 2011 WIZ046-047-051-052-056>060-062>072-240900- MARQUETTE-GREEN LAKE-FOND DU LAC-SHEBOYGAN-SAUK-COLUMBIA-DODGE- WASHINGTON-OZAUKEE-IOWA-DANE-JEFFERSON-WAUKESHA-MILWAUKEE- LAFAYETTE-GREEN-ROCK-WALWORTH-RACINE-KENOSHA- 355 AM CDT TUE AUG 23 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EAST CENTRAL WISCONSIN...SOUTH CENTRAL WISCONSIN AND SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A VIGOROUS UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE COUPLED WITH RAPIDLY RETURNING HEAT AND MOISTURE IN THE LOWER LEVELS OF THE ATMOSPHERE WILL LEAD TO AN ACTIVE DAY OF THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS SOUTHERN WISCONSIN. THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. THUNDERSTORMS TODAY ARE GENERALLY EXPECTED IN TWO ROUNDS. THE FIRST ROUND WILL MOVE THROUGH EARLY THIS MORNING AND DIMINISH BY LATE MORNING...WITH A RATHER ISOLATED THREAT FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CONTAINING STRONG WINDS AND HAIL. THE SECOND ROUND LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING WILL HAVE THE HIGHEST THREAT FOR SEVERE WEATHER...WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS...ISOLATED TORNADOES AND HEAVY RAINFALL. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE AGAIN FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY AS A COUPLE OF FRONTAL SYSTEM TRAVERSE THE UPPER MIDWEST. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL LIKELY BE NEEDED TODAY INTO THIS EVENING. LMZ643>646-240900- 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- 355 AM CDT TUE AUG 23 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF LAKE MICHIGAN. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THUNDERSTORMS ARE LIKELY TODAY. ONE ROUND OF STORMS WILL COME THROUGH THIS MORNING...AFTER ABOUT 8 AM AND DIMINISH BY LATE MORNING. A SECOND ROUND OF STORMS IS EXPECTED LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...A FEW OF THESE STORMS MAY BE SEVERE WITH LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS AND ISOLATED WATER SPOUTS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY GUSTY WESTERLY WINDS WILL APPROACH SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY LEVELS ON WEDNESDAY AS A COLD FRONT SWEEPS ACROSS THE AREA DURING THE LATE MORNING AND EARLY AFTERNOON. THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE AGAIN FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY AS A COUPLE OF FRONTAL SYSTEM TRAVERSE THE UPPER MIDWEST. DAVIS WWW.WEATHER.GOV/MKX
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI 648 AM CDT TUE AUG 23 2011 WIZ067-231215- LAFAYETTE- 648 AM CDT TUE AUG 23 2011 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORM MOVING ACROSS SOUTHERN LAFAYETTE COUNTY... AT 643 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM OVER EXTREME SOUTH CENTRAL LAFAYETTE COUNTY... MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH. PENNY SIZE HAIL...WINDS GREATER THAN 40 MPH...OCCASIONAL CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING...BRIEF HEAVY DOWNPOURS...ARE POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM. A QUICK 1 TO 1.5 INCHES OF RAIN AND PONDING OF WATER ON ROADWAYS IS LIKELY. * THE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR... GRATIOT BY 705 AM CDT... SOUTH WAYNE BY 715 AM CDT... GUSTY WINDS MAY CAUSE SMALL OBJECTS SUCH AS TRASH BINS TO BLOW AROUND. STAY AWAY FROM HIGH OBJECTS OUTDOORS SUCH AS TREES. SEEK SHELTER IN A STURDY STRUCTURE UNTIL THIS STORM HAS PASSED. CRAVEN
The Milwaukee radar (KMKX), 63 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 13:11 UTC.
1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
Lightning struck an iron gate at the Pierce Distribution facility at 601 Third St. in Beloit around 8 am on August 23rd. The electrical charge from the lightning strike traveled to two nearby electrical panels, producing sparks that caused a minor fire. Minimal damage and no injuries were reported by the Beloit Fire Department.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Wisconsin in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in Wisconsin, August 2011
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: 344692.