A powerful line of thunderstorms moved across southern Wisconsin during the evening of June 28, 2017. These storms brought damaging winds and 3 tornadoes to the area.
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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 powerful line of thunderstorms moved across southern Wisconsin during the evening of June 28, 2017. These storms brought damaging winds and 3 tornadoes to the area.
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 Jun 28, 2:42 PM CST, 2 hours 15 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Milwaukee/Sullivan WI 342 PM CDT Wed Jun 28 2017 .SHORT TERM... Tonight...Forecast Confidence is Medium. There is a round of thunderstorms across south central and southeast WI right now. These are fueled by persistent warm air advection and strong moisture transport. The ML CAPE is on the rise and storms are starting to get a little more height to them. Still not tall enough for severe. The storms moving into southeast WI actually has sunshine, so that will help sustain them as they move through. The next round of thunderstorms approaching from IA will have the potential to be severe. These should arrive in Madison around 5 to 6 pm. However, the low clouds that are hanging around all day are not helping the instability situation and these storms may just be a large multi-cell cluster by the time they reach south central WI. Time will tell. More storms could move through southern WI as late as midnight, but these have a much lower chance of being severe. Thursday through Sunday...Forecast confidence medium. A low pressure area will move across the nrn Great Lakes and Ontario, Canada for Thu-Thu nt while its trailing cold front slowly moves across srn WI. Meanwhile a shortwave trough will approach from the wsw on Thu bringing another round of convection to far srn WI Thu aft-eve. As the front drops swd into IL and Lower MI late Thu nt into Fri, another shortwave trough and wave of low pressure will track along the front bringing yet another round of convection for much of srn WI, heaviest in se WI. On Sat, wnwly flow will prevail with a weak cold front for the afternoon and evening with isolated to sct tstorm development possible. A weak ridge of high pressure will follow late Sat nt into Sun. Temps and humidity during this period will be near seasonal normals. .LONG TERM...Monday through Wednesday...Forecast confidence low. The models differ on the overall evolution of the synoptic pattern and a wavering frontal boundary. Chances of showers and storms will continue with the possibility of a stationary front in the vicinity of srn WI. && .AVIATION(18Z TAFS)... Ceilings will gradually improve from west to east this afternoon as we get better mixing and more heating. Plan on gusty southerly winds as well. We are still expecting a couple more rounds of thunderstorms. There will be some scattered storms through late afternoon, then a larger area of storms should approach south central WI late this afternoon which could be severe. There is yet another chance for storms during the evening hours which could also be strong. && .MARINE... The increasing southerly winds are delayed this afternoon due to the morning showers, but they are starting to come up now. Winds and waves will remain high through much of the night. A small craft advisory is in effect. Westerly wind gusts will approach small craft advy levels Thu afternoon. && .BEACHES... A Beach Hazard Statement is in effect from Port Washington to Sheboygan. Breezy southerly winds and high waves will bring a high swim risk to the Sheboygan county beaches. Winds will be a bit more off shore and waves will be lower south of that area. However, a moderate swim risk covers all of southeast Wisconsin Lake Michigan beaches. && .MKX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WI...Beach Hazards Statement through late tonight for WIZ052. LM...Small Craft Advisory until 6 AM CDT Thursday for LMZ643>646. && Tonight/Thursday and Aviation/Marine...Cronce Thursday Night through Wednesday...Gehring
Hazardous Weather Outlook...UPDATED National Weather Service Milwaukee/Sullivan WI 526 PM CDT Wed Jun 28 2017 WIZ046-047-051-052-056>060-062>072-291200- Marquette-Green Lake-Fond Du Lac-Sheboygan-Sauk-Columbia-Dodge- Washington-Ozaukee-Iowa-Dane-Jefferson-Waukesha-Milwaukee- Lafayette-Green-Rock-Walworth-Racine-Kenosha- 526 PM CDT Wed Jun 28 2017 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of east central Wisconsin, south central Wisconsin, and southeast Wisconsin. .DAY ONE...Tonight A Tornado Thunderstorm Watch is in effect for most of southern Wisconsin through late evening. Storms will produce heavy rain and may produce damaging winds, large hail, or a tornado. A small threat of flash flooding also exists as some areas may see repeated rounds of thunderstorms and heavy rain. A Beach Hazard Statement is in effect into tonight for beaches in Sheboygan County. Breezy southerly winds and high waves will result in dangerous rip, structural, and longshore currents. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Thursday through Wednesday Thunderstorms are possible at times from Friday through Tuesday as multiple low pressure systems move through the region. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation will be needed Tonight. LMZ643>646-291200- 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- 526 PM CDT Wed Jun 28 2017 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of Lake Michigan. .DAY ONE...Tonight A Small Craft Advisory is in effect through tonight due to breezy southerly winds and high waves. Thunderstorms are likely late through late evening. Some of these storms may be severe during this time. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Thursday through Wednesday Thunderstorms are possible at times from Friday through Tuesday as multiple low pressure systems move through the region. Cronce www.weather.gov/mkx
The La Crosse radar (KARX), 119 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:58 UTC.
