A cluster of severe thunderstorms brought damaging winds across much of South Central Wisconsin during the afternoon of May 19th. The wind gusts, between 60 mph and 75 mph (52 knots to 65 knots), blew down numerous trees and power lines.
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 MKX wrote it up.
A cluster of severe thunderstorms brought damaging winds across much of South Central Wisconsin during the afternoon of May 19th. The wind gusts, between 60 mph and 75 mph (52 knots to 65 knots), blew down numerous trees and power lines. The severe thunderstorms developed on the nose of a strengthening low-level jet ahead of the first of a series of short-wave troughs/impulses lifting through the western Great Lakes region on the eastern side of a deep upper-level trough over the Dakotas. The low-level winds brought in an unstable air mass, with surface-based CAPE of 1000 to 1300 J/kg, with 0-6km shear of 35 to 40 knots supporting sustained updrafts and rotating storms.
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 May 19, 11:13 AM CST, 2 hours 16 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI 1213 PM CDT SUN MAY 19 2013 .UPDATE... WATER VAPOR IMAGERY IS SHOWING A SERIES OF SHORT WAVES/VORT MAXES/PERTURBATIONS LINING UP FROM THE PACIFIC NW TO NORTHERN NEW MEXICO/PANHANDLE REGION OF TX/OK THAT WILL BE DIVING INTO AND AROUND THE BASE OF A DEEPENING TROUGH OVER THE DAKOTAS. THESE WILL PROVIDE THE TRIGGERING MECHANISM FOR SUCCESSIVE ROUNDS OF SHOWERS AND STORMS OVER THE NEXT 24 TO 36 HOURS. KEEPING AN EYE ON CONVECTION IN SOUTHEAST IOWA THAT IS ASSOCIATED WITH A SHORTWAVE TROUGH EXTENDING SE FROM THE MCV OVER WESTERN IOWA. THESE WILL MOVE NORTHEAST EARLY THIS AFTERNOON...BUT NOT SURE IF THEY WILL HOLD TOGETHER AS THEY REACH FAR SOUTH CENTRAL WI 20-21Z. SLIGHT STRENGTHENING OF THE LLJ OVER IL DURING THIS TIME ALONG WITH 850MB WARM AIR ADVECTION AND THIS SHORTWAVE TROUGH...ALONG WITH MIXED LAYER CAPE 1000-1300 J/KG AND SHEAR PARAMETERS /0-3KM SHEAR AROUND 20 KNOTS WILL BE FAVORABLE TO SUPPORT ONGOING SURFACE-BASED CONVECTION AT THAT TIME. THE SEVERE POTENTIAL IS THERE FOR HAIL AND STRONG WINDS. THERE IS ANOTHER SHORTWAVE ON THE HEELS OF THIS ONE...CURRENTLY OVER CENTRAL KANSAS. MESOSCALE MODELS SHOW THIS ONE TO BE THE SOURCE OF AN OVERNIGHT CONVECTIVE COMPLEX...LIKELY HITTING SOUTHERN WI FROM 06Z TO 12Z MONDAY. SEVERE HAIL AND WINDS AND HEAVY RAIN/FLOODING ARE POSSIBLE WITH THIS ROUND. THEN IT WILL BE A MATTER OF HOW QUICKLY THE CONVECTIVE DEBRIS CAN CLEAR IN ORDER FOR THE ATMOSPHERE TO RE-DESTABILIZE IN SOUTHERN WI. THE CRAVEN-WIEDENFELD AGGREGATE SEVERE PARAMETER /CWASP/ IS BASICALLY A SCORING/RATING SYSTEM FOR SEVERE WEATHER PARAMETERS. A VALUE OVER 80 CORRESPONDS WITH A GOOD CHANCE FOR SEVERE WEATHER IN THAT AREA. WE CONTINUE TO SEE VALUES IN THE 80S OVER SOUTHERN WI 18Z MONDAY TO 06Z TUESDAY. IF THE ATMOSPHERE CAN RECOVER FROM ANY OVERNIGHT CONVECTION IN TIME...THEN SURFACE-BASED SEVERE STORMS WILL BE LIKELY. LARGE HAIL...STRONG WINDS AND TORNADOES WOULD ALL BE POSSIBLE. STAY TUNED TO THE FORECAST. && .AVIATION/18Z TAFS/... VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED TODAY AND MOST OF TONIGHT IN THE EAST. THUNDERSTORMS IN SOUTHEAST IOWA/WEST CENTRAL IL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO MAKE IT INTO SOUTH CENTRAL WI BY 21Z THIS AFTERNOON IF THEY DO NOT DISSIPATE BEFOREHAND. THESE WILL DIMINISH BY MID EVENING IF THEY GET HERE. THEN ANOTHER ROUND OF CONVECTION IS LOOKING MORE LIKELY FOR AFTER MIDNIGHT TONIGHT...WHICH WOULD MAKE IT INTO SOUTHEAST WI EARLY MONDAY MORNING. THUNDERSTORMS WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL FOR STRONG WINDS AND HAIL TONIGHT. THUNDERSTORMS MAY MAKE IT INTO ERN CWA BY EARLY MON. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 328 AM CDT SUN MAY 19 2013/ TODAY AND TONIGHT...FORECAST CONFIDENCE MEDIUM. OVERNIGHT CLEARING AND ERN CWA DECOUPLING WL RESULT IN PATCHY FOG EARLY THIS MRNG. BETTER CHANCE FOR THE FOG IN THE EAST DUE TO LIGHTER WINDS WHILE CIRRUS BLOWOFF FROM UPSTREAM CONVECTION AFFECTING WRN CWA. WL NEED TO KEEP EYE ON IOWA CONVECTION AS SMALL CHANCE IT MAY HOLD TOGETHER AND CROSS MS RIVER INTO SOUTHWEST WI EARLY THIS MRNG. OTHERWISE BETTER CHANCE THIS AFTN IN THE WEST AS MID LEVEL HEIGHTS BEGIN TO FALL AND UPSTREAM CONVECTIVELY INDUCED SHORT WAVE CURRENTLY OVER SRN KS TRACKS NNE WHILE LOW LEVEL JET BEGINS TO STRENGTHEN INTO WRN WI. PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES REMAIN 1.25 TO 1.5 INCHES FOR THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE...AVERAGING 150 PERCENT OF NORMAL. COMBINATION OF THIS FIRST MID-LEVEL SHORT WAVE AND PIVOTING LOW LEVEL JET SHOULD BRING A PERIOD OF THUNDERSTORMS TO WESTERN CWA THIS EVENING. CORFIDI VECTORS REMAIN BELOW 10KTS FOR MUCH OF TONIGHT IN THE WEST. WARM CLOUD DEPTH OVER 11K FEET SO PRECIPITATION EFFICIENCY LOOKS FAVORABLE FOR A POTENTIAL HEAVY RAINFALL. HOWEVER CONCERN OVER LACK OF STRONG 925-850MB MOISTURE CONVERGENCE AND PERSISTENT THETA-E ADVECTION. 3 HOUR FLASH FLOOD GUIDANCE 2-2.5 INCHES IN THE WEST SO WL HOLD OFF ON FLASH FLOOD WATCH. HYDROLOGIC OUTLOOK AND HWO WL MENTION HEAVY RAINFALL THREAT. 0-6KM BULK SHEAR INCREASES OVERNIGHT IN THE WEST TO 45 KNOTS. LOW LEVEL SHEAR IN THE EVENING AROUND 20KTS WITH 0 TO 3 KM VORTICITY GENERATION POTENTIAL AROUND 0.3. DEWPTS MOST LIKELY WL REACH THE LOW TO MID 60S IN THE WEST RESULTING IN CAPES OVER 1500 J. POTENTIAL FOR SFC BASED CONVECTION THIS EVENING IN WEST WITH A SECOND ROUND LIKELY LATER TONIGHT AS SECOND STRONGER SHORT WAVE MOVES NORTHEAST AROUND DEEPENING PLAINS LOW. SECOND ROUND OF CONVECTION LATER TONIGHT LIKELY TO BE ELEVATED. MONDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT - CONFIDENCE...MEDIUM STILL LOOKING LIKE A DECENT SETUP FOR SEVERE STORMS. UPPER SYSTEM WILL BE CLOSER. FLOW AT ALL LEVELS WILL BE ON THE INCREASE AND SRN WI MUCH MORE IN THE GENESIS REGION OF STORM DEVELOPMENT. OVERALL GFS MORE FAVORABLE THAN THE NAM WITH RESPECT TO THERMODYNAMICS. EVEN THE NAM RAISES ENOUGH CONCERN. ML CAPE VALUES BETWEEN 1500-2000 J/KG ESPECIALLY ACRS SC WI. 0-1KM SHEAR 15-20 KNOTS AND 0-6KM SHEAR 35-40 KNOTS. 850 SSW LLJ OF 25-35 KNOTS SUPPORTING A CONTINUAL FEED OF MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIRMASS. INITIALLY WE WILL BE ON THE NOSE OF 250 MILLIBAR JET STREAK AND THEN TRANSITION TO MORE OF A RIGHT REAR POSITION FOR MONDAY NIGHT. MODELS SHOW A RELATIVE MIN IN QPF MONDAY AFTERNOON WITH MORE OF A MAX RETURNING MONDAY EVENING. APPEARS GREATER COVERAGE OF PRECIP WILL COME IN THE MORNING BUT EXPECTING ENOUGH RECOVERY TO HEIGHTEN CONCERN DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS. CWASP VALUES FROM BOTH THE ECMWF AND GFS SHOWING IMPRESSIVELY HIGH VALUES IN THE LOW 80S. NEW DAY 2 OUTLOOK