Scattered thunderstorms developed along a cold front as it moved south across southwest Wisconsin during the early morning hours of July 24th.
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.
Scattered thunderstorms developed along a cold front as it moved south across southwest Wisconsin during the early morning hours of July 24th.
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 Jul 24, 2:30 AM CST, 15 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI 330 AM CDT TUE JUL 24 2012 .SHORT TERM...TODAY THROUGH THURSDAY 330 AM CDT TUE JUL 24 2012 FORECAST CONCERNS ARE ON SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM CHANCES TODAY THOUGH THURSDAY...WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR A ROUND OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER...THEN ACROSS THE ENTIRE AREA ON WEDNESDAY. ADDITIONAL CONCERNS ARE ON HEAT INDEX VALUES WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON...WHEN INDICES COULD CLIMB TO AROUND 105 FOR LOCATIONS ALONG AND SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 90. LATEST RADAR IMAGERY SHOWED A BAND OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING FROM FAR NORTHEAST SOUTH DAKOTA...THROUGH CENTRAL MINNESOTA TO ALONG THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER INTO FAR SOUTHWEST WISCONSIN. BRIEF HEAVY DOWNPOURS AND WIND GUSTS IN THE 30 TO 40 KT RANGE HAVE BEEN REPORTED WITH SOME OF THE STORMS. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE ONGOING THIS MORNING ACROSS PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA...NORTHEAST IOWA AND SOUTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN AS STRONG 850 MB MOISTURE TRANSPORT IS FOCUSED ALONG AND WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. THE LOW LEVEL JET WILL START TO SUBSIDE THIS MORNING WITH THE SHOWERS AND STORMS GRADUALLY TAPERING OFF AND SHIFTING TO THE SOUTHEAST. A WARM FRONT WILL BE POSITIONED FROM SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA INTO NORTHEAST IOWA..AND NORTHERN ILLINOIS THIS AFTERNOON. THE FRONT WILL BE THE FOCUS FOR SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT THIS AFTERNOON INTO TONIGHT AS IT LIFTS NORTHEAST AS SURFACE LOW PRESSURE DEEPENS OVER SOUTHEAST SOUTH DAKOTA. AFTERNOON MUCAPE VALUES INCREASE INTO THE 2500-3500 J/KG RANGE BY 21Z THIS AFTERNOON. 0-6 KM BULK SHEAR WILL BE AROUND 40 KTS THIS AFTERNOON LEADING TO THE POTENTIAL FOR A FEW STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. HOWEVER...THERE WILL BE A VERY STRONG CAP IN PLACE WITH 850 MB TEMPERATURE CLIMBING TO INTO THE MID 20S LATE THIS AFTERNOON INTO THIS EVENING. THINKING THAT CONVECTION WILL LIKELY WAIT TO FIRE UNTIL THIS EVENING AS MOISTURE TRANSPORT AND STRONG 850 MB WARM AIR ADVECTION RAPIDLY INCREASE...LEADING TO WIDESPREAD ELEVATED CONVECTION. AT THIS TIME IT APPEARS THE SHOWERS AND STORMS SHOULD FIRE ACROSS SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA INTO SOUTHWEST WISCONSIN THIS EVENING...WITH THE HIGHEST CHANCES NORTH OF A LINE FROM ROCHESTER MN...TO LA CROSSE TO RICHLAND CENTER. THE NAM SUGGESTS THE BULK OF THIS ACTIVITY SHOULD FIRE ALONG AND EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER...SO WILL HAVE TO KEEP A CLOSE WATCH ON THIS. PRECIPITATION CHANCES MAY NEED TO BE FOCUSED MORE ACROSS THESE AREAS DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. FORECAST