20 thunderstorm wind, 3 tornado, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Several wooden electrical transmission lines were downed or snapped along highway 80 as a strong line of thunderstorms moved through the area.
Scattered tree damage occurred across the county as a strong line of thunderstorms moved through the area. However, there was no concentrated area of damage.
Several electrical transmission lines were downed as a strong line of thunderstorms moved through the area.
A small farm building was destroyed as a strong line of thunderstorms moved through the area.
Several trees were downed on the north side of Watertown as a strong thunderstorm pushed through the area. There was at least 1 instance of a 12 inch branch was torn off of a tree.
Multiple trees were damaged as a strong thunderstorm moved through the area.
Several trees were downed and several trees had large branches torn off as a strong thunderstorm moved through the area.
Multiple trees were downed at the Blackstone Creek golf course as a strong thunderstorm moved through the area.
A heating unit was ripped off the roof of a building as a strong thunderstorm moved through the area.
Along the path of the tornado, a barn and pole shed were destroyed, 4 houses sustained damage, 4 power poles were snapped, numerous trees were either snapped or uprooted and a camper was rolled into a pond. The majority of the tornado path had EF-0 damage, but there were pockets of EF-1 damage.
A short lived tornado removed a portion of the roof from two industrial buildings and broke multiple windows in each building. Elsewhere, a trailer was flipped and multiple trees were either snapped or uprooted. A dumpster was also lifted and blown across Highway 69.
A farm building was destroyed and 1 tree was snapped as a strong line of thunderstorms moved through the area.
Several trees were damaged as a strong line of thunderstorms moved through the area.
Widespread tree damage was reported across southern Rock county. In northern Beloit, a 12 inch branch was snapped off of a tree.
A 3 foot diameter tree was uprooted as a strong line of thunderstorms moved through the area.
A large tree was snapped at the trunk as a bow echo moved through northern Jefferson county.
This short lived tornado topped, snapped, or uprooted many trees and damaged the roof on two farm buildings.
Large branches were torn off of several trees as a bow echo moved through Jefferson county.
Over 3 hours of heavy rainfall from thunderstorms caused flash flooding. Many roads were closed due to water running across them. The flooding was concentrated in the southeastern portion of the county. Radar rainfall estimates were up to 7 inches in some spots.
There were branches broken off of several large trees as a squall line moved through southeastern Wisconsin.
Several 3 to 5 inch branches were taken off of trees as a squall line moved through the area.
Around 6 pine trees were knocked down as a thunderstorms moved through the area.
Multiple trees were downed across the town of Walworth as a thunderstorm pushed through the area.
Numerous trees and power lines were downed as a thunderstorm pushed across the area.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Wisconsin in 2017Every state in 2017This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Wisconsin, 2017Warnings in Wisconsin, June 2017
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: 707725, 707729, 707726, 707727, 707728, 707730, 707731, 707733, 707734, 704338, 704339, 707732, 707737, 707740, 707743, 707744, 704340, 707745, 707767, 707747, 707749, 707761, 707768, 707769.