HAS EXPANDED HATCHED AREA MUCH FURTHER NORTH INTO MUCH OF EASTERN IOWA THAN THE OLD DAY 3. TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY - CONFIDENCE...MEDIUM UPPER PATTERN SLOW TO MOVE. MORE STORMS. UPPER CIRCULATION WILL CONTINUE TO WRAP VORT MAXES INTO THE AREA KICKING OFF CONVECTION. LOW LEVEL JET REMAINS IN PLACE. UPPER JET ORIENTATION SUGGESTS RIGHT REAR QUAD DIVERGENCE. NAM HAS SURFACE BOUNDARY FARTHER NORTH WHILE ECMWF/GFS KEEP FRONT WAVERING ACROSS THE NORTHERN CWA. THE SURFACE LOW MOVES ACROSS SRN WI WEDNESDAY. 500 MILLIBAR TROUGH SLOWEST TO ARRIVE ON THE 00Z GFS AND GEM WHILE THE 12Z ECMWF IS MORE PROGRESSIVE. CWASP NUMBERS REMAIN QUITE IMPRESSIVE TUESDAY ON THE GFS...IN THE UPPER 70S TO LOW 80S. THESE NUMBERS COME DOWN A BIT WEDNESDAY THOUGH WITH LOW AND BOUNDARY IN THE AREA CONVECTIVE POTENTIAL STILL IN PLACE. THURSDAY - CONFIDENCE...MEDIUM 00Z GEM AND GFS LINGER 500 MILLIBAR TROUGH ACROSS THE AREA WHILE THE 12Z ECMWF IS MORE PROGRESSIVE. WILL KEEP SHRA IN THE FORECAST. FRIDAY - CONFIDENCE...MEDIUM GFS AND ECMWF BOTH SHOW HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING IN WHICH WILL BRING A MUCH NEEDED DRY DAY. SATURDAY - CONFIDENCE...LOW 12Z ECMWF WAS RATHER PROGRESSIVE ON EVOLVING WAA REGIME WITH CONVECTION BRUSHING THE AREA WITH GREATEST POTENTIAL ACRS IA/IL. MEANWHILE 00Z GFS KEEPS THE AREA UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF THE SURFACE/850 HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE. AVIATION/12Z TAFS/...PATCHY LIGHT FOG EXPECTED EARLY THIS MORNING DUE TO HIGHER SURFACE DEWPTS AND LESS BOUNDARY LAYER MIXING BUT SHOULD DISSIPATE QUICKLY. IN ADDITION...CIRRUS SHIELD FROM UPSTREAM CONVECTION ALSO WILL CONTRIBUTE TO FOG REMAINING PATCHY IN WEST...ALONG WITH A BIT MORE BOUNDARY LAYER MIXING IN THE WEST. OTRW VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED TODAY AND MOST OF TONIGHT IN THE EAST. PERIODS OF THUNDERSTORMS LIKELY TO AFFECT KMSN WITH POTENTIAL FOR STRONG WINDS AND HAIL TONIGHT. THUNDERSTORMS MAY MAKE IT INTO ERN CWA BY EARLY MON. && .MKX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WI...NONE. LM...NONE. && UPDATE...MRC/REM TODAY/TONIGHT AND AVIATION/MARINE...COLLAR MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY...MBK
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI 409 AM CDT SUN MAY 19 2013 WIZ046-047-051-052-056>060-062>072-200915- MARQUETTE-GREEN LAKE-FOND DU LAC-SHEBOYGAN-SAUK-COLUMBIA-DODGE- WASHINGTON-OZAUKEE-IOWA-DANE-JEFFERSON-WAUKESHA-MILWAUKEE- LAFAYETTE-GREEN-ROCK-WALWORTH-RACINE-KENOSHA- 409 AM CDT SUN MAY 19 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EAST CENTRAL WISCONSIN...SOUTH CENTRAL WISCONSIN AND SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING OVER SOUTH CENTRAL WISCONSIN. DAMAGING WINDS...LARGE HAIL AND TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE. PERIODS OF THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED OVER SOUTH CENTRAL WISCONSIN TONIGHT...WITH A CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS IN SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN. HEAVY FLOODING RAINFALL MAY ACCOMPANY THE THUNDERSTORMS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY STRENGTHENING LOW PRESSURE IN THE NORTHERN PLAINS WILL MOVE SLOWLY EAST THROUGH EARLY NEXT WEEK. INCREASING WINDS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS LOW PRESSURE AREA WILL