SOUNDINGS SHOW AROUND 1500 J/KG ELEVATED CAPE WHEN LIFTING FROM 800 MB. OVERALL SHEAR LOOKS MARGINAL WITH 1-6 KM BULK SHEAR OF 30 TO 38 KTS. COULD SEE SOME MARGINALLY SEVERE HAIL TONIGHT WITH SOME OF THE STORMS AND POSSIBLY SOME GUSTY WINDS. THE MAIN THREAT LOOKS TO BE BRIEF HEAVY RAIN AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING. THE HIGHEST CHANCES FOR STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS WOULD BE MAINLY ALONG AND WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI WHERE SHEAR IS A LITTLE STRONGER. THE WARM FRONT IS EXPECTED TO PUSH INTO NORTHERN WISCONSIN WEDNESDAY MORNING AS SURFACE LOW PRESSURE MOVES INTO SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA. THIS WILL LEAVE MUCH OF THE FORECAST AREA IN THE WARM SECTOR FROM WEDNESDAY MORNING INTO WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. HOT AIR WILLS SURGE NORTH INTO THE AREA...WITH TEMPERATURES EXPECTED TO CLIMB INTO THE MID TO UPPER 90S. A FEW LOCATIONS ACROSS NORTHEAST IOWA AND FAR SOUTHWEST WISCONSIN COLD REACH THE 100 DEGREE MARK. THIS SURGE OF HOT AIR WILL LEAD TO HEAT INDEX CONCERNS. THE DEWPOINTS MAY MIX OUT DURING THE DAY BUT SHOULD AT LEAST HOLD IN THE 60S. EVEN IF THE DEWPOINTS FALL AS FORECAST SOUNDINGS SUGGEST...WITH INVERTED V TYPE SOUNDINGS...WILL STILL SEE THE HOT TEMPERATURES SURGE INTO THE AREA. A HEAT ADVISORY WILL LIKELY BE NEEDED ON WEDNESDAY. A COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED TO PUSH INTO THE ARE FROM THE NORTHWEST WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. HOW FAR SOUTH THIS FRONT GETS DURING THE AFTERNOON HOURS WILL DETERMINE WHAT AREAS WILL EXPERIENCE THE HOTEST TEMPERATURES. CURRENT THINKING IS THAT AREAS ALONG AND SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 90 WILL NEED A HEAT ADVISORY WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON...WHERE HEAT INDEX VALUES ARE EXPECTED TO CLIMB INTO THE 100-105 DEGREE RANGE. WILL HAVE TO KEEP A CLOSE WATCH ON THE WARM FRONT ON WEDNESDAY FOR THE OUTSIDE CHANCE OF AN ISOLATED TORNADO...ESPECIALLY FOR LOCATIONS ALONG AND NORTH OF I-94. THE SURFACE LOW IS EXPECTED TO PUSH INTO SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA EARLY WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. 0-1 KM SHEAR INCREASES INTO THE 20 TO 30 KT RANGE BY 18Z ALONG AND NORTH OF I-94...WITH MLCAPE VALUES CLIMBING TO AROUND 2500 J/KG RIGHT ALONG THE WARM FRONT. LCL HEIGHTS REALLY CLIMB IN THE WARM SECTOR DURING THE AFTERNOON HOURS BUT FEEL THERE IS THE POTENTIAL FOR THE WARM FRONT TO STALL A LITTLE FURTHER SOUTH THAN MODEL GUIDANCE SUGGEST WITH AN MCS ROLLING ACROSS FAR NORTHERN WISCONSIN POTENTIALLY PUSHING AN OUT FLOW BOUNDARY SOUTHWARD STALLING THE FRONT. ANOTHER FACTOR LEANING AGAINST STORMS DEVELOPING NEAR THE WARM FRONT IS A STRONG CAP IN PLACE...WITH SURFACE BASED CIN OF NEARLY NEGATIVE 300 J/KG. THE COLD FRONT WILL DRIFT SOUTHEAST ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA THROUGH THE AFTERNOON WITH SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING ALONG THE FRONT. THE STRONGEST SHEAR TO SUPPORT ORGANIZED CONVECTION WILL BE LOCATED RIGHT ALONG AND BEHIND THE FRONT. THE INVERTED V TYPE SOUNDINGS IN THE WARM SECTOR LEAD TO DAMAGING WIND CONCERNS WITH ANY THUNDERSTORMS THAT MAY DEVELOP ALONG THE FRONT. GIVEN THE STRONG INSTABILITY THAT DEVELOPS WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON...MUCAPE AROUND 3000 J/KG CANNOT RULE OUT SOME LARGE HAIL WITH THE STORMS WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. THE COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO SOUTHERN IOWA AND CENTRAL IOWA LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT WITH SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM CHANCES SHIFTING SOUTH OF THE FORECAST AREA LATE. A POTENT UPPER LEVEL TROUGH WILL DIVE INTO NORTHERN MINNESOTA EARLY THURSDAY MORNING AND IS EXPECTED TO PROGRESS SOUTHEAST INTO NORTHWEST BY EARLY THURSDAY AFTERNOON. THE TROUGH WILL MOVE INTO THE FORECAST AREA LATE THURSDAY AFTERNOON INTO EARLY THURSDAY EVENING BRINGING A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO THE AREA. FORECAST SOUNDINGS SHOW SURFACE BASED CAPE INCREASING TO AROUND 1500 J/KG AHEAD OF THIS WAVE. 0-6 KM BULK SHEAR IS EXPECTED TO BE AROUND 40 KTS...SO THINKING THERE COULD BE ORGANIZED CONVECTION DURING THE AFTERNOON HOURS. THE STRONGEST FORCING ALOFT PASSES OVER NORTHERN AND NORTH CENTRAL WISCONSIN SO HIGHEST THUNDERSTORM CHANCES WILL BE ACROSS THESE AREAS. WILL HAVE TO KEEP A CLOSE EYE ON THE NEXT FEW MODEL RUNS WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR A FEW SEVERE STORMS THURSDAY AFTERNOON. HIGHS ON THURSDAY WILL BE MORE SEASONABLE WITH TEMPERATURES RANGING FROM THE LOWER 80S ACROSS NORTHERN WISCONSIN TO THE UPPER 80S OVER NORTHEAST IOWA. .LONG TERM...FRIDAY THROUGH MONDAY 330 AM CDT TUE JUL 24 2012 24.00 FORECAST MODELS ARE IN AGREEMENT FRIDAY THROUGH SATURDAY INDICATING SURFACE NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT AND SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE IN PLACE ACROSS THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI RIVER VALLEY. PLAN ON VERY COMFORTABLE TEMPERATURES ON FRIDAY WITH HIGHS RANGING FROM THE MID 70S ACROSS NORTHERN WISCONSIN TO AROUND 80 OVER NORTHEAST IOWA. ANOTHER PLEASANT DAY IS ANTICIPATED ACROSS THE REGION ON SATURDAY WITH MOSTLY SUNNY SKIES AND HIGHS IN THE 80S. A WEAK EMBEDDED SHORTWAVE WILL MOVE INTO THE REGION LATE SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY BRINGING A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO THE AREA. SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM CHANCES WILL CONTINUE THROUGH MONDAY AS WEAK UPPER LEVEL SHORTWAVES MOVE ACROSS THE UPPER MIDWEST. TEMPERATURES LOOK TO HOVER AROUND SEASONAL VALUES WITH HIGHS RANGING FROM THE LOWER TO UPPER 80S. && .AVIATION...TONIGHT AND TUESDAY 1135 PM CDT MON JUL 23 2012 WARM AIR ADVECTION AND FRONTOGENETIC FORCING HAS LEAD TO EXPECTED CONVECTIVE DEVELOPMENT UPSTREAM EARLIER THIS EVENING. BEST LOW LEVEL JET IS POSED INTO WESTERN MINNESOTA SO NEW FORMATION COULD KEEP FEEDING AXIS OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS INTO WESTERN WISCONSIN. TRYING TO DETERMINE IF INITIAL STORMS WILL IMPACT KRST IS TOUGH BUT TREND IS TO STAY JUST NORTH AND NORTHEAST. OVERALL SHOWER ACTIVITY COULD LINGER THROUGH OVERNIGHT BEFORE GRADUALLY ENDING LATER THIS MORNING. OCCASIONAL MVFR VISIBILITIES POSSIBLE WITH HEAVIER RAIN BUT CEILINGS REMAIN RELATIVELY HIGH. A BIT UNCLEAR IN LATER HOURS OF FORECAST. WARM AIR ADVECTION PUSHES NORTH AND WARM SURGE COULD CLEAN THINGS OUT GOING INTO TUESDAY EVENING. GIVEN UNCERTAINTIES IF REPEAT SHOWER DEVELOP IS POSSIBLE... WILL LEAVE OUT OF FORECAST. && .ARX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... 330 AM CDT TUE JUL 24 2012 WI...NONE. MN...NONE. IA...NONE. && SHORT TERM...WETENKAMP LONG TERM...WETENKAMP AVIATION.....SHEA
