Milwaukee/Sullivan, WI

Weather Forecast Office

Recap of May 17th Damaging Winds

Overview

In the afternoon and evening of Wednesday, May 17, 2017, three rounds of severe thunderstorms impacted southern Wisconsin. In the mid afternoon, a supercell developed in Iowa county, moved through Sauk, Dane, Columbia, Marquette, and Green Lake counties, and dropped up to quarter sized hail.

By early evening, another intense thunderstorm moved out of Illinois and through Rock, Jefferson, Waukesha, Dodge, and Washington counties and produced damaging winds. Near the town of Darien in Rock county, winds were estimated at 80 mph by a NWS storm survey. A second storm then developed in eastern Waukesha county, moved into Milwaukee county, and produced strong winds.

The third round of storms was in a north-south oriented line that moved in from the west and swept across all of southern Wisconsin. They were generally the strongest closer to the Mississippi River before gradually weakening as they approached Lake Michigan. The exception was in Walworth county, where a supercell developed in Illinois ahead of the line, produced a tornado in extreme northern Illinois, and then crossed the state line and produced damaging winds in southeast Walworth county.

Caption


Radar - Round 1	Radar - Round 2	Radar - Round 3

Round 1
Round 2
Round 3
Storm Reports

Round 1

We don't have any images of the hail or wind damage from this first storm, but if we get any, they'll go here.

Round 2


Barn near Darien	Barn near Darien	Barn near Whitewater	Home near NWS office


Hondo Schmitt - Janesville	Samantha Morrison - Janesville	Hondo Schmitt - Janesville	Mike Campbell - MKE & Randall JVL


Patti Miller - Janesville	Sharon Vegter - Janesville	Janesville	Todd Lindert - Whitewater

Round 3


Lake Geneva	Lake Geneva	Near the IL border	Walworth Village

Storm Reports

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

1128 PM TSTM WND GST 2 W CUDAHY 42.95N 87.90W
05/17/2017 M54 MPH MILWAUKEE WI ASOS

GENERAL MITCHELL INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.

1126 PM TSTM WND GST 2 W NORTH BAY 42.76N 87.83W
05/17/2017 M47 MPH RACINE WI TRAINED SPOTTER

1056 PM HAIL 1 ENE LAKE GENEVA 42.59N 88.41W
05/17/2017 M1.00 INCH WALWORTH WI AMATEUR RADIO

1056 PM TSTM WND DMG 1 SSE LAKE GENEVA 42.57N 88.42W
05/17/2017 WALWORTH WI AMATEUR RADIO

TREE LIMB DOWN ON POWER LINE.

1052 PM TSTM WND GST 2 SSE WAUKESHA 42.99N 88.23W
05/17/2017 E55 MPH WAUKESHA WI AMATEUR RADIO

TWO REPORTS OF 48 TO 55 MPH WINDS ON SOUTH
SIDE OF WAUKESHA.

1039 PM TSTM WND DMG 1 S WALWORTH 42.52N 88.60W
05/17/2017 WALWORTH WI NWS STORM SURVEY

            NUMEROUS LARGE BRANCHES DOWN AND A FEW
            ROTTEN TREE TRUNKS SNAPPED AS A RESULT OF
            60-70 MPH STRAIGHT LINE WINDS BETWEEN
            WALWORTH AND STATE LINE ON US HWY 14.

0900 PM TSTM WND DMG PORTAGE 43.55N 89.47W
05/17/2017 COLUMBIA WI LAW ENFORCEMENT

NUMEROUS REPORTS OF TREES DOWN ACROSS
WESTERN COLUMBIA COUNTY.

0859 PM TSTM WND DMG 1 SW MADISON 43.07N 89.39W
05/17/2017 DANE WI LAW ENFORCEMENT

A FEW TREES DOWN.

0848 PM TSTM WND DMG 1 SW BARABOO 43.46N 89.75W
05/17/2017 SAUK WI AMATEUR RADIO

LARGE TREE DOWN 20 INCH DIAMETER.

0834 PM TSTM WND DMG 3 E ARGYLE 42.70N 89.80W
05/17/2017 GREEN WI LAW ENFORCEMENT

SIX TREES DOWN.

0759 PM TSTM WND DMG DODGEVILLE 42.96N 90.13W
05/17/2017 IOWA WI LAW ENFORCEMENT

TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN. TIME ESTIMATED
FROM RADAR.

0756 PM TSTM WND DMG MINERAL POINT 42.86N 90.18W
05/17/2017 IOWA WI LAW ENFORCEMENT

TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN. TIME ESTIMATED
FROM RADAR.

0755 PM TSTM WND GST 3 NW MINERAL POINT 42.89N 90.23W
05/17/2017 M54 MPH IOWA WI AWOS

0753 PM TSTM WND DMG 1 NW BELMONT 42.75N 90.34W
05/17/2017 LAFAYETTE WI 911 CALL CENTER

TREES DOWN ALONG STATE HWY 126.

0725 PM TSTM WND DMG 3 SSW OCONOMOWOC LAKE 43.06N 88.47W
05/17/2017 WAUKESHA WI AMATEUR RADIO

NUMEROUS TREES DOWN NEAR HWY 67 AND I-94.

0720 PM TSTM WND DMG 2 SW OCONOMOWOC 43.09N 88.52W
05/17/2017 WAUKESHA WI NWS EMPLOYEE

LARGE TREE UPROOTED NEAR VALLEY ROAD EAST OF
CO RD BB.

0718 PM TSTM WND GST 4 SSE SULLIVAN 42.97N 88.55W
05/17/2017 M65 MPH JEFFERSON WI NWS EMPLOYEE

MEASURED AT NWS MILWUAKEE/SULLIVAN.

0715 PM TSTM WND DMG 4 N PALMYRA 42.94N 88.58W
05/17/2017 JEFFERSON WI TRAINED SPOTTER

POLE BUILDING BLOWN DOWN. TREE ON HOUSE ON
CORNER OF CI AND E.

0715 PM HAIL WATERFORD 42.76N 88.22W
05/17/2017 E1.00 INCH RACINE WI TRAINED SPOTTER

0702 PM TSTM WND DMG FORT ATKINSON 42.93N 88.84W
05/17/2017 JEFFERSON WI AMATEUR RADIO

5 INCH DIAMETER TREE BRANCH DOWN.

0701 PM TSTM WND DMG WHITEWATER 42.84N 88.74W
05/17/2017 WALWORTH WI PUBLIC

            NUMEROUS TREES AND TREE LIMBS DOWN IN
            WHITEWATER. RELAYED VIA SOCIAL MEDIA AND
            AMATEUR RADIO.

0700 PM TSTM WND DMG 3 SSE FORT ATKINSON 42.88N 88.82W
05/17/2017 JEFFERSON WI PUBLIC

SIX INCH DIAMETER TREE LIMB DOWN. PEA SIZE
HAIL.

0651 PM HAIL 2 S JANESVILLE 42.65N 89.01W
05/17/2017 E1.00 INCH ROCK WI PUBLIC

RELAYED VIA MEDIA.

0651 PM TSTM WND DMG 1 SE MILTON 42.77N 88.93W
05/17/2017 ROCK WI PUBLIC

LARGE BