Severe drought (D2) conditions that impacted parts of east-central Wisconsin earlier in the month expanded into Wood County and Portage County, in central Wisconsin, by the end of the month. In early July, the Governor of Wisconsin declared a state of emergency for much of the southern half of the state due to drought and abnormally dry conditions.
Every event with a place to put it; 2 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.
Severe drought (D2) conditions that impacted parts of east-central Wisconsin earlier in the month expanded into Wood County and Portage County, in central Wisconsin, by the end of the month.
In early July, the Governor of Wisconsin declared a state of emergency for much of the southern half of the state due to drought and abnormally dry conditions.
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 Jul 31, 5:51 AM CST, 9 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREEN BAY WI 651 AM CDT TUE JUL 31 2012 UPDATED AVIATION PORTION FOR 12Z TAF ISSUANCE .SHORT TERM...TODAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. SURFACE HIGH WILL MOVE ACROSS THE AREA TODAY AND TONIGHT AND BRING COOLER TEMPERATURES AND LOWER DEW POINTS. SOME FOG POSSIBLE LATE TONIGHT ESPECIALLY IN THE EAST WHERE BOUNDARY LAYER WINDS WILL BE LIGHTEST AND LOW LEVEL MOISTURE MOST ABUNDANT. INCREASING CLOUDS WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AS NEXT FRONT APPROACHES FROM THE NORTHWEST. LOW LEVEL WARM ADVECTION MIGHT HELP PRODUCE SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS IN THE FAR NORTH LATE IN THE DAY. .LONG TERM...WED NGT THRU NXT MON. ZONAL FLOW ACROSS THE NRN TIER OF STATES WL BRING TWO SHORTWAVE TROFS THRU NE WI DURING THE EXTENDED PERIOD. THE FIRST SHORTWAVE TROF (AND ITS ASSOCIATED CDNFT) TO ARRIVE WED NGT INTO THU...BUT IS RELATIVELY WEAK SO PCPN CHCS APPEAR TO BE SCATTERED AT BEST. THE SECOND SHORTWAVE TROF/ CDFNT TO ARRIVE FRI NGT AND MAY NOT EXIT TIL LATE SAT NGT. THIS ONE IS MUCH STRONGER THAN ITS PREDECESSOR AND WL NEED TO BE WATCHED FOR SEVERE POTENTIAL. TEMPS WL AVERAGE OUT ABOVE NORMAL THRU THE UPCOMING WEEKEND. WEAK SHORTWAVE TROF IS FCST TO MOVE INTO THE WRN GREAT LKS REGION WED NGT ALTHO THE EMBEDDED SHORTWAVE TROF ITSELF WL MOVE THRU NRN SECTIONS OF THE REGION (LK SUPERIOR). MEANWHILE...THE CDFNT SWEEPS INTO AT LEAST CNTRL WI DURING THE OVRNGT HOURS. EXPECT TO SEE SHWRS/ TSTMS ACCOMPANY THE CDFNT INTO WI...HOWEVER WITH BETTER FORCING NORTH AND BETTER INSTABILITY SOUTH...PCPN SHOULD ONLY BE SCATTERED IN NATURE. IN ADDITION...LOW-LEVEL MOISTURE WL JUST BE RETURNING TO THE AREA..THUS MOISTURE AVAILABILITY IS A CONCERN. THICKENING CLOUD COVER WL PREVENT TEMPS FROM FALLING MUCH WED NGT WITH READINGS SETTLING INTO THE 60S. EVEN THO THE SHORTWAVE TROF CONTS TO TRACK EWD TOWARD SE ONTARIO ON THU...THE TRAILING CDFNT SLOWS ITS SE MOVEMENT DUE TO A LACK OF SUBSIDENCE AND THE FACT THAT THE FNT ENCOUNTERS THE NRN FRINGES OF THE OLD UPR RDG WHICH IS STILL SITUATED OVER TX. SINCE THE CDFNT WL STILL BE IN OUR VCNTY...WL NEED TO CARRY A LOW END CHC POPS ESPECIALLY OVER THE SE HALF OF THE FCST AREA (WI RAPIDS TO WAUSAUKEE). MILD START TO THE DAY COMBINED WITH A LACK OF CAA BEHIND THE FNT SHOULD ALLOW FOR TEMPS TO GO ABOVE NORMAL BY A GOOD 3 TO 5 DEGS. HI PRES IS FCST TO TRY AND BUILD SWD FROM ONTARIO THU NGT AND SHOULD BE ABLE TO SHOVE THE FNT FAR ENUF SOUTH TO BRING A TEMPORARY BREAK TO THE PCPN CHCS. SINCE LOW-LEVEL MOISTURE NEVER DOES GET SCOURED OUT...THIS WL PREVENT TEMPS FROM FALLING TOO MUCH WITH READINGS RANGING FROM 55 TO 50 NORTH...60 TO 65 CNTRL/E-CNTRL. THERE ARE SOME CRACKS IN THE DRY FCST FOR FRI S THE MDLS ARE NOW SUGGESTING