CONTRIBUTE TO INCREASING MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY DURING THIS PERIOD. PERIODS OF THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED FROM MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. SOME OF THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE STRONG TO SEVERE MONDAY AND TUESDAY. DAMAGING WINDS...LARGE HAIL AND TORNADOES WILL ALL BE POSSIBLE. IN ADDITION...THE REPEATED BOUTS OF THUNDERSTORMS MAY PRODUCE FLOODING RAINFALL. STAY ABREAST OF THE LATEST FORECASTS FOR THE AREA FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS SHOULD PREPARE FOR POSSIBLE ACTIVATION TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY. LMZ643>646-200915- 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- 409 AM CDT SUN MAY 19 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF LAKE MICHIGAN. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THUNDERSTORMS ARE LIKELY TONIGHT NORTH OF PORT WASHINGTON...WITH A CHANCE FOR LATE NIGHT THUNDERSTORMS FARTHER SOUTH. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY THUNDERSTORMS ARE LIKELY AT TIMES MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY AS SLOW MOVING LOW PRESSURE MOVES ACROSS THE WESTERN GREAT LAKES. SOME OF THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE STRONG TO SEVERE. WWW.WEATHER.GOV/MKX MBK
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI 147 PM CDT SUN MAY 19 2013 WIZ062-067-068-191930- GREEN-IOWA-LAFAYETTE- 147 PM CDT SUN MAY 19 2013 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORM MOVING INTO LAFAYETTE COUNTY... AT 143 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED AN AREA OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS 26 MILES SOUTHWEST OF DARLINGTON...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH. ONE HALF INCH DIAMETER HAIL...WINDS GREATER THAN 30 MPH...FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING...BRIEF HEAVY DOWNPOURS...ARE POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM. * THE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR... SHULLSBURG BY 205 PM CDT... DARLINGTON BY 215 PM CDT... YELLOWSTONE LAKE STATE PARK BY 230 PM 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. MEB
The Milwaukee radar (KMKX), 117 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:29 UTC.
5 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Law enforcement officials reported trees downed by thunderstorm wind gusts estimated at 65 mph (56 knots) at the intersection of State Highway 11 and County Road D in South Wayne.
Law enforcement officials reported trees, power lines and power poles downed by thunderstorm wind gusts measured at 59 mph (51 knots) at the Monroe airport (KEFT) along a path from 3 miles east-northeast of Argyle to Monroe.
Law enforcement officials reported a few trees, tree branches and power lines downed by thunderstorm wind gusts estimated at 60 mph (52 knots).
Law enforcement officials reported 10 trees downed by thunderstorm wind gusts estimated at 65 mph (56 knots) at the Wisconsin State Capital.
A trained spotter reported thunderstorm wind gusts estimated at 60 mph (52 knots) in Sun Prairie.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Wisconsin in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings in Wisconsin, May 2013
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: 452374, 452384, 452387, 452388, 452389.