Low pressure tracking northeast from the Missouri Valley brought several rounds of thunderstorms and heavy rain to northeast Wisconsin during the afternoon and evening hours of May 17th. Three distinct rounds of activity brought damaging winds as high as 80 mph and hail as large as an inch in diameter.
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 GRB wrote it up.
Low pressure tracking northeast from the Missouri Valley brought several rounds of thunderstorms and heavy rain to northeast Wisconsin during the afternoon and evening hours of May 17th. Three distinct rounds of activity brought damaging winds as high as 80 mph and hail as large as an inch in diameter.
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 May 17, 11:24 AM CST, 1 hour 33 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Green Bay WI 1224 PM CDT Wed May 17 2017 Updated aviation portion for 18Z TAF issuance .SHORT TERM...Today...Tonight...and Thursday Issued at 410 AM CDT Wed May 17 2017 Looks like another day of severe thunderstorms is likely. An unseasonably strong negatively tilted upper low lifting northeast from the Central Plains will provide considerable upper support for severe storms this afternoon and evening, while a slow moving cold front, outflow boundaries and perhaps lake and bay breezes provide for surface convective initiation. Cloud cover will hinder solar heating and surface based instability for a good part of the day, but there should be a least some breaks in the clouds in the warm sector over the southeast half of the forecast region later today. The Saint louis University web page of forecast analogs showed that nearly all of the top analogs were associated with severe weather somewhere in Wisconsin and nearly half with tornadoes. The NWS western region web page that displays return intervals of various surface and upper air parameters show that the intensity of the upper system has a return interval of once every 2 or 3 years in Wisconsin and is outside of the climatological database in Iowa. So this will probably be an active day of severe storms over parts of the Midwest and western Great lakes. Clouds and showers and thunderstorms will keep temperatures in the 60s in far northern Wisconsin. The concentration of storms along the front has the potential for producing heavy rain and local flooding. Further south and east there will probably be just isolated or scattered storms until late afternoon or evening as the upper system gets closer and the surface cold front starts to move east. The combination of best instability and shear averages out to be somewhere between Wausau and Menominee County Michigan late in the afternoon and early evening, with energy helicity indices of around 3. The storms will move across the area tonight and exit early Thursday as the cold front moves through. Heavy rain will be the main concern once the severe threat has ended. The air is cold enough behind the front for temperatures to actually fall during the day, something rare for this time of the year. .LONG TERM...Thursday Night Through Tuesday Issued at 410 AM CDT Wed May 17 2017 Models start this part of the forecast dry, with surface high pressure and a mid level ridge across region. Precipitation is then expected to move in late Friday night as a mid level trough and surface low move northeast toward the region. PoPs drop to slight chance on Sunday in the dry slot of the system. The unsettled weather pattern continues into early next week as another shortwave trough and cold front move into the Great Lakes around Tuesday. High temperatures are expected to be below normal through the middle of next week. && .AVIATION...for 18Z TAF Issuance Issued at 1223 PM CDT Wed May 17 2017 Several rounds of showers and thunderstorms will impact the TAF sites during the TAF period. The best chance for thunderstorms will be this afternoon and early this evening, with lower chances later tonight into Thursday morning. CIGS have settled between low VFR and MVFR this afternoon, with bases basically between 2500 and 3500 ft. Conditions will drop with showers and thunderstorms to a solid MVFR/IFR deck, with lower conditions possible with heavier rain activity. A cold front will move through Thursday morning, bringing additional showers and low clouds. Conditions are not expected to improve appreciably until Thursday afternoon when the main low tracks east. && .GRB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && SHORT TERM.....RDM LONG TERM......MG AVIATION.......Kurimski
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Green Bay WI 421 AM CDT Wed May 17 2017 WIZ005-010>013-018>022-030-031-035>040-045-048>050-073-074-180930- Vilas-Oneida-Forest-Florence-Northern Marinette County-Lincoln- Langlade-Menominee-Northern Oconto County-Door-Marathon-Shawano- Wood-Portage-Waupaca-Outagamie-Brown-Kewaunee-Waushara-Winnebago- Calumet-Manitowoc-Southern Marinette County- Southern Oconto County- 421 AM CDT Wed May 17 2017 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for north-central and northeast Wisconsin. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight There is a slight risk of severe thunderstorms across nearly all of the forecast area. Large hail, damaging winds, and a few tornadoes are possible. The afternoon and early evening hours have the greatest potential for severe storms. The thunderstorms will also produce heavy rain, especially across far northern Wisconsin where local flooding is possible. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Thursday through Tuesday Thunderstorms are possible Saturday night but it is too early to determine the severe weather threat at this time. There is also the potential for heavy rain Saturday and Saturday night. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is likely later in the day. LMZ521-522-541>543-180930- The Bay of Green Bay south of a line from Cedar River MI to Rock Island Passage-Lake Michigan from Washington Island to Sheboygan- 421 AM CDT Wed May 17 2017 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of northwest Lake Michigan and the waters of Green Bay. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight Increasing south winds and building waves will lead to hazardous conditions in the Lake Michigan waters. There is a also a small chance of severe thunderstorms this evening. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Thursday through Tuesday An abrupt wind shift from south to north will take place Thursday during the morning or midday hours. Winds could gust to gale force for a few hours from the north after the wind shift. There is a chance for thunderstorms Saturday night. Winds and waves hazardous to small craft are possible on Thursday. RDM/MG
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Green Bay WI
120 PM CDT WED MAY 17 2017
WIZ030-035-036-171915-
Marathon WI-Wood WI-Portage WI-
120 PM CDT WED MAY 17 2017
...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MOVING INTO CENTRAL wISCONSIN...
