Rapidly developing low pressure moved across western Ohio and southeast Lower Michigan during the overnight period of October 19th and morning of October 20th. An associated strong pressure gradient and unstable conditions over the relatively warmer waters of Lake Michigan allowed strong gusty north to northeast winds to mix down to the lake surface and push inland from Milwaukee south to the…
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 MKX wrote it up.
Rapidly developing low pressure moved across western Ohio and southeast Lower Michigan during the overnight period of October 19th and morning of October 20th. An associated strong pressure gradient and unstable conditions over the relatively warmer waters of Lake Michigan allowed strong gusty north to northeast winds to mix down to the lake surface and push inland from Milwaukee south to the Illinois border. Wind gusts reached 50 to 70 mph along the lake shore...and up to 51 mph inland. In downtown Milwaukee, wind and debris broke a few windows in the U.S. Bank tower. Elsewhere...some weak trees were uprooted and there were many reports of broken tree branches. This tree debris damaged at least a couple homes and resulted in scattered power outages as power-lines came down. The strong winds and high waves caused extensive damage to several boats and docks at the South Shore Yacht Club in Milwaukee. Refer to the separate Marine Strong Wind event within Storm Data for details.
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 Oct 19, 2:39 PM CST, 2 hours 21 minutes earlier.
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</html>The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A peak wind gust of 73 mph (63 knots) was measured at the Racine Yacht Club.
A peak wind gust of 61 mph (53 knots) was measured at the Kenosha Harbor Great Lakes Observation System site.
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, October 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: 351836, 351837, 351838.