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI 730 PM CDT MON JUL 23 2012 IAZ008>011-018-019-029-030-MNZ079-086>088-094>096-WIZ017-029-032>034- 041>044-053>055-061-241100- 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- 730 PM CDT MON JUL 23 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PARTS OF NORTHEAST IOWA... SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA...AND SOUTHWEST INTO CENTRAL WISCONSIN. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT OCCASIONAL SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TONIGHT. IF ANY STRONGER STORMS DO FORM...THEY COULD PRODUCE BRIEF HEAVY RAIN AND SOME GUSTY WINDS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY MORE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TUESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS LOOK TO BE THE PRIMARY THREATS. THERE ARE ADDITIONAL CHANCES FOR THUNDERSTORMS THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY. IT IS TOO EARLY TO DETERMINE IF THERE IS A SEVERE WEATHER THREAT WITH ANY OF THESE STORMS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED TONIGHT AND MOST OF TUESDAY. SPOTTERS COULD BE NEEDED WEDNESDAY. .EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COORDINATION... NO WEBINAR IS SCHEDULED. SHEA
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI 1150 PM CDT MON JUL 23 2012 MNZ079-086>088-WIZ032-240645- BUFFALO-DODGE-OLMSTED-WABASHA-WINONA- 1150 PM CDT MON JUL 23 2012 ...THUNDERSTORMS MOVING INTO SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA... CLUSTERS OF THUNDERSTORMS WERE APPROACHING SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA AND COULD BRING ROUNDS OF HEAVY RAIN AND LIGHTNING THROUGH PARTS OF THE OVERNIGHT. STRONGER STORMS COULD ALSO PRODUCE GUSTY WINDS. SOME TOWNS THAT WILL SEE PERIODIC HEAVY RAIN FIRST INCLUDE WABASHA...ZUMBRO FALLS...NORTH SIDE OF ROCHESTER AND PLAINVIEW. SHEA
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI 227 AM CDT TUE JUL 24 2012 IAZ010-011-019-029-030-MNZ096-WIZ053>055-061-240830- ALLAMAKEE-CHICKASAW-CLAYTON-CRAWFORD-FAYETTE-GRANT-HOUSTON-RICHLAND- VERNON-WINNESHIEK- 227 AM CDT TUE JUL 24 2012 AT 222 AM...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS FROM ROMANCE WISCONSIN TO GLENWOOD CHURCH IOWA BETWEEN DECORAH AND WAUKON...MOVING EAST AT 45 MPH. THE OUTFLOW BOUNDARY FROM THESE STORMS WAS EXTENDING FARTHER TO THE SOUTHWEST TO NEAR SAINT LUCAS IOWA. WIND GUSTS OF 40 TO 50 MPH MAY ACCOMPANY THESE STRONG THUNDERSTORMS AND WITH THE OUTFLOW BOUNDARY. LOCATIONS THAT MAY BE AFFECTED INCLUDE... WAUKON...POSTVILLE...LANSING...MONONA...ELKADER AND FARMERSBURG. THESE WIND GUSTS COULD BLOW AROUND OUTDOOR FURNITURE AND OTHER LIGHT OBJECTS. SMALL BRANCHES MAY ALSO FALL. SEEK SAFE SHELTER INSIDE A BUILDING. 04
The La Crosse radar (KARX), 129 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 08:44 UTC.
1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Trees were blown down in Platteville along with the surrounding rural areas.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Wisconsin in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in Wisconsin, July 2012
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: 391985.