Weather Event #15-May 17 Wisconsin Storms

Wednesday, May 17 was Wisconsin's first notable severe thunderstorm day since April 13. I observed the leading edge of an approaching severe storm just northeast of Stoughton between 3:00 and 3:30 PM. The storm did not produce severe weather at my location, although a news report said trees were downed in Stoughton. If so, no local storm report was issued for the event. However hail and wind damage were reported in the Madison and Janesville areas from the same storm complex.






























Ominous-looking cloud lowering. Judging from its location in the storm it was probably an outflow cloud, even though it doesn't look like a classic shelf cloud. It probably gave residents quite a fright though as it hovered directly over areas affected by a major tornado on August 18, 2005.































































The lightning was a lucky shot:
















BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI
326 PM CDT WED MAY 17 2006

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MILWAUKEE HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
WESTERN JEFFERSON COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN
EASTERN DANE COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL WISCONSIN

* UNTIL 415 PM CDT*

AT 322 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING NICKEL SIZE HAIL...AND DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH. THIS STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR COTTAGE GROVE...OR ABOUT 7 MILES EAST OF MCFARLAND...AND MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR... CAMBRIDGE...LAKE RIPLEY AND LAKE MILLS AROUND 340 PM CDT...
JEFFERSON AROUND 350 PM CDT...
FORT ATKINSON AROUND 400 PM CDT...

THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM. IF YOU ARE IN ITS PATH...PREPARE IMMEDIATELY FOR DAMAGING WINDS...DESTRUCTIVE HAIL...AND DEADLY CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING. PEOPLE OUTSIDE SHOULD MOVE TO A SHELTER...PREFERABLY INSIDE A STRONG BUILDING BUT AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

LAT...LON 4319 8907 4305 8931 4285 8913 4285 8878
4318 8883

MK

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI
941 PM CDT WED MAY 17 2006

..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON.....DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE.... ..REMARKS..

0125 PM HAIL WAUKESHA 43.01N 88.24W 05/17/2006 M0.25 INCH WAUKESHA WI NWS EMPLOYEE

0141 PM HAIL 1 NNE GREENFIELD 42.98N 88.00W 05/17/2006 E0.25 INCH MILWAUKEE WI TRAINED SPOTTER

0215 PM HAIL JEFFERSON 43.01N 88.81W 05/17/2006 M0.25 INCH JEFFERSON WI TRAINED SPOTTER

0222 PM TSTM WND GST SHEBOYGAN 43.75N 87.73W 05/17/2006 M43.00 MPH SHEBOYGAN WI ASOS

0223 PM HAIL SHEBOYGAN 43.75N 87.73W 05/17/2006 M0.25 INCH SHEBOYGAN WI LAW ENFORCEMENT

0239 PM HAIL PLYMOUTH 43.75N 87.97W 05/17/2006 M1.75 INCH SHEBOYGAN WI TRAINED SPOTTER

0249 PM HAIL 4 WNW CASCADE 43.68N 88.08W 05/17/2006 E0.75 INCH SHEBOYGAN WI PUBLIC ESTIMATED 0.75 INCH DIAMETER HAIL IN THE TOWNSHIP OF MITCHELL.

0258 PM HAIL DEFOREST 43.25N 89.35W 05/17/2006 M1.75 INCH DANE WI TRAINED SPOTTER

0302 PM HAIL DEFOREST 43.25N 89.35W 05/17/2006 E0.75 INCH DANE WI FIRE DEPT/RESCUE ESTIMATED 0.75 INCH DIAMETER HAIL AT INTERSECTION OF HOLUM AND MAIN STREETS.

0309 PM HAIL BEAVER DAM 43.46N 88.84W 05/17/2006 E0.50 INCH DODGE WI TRAINED SPOTTER REPORTED ON THE WEST SIDE OF BEAVER DAM LAKE.

0319 PM HAIL MADISON 43.08N 89.39W 05/17/2006 M0.50 INCH DANE WI ASOS

0325 PM HAIL 1 W MADISON 43.08N 89.41W 05/17/2006 E0.50 INCH DANE WI CO-OP OBSERVER ESTIMATED 0.50 INCH DIAMETER HAIL COVERING THE GROUND AT THE UW MADISON ATMOSPHERIC AND OCEANIC SCIENCES BUILDING. OTHER REPORTS OF 0.50 INCH DIAMETER HAIL WERE RECEIVED IN THE MADISON AREA.

0332 PM HAIL 1 SSW WAUNAKEE 43.17N 89.46W 05/17/2006 M0.50 INCH DANE WI AMATEUR RADIO MEASURED 0.50 INCH DIAMETER HAIL 0.75 MILES SSW OF WAUNAKEE.

0401 PM TSTM WND GST JANESVILLE 42.68N 89.02W 05/17/2006 E65.00 MPH ROCK WI PUBLIC ESTIMATED 65 MPH WIND GUST ON THE NORTH SIDE OF JANESVILLE.

0401 PM FUNNEL CLOUD MILWAUKEE 43.06N 87.97W 05/17/2006 MILWAUKEE WI OFFICIAL NWS OBS REPORTED BY FAA CONTRACT WEATHER OBSERVER AND TOWER PERSONNEL AT MILWAUKEE/S MITCHELL INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.

0402 PM HAIL MILWAUKEE 43.06N 87.97W 05/17/2006 E0.25 INCH MILWAUKEE WI TRAINED SPOTTER REPORTED IN DOWNTOWN MILWAUKEE.

0405 PM HAIL HARTLAND 43.10N 88.34W 05/17/2006 E1.00 INCH WAUKESHA WI PUBLIC ESTIMATED 1.00 INCH DIAMETER HAIL IN HARTLAND. SOME CRACKED WINDSHIELDS AND DENTS IN CARS.

0405 PM HAIL 1 W RACINE 42.73N 87.83W 05/17/2006 E0.88 INCH RACINE WI AMATEUR RADIO

0410 PM TSTM WND GST SHOPIERE 42.50N 88.73W 05/17/2006 E45.00 MPH WALWORTH WI TRAINED SPOTTER

0410 PM TSTM WND DMG JANESVILLE 42.68N 89.02W05/17/2006 ROCK WI LAW ENFORCEMENT A FEW TREES DOWN ON HIGHWAY 11 NEAR AVALON AND EMERALD GROVE SOUTHEAST OF JANESVILLE.

0425 PM FUNNEL CLOUD RACINE 42.73N 87.81W 05/17/2006 RACINE WI FIRE DEPT/RESCUE REPORTED AT TAYLOR ST AND 17TH ST 2 MILES WEST OF LAKE MICHIGAN.

0427 PM FUNNEL CLOUD RACINE 42.73N 87.81W 05/17/2006 RACINE WI PUBLIC REPORTED AT 7TH AND MAIN ST. 1 MILE WEST OF LAKE.

0430 PM HAIL WATERTOWN 43.19N 88.72W 05/17/2006 E0.50 INCH JEFFERSON WI LAW ENFORCEMENT REPORTED AT THE INTERSECTION HIGHWAYS D AND E.

0445 PM HAIL RACINE 42.73N 87.81W 05/17/2006 E0.50 INCH RACINE WI PUBLIC ESTIMATED 0.50 INCH DIAMETER HAIL AT SAINT MARY HOSPITAL IN RACINE. SMALL DENTS FOUND IN SIDE AND TOP OF VEHICLE AND ON ALUMINUM SIDING OF HOUSE IN RACINE.

WOOD