THAT A COUPLE OF SHORTWAVES WL BE MOVING THRU THE ZONAL FLOW AND BE IN OUR GENERAL VICINITY DURING PEAK HEATING. MAY NEED TO ADD AT LEAST SOME ISOLATED SHWR/TSTM WORDING TO THE FCST...BUT MANY MORE DRY HOURS THAN WET HOURS ON FRI. AFTER ANOTHER BRIEF BREAK IN THE PCPN FOR MOST OF FRI NGT...ATTENTION TURNS TO A RATHER POTENT LOOKING SHORTWAVE TROF WHICH IS EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO THE NRN PLAINS ON SAT. THIS UPR TROF WL SHOVE A CDFNT ACROSS THE UPR MS VALLEY AND WITH AN UNSTABLE ATMOSPHERE WAITING OVER WI...THE STAGE COULD BE SET FOR A ROUND OF STRONG TO SEVERE TSTMS MOVING TOWARD CNTRL WI SAT AFTERNOON. BASED ON THE LATEST MDL TIMING OF THE CDFNT...WL PLACE HIGHER POPS OVER CNTRL WI AND PERHAPS LOWER POPS IN THE EAST A BIT. THE CDFNT SWEEPS ACROSS NE WI BRINGING A GOOD CHC OF SHWRS AND TSTMS (SOME SEVERE ?) SAT NGT WITH THE TRAILING SHORTWAVE TROF ARRIVING ON SUNDAY. MOST OF THE LOW-LEVEL MOISTURE WL HAVE BEEN STRIPPED EWD BY THE CDFNT BY THE TIME THE UPR TROF APPROACHES...THUS PCPN CHCS COULD BE LIMITED TO INSTABILITY SHWRS OVER THE NORTH WHERE THE COOLER AIR ALOFT TO RESIDE. THINGS DRY OUT FOR MON AS AN AREA OF HI PRES BUILDS INTO THE REGION AND BRINGS MORE SEASONAL TEMPS TO NE WI. && .AVIATION...PATCHY GROUND FOG IN NORTHERN WISCONSIN EARLY THIS MORNING WILL DISSIPATE BY 13Z. OTHERWISE GENERALLY VFR TODAY THROUGH THIS EVENING. THERE IS SOME POTENTIAL FOR DENSE FOG TO FORM LATE TONIGHT IN EASTERN WISCONSIN...ESPECIALLY AT GRB/MTW/SUE. RDM && .GRB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREEN BAY WI 606 AM CDT TUE JUL 31 2012 WIZ005-010>013-018>022-030-031-035>040-045-048>050-073-074-011115- 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- 606 AM CDT TUE JUL 31 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST WISCONSIN. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THE PROBABILITY OF WIDESPREAD SEVERE WEATHER IS LOW. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY THERE IS A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO THURSDAY... AND AGAIN FRIDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH SATURDAY. THE THUNDERSTORMS AT THE END OF THE WEEK COULD BECOME SEVERE IF THE SYSTEM RESPONSIBLE FOR THEM COMES THROUGH DURING PEAK HEATING. LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS WOULD BE THE PRIMARY THREATS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED TODAY OR TONIGHT. LMZ521-522-541>543-011115- THE BAY OF GREEN BAY SOUTH OF A LINE FROM CEDAR RIVER MI TO ROCK ISLAND PASSAGE-LAKE MICHIGAN FROM WASHINGTON ISLAND TO SHEBOYGAN- 606 AM CDT TUE JUL 31 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST LAKE MICHIGAN AND THE WATERS OF GREEN BAY. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THE PROBABILITY OF WIDESPREAD SEVERE WEATHER IS LOW. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY THUNDERSTORMS ARE ALSO POSSIBLE WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO THURSDAY...AND AGAIN FRIDAY AFTERNOON INTO SATURDAY. THERE IS A CHANCE THAT SOME OF THE STORMS FRIDAY NIGHT INTO SATURDAY COULD BECOME SEVERE WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. RDM/AK
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
Dry weather throughout the month caused severe drought conditions (D2) to reach the southwest half of Wood County by July 31st. The severe drought (D2) conditions continued into August 2012.
Dry weather throughout the month caused severe drought conditions (D2) to reach the southern part of Portage County by July 31st. The severe drought (D2) conditions continued into August 2012.
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: 408117, 408118.