Lake Michigan, 2018

Waterspout in Lake Michigan, August 17, 2018

August 17, 2018 · NWS MKX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Slow moving showers produced an isolated waterspout just northeast of Milwaukee Harbor during the morning of August 17th. The waterspout remained well offshore.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS MKX wrote it up.

Slow moving showers produced an isolated waterspout just northeast of Milwaukee Harbor during the morning of August 17th. The waterspout remained well offshore.

What forecasters said that day

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 Aug 16, 5:29 PM CST, 12 hours 11 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 16, 5:29 PM CST, 12 hours 11 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Aug 16, 2:48 PM CST, 14 hours 52 minutes before
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The radar

The Milwaukee radar (KMKX), 59 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 11:39 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 waterspout. Local standard time, as filed.

Waterspout, Port Washington to North Point Light Wi 5nm Offshore to Mid Lake

When
August 17, 5:40 AM CST to 5:45 AM CST
Where
Port Washington to North Point Light Wi 5nm Offshore to Mid Lake forecast zone, 4.96 mi E of North Point Lthouse
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
43.067, -87.833

The public observed a waterspout about 1.5 miles east of North Point Lighthouse.

What these are

Waterspout
A tornado over water. One that moves ashore is filed as a tornado from the coastline on.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Lake Michigan in 2018Every state in 2018This day in weather history

Sources

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: 767941.