At 117 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm 7
miles west of Babcock, or 22 miles west of Wisconsin Rapids, moving
northeast at 60 mph.
Pea size hail and winds in excess of 30 mph will be possible with
this storm.
Other strong thunderstorms were located over southwest Wisconsin and
will move into parts of central Wisconsin after 2 pm.
Locations impacted include...
Wausau, Marshfield, Weston, Rib Mountain, Mosinee, Abbotsford,
Spencer, Pittsville, Babcock and Rothschild.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
Frequent cloud to ground lightning is occurring with this storm.
Lightning can strike 10 miles away from a thunderstorm. Seek a safe
shelter inside a building or vehicle.
This storm may intensify, so be certain to monitor local radio
stations and available television stations for additional information
and possible warnings from the National Weather Service.
&&
LAT...LON 4503 9031 4504 9020 4512 9020 4512 8934
4511 8934 4425 9005 4427 9032
TIME...MOT...LOC 1817Z 210DEG 61KT 4432 9027
AKThe La Crosse radar (KARX), 124 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:54 UTC.
31 thunderstorm wind, 4 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Thunderstorm winds snapped power poles and caused some damage to nearby businesses in Marshfield.
A thunderstorm wind gust to 66 mph was measured at Marshfield Municipal Airport.
Thunderstorm winds downed a couple of trees about 20 miles west of Rhinelander.
Thunderstorm winds of 59 mph were measured at Rhinelander/Oneida County Airport.
Quarter size hail fell southeast of Nekoosa.
A thunderstorm produced a measured wind gust to 60 mph at Port Edwards.
Nickel to quarter size hail fell near Nekoosa.
Penny size hail fell east of Wisconsin Rapids, and winds downed several 1 to 2 inch diameter tree branches throughout town.
Thunderstorm downburst winds downed at least a dozen trees and heavily damaged a barn in western Marathon County. The downburst winds also carried a carport more than 200 feet.
Thunderstorm winds tipped over a semi trailer in Athens. The time of the event is estimated based on radar data.
Thunderstorm wind downed several trees just south of Merrill.
Thunderstorms winds downed trees east of Irma, in the vicinity of Highway 51 and County Road J.
Thunderstorm winds downed trees east of Doering, on County Road X.
Thunderstorm winds downed at least a dozen trees and destroyed an outbuilding east of Tomahawk.
Thunderstorm winds downed trees and power lines in Woodboro. The time of this event was estimated based on radar data.
Thunderstorm winds downed trees in Antigo.
Thunderstorm winds downed trees in Elcho.
Thunderstorm winds downed trees and power lines at Sugar Camp.
Quarter size hail fell east of Waupaca. The storm that produced the hail also brought heavy rain and gusty winds.
Thunderstorm winds downed small to medium size tree limbs north of Boulder Junction.
Thunderstorm winds downed about fifteen, 15-20 inch diameter trees northwest of Boulder Junction. Some of the trees blocked roads in the area. The time of this event was estimated based on radar.
Thunderstorm winds snapped and uprooted a couple of trees south of Wautoma.
Thunderstorm winds downed trees and power lines south of Waupaca.
Thunderstorm winds downed trees and power lines in Manawa.
A thunderstorm wind gust to 58 mph was measured in New London.
Thunderstorm winds downed power lines in Shiocton.
Thunderstorm winds downed trees and power lines in Clintonville.
Thunderstorms produced a wind gust to 61 mph at Appleton International Airport.
Thunderstorm winds downed power lines in Nichols.
Thunderstorm winds downed trees and power lines in Chilton.
Thunderstorm winds downed trees and power lines in New Holstein.
Thunderstorm winds downed trees and power lines in New Holstein.
Thunderstorm winds downed trees and power lines in Brillion.
Thunderstorm winds downed at least two dozen trees, causing damage to eight houses on the north shore of Shawano Lake.
There were about a dozen reports of trees and power lines downed by thunderstorm winds in Green Bay.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Wisconsin in 2017Every state in 2017This day in weather historyWarnings in Wisconsin, May 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: 696416, 696428, 696417, 696430, 696410, 701619, 696413, 696414, 696418, 696420, 696421, 696422, 696424, 696425, 701625, 701621, 701623, 701627, 696415, 701628, 701635, 701654, 701671, 701675, 701679, 701662, 701678, 701646, 701664, 701665, 701667, 701657, 701659, 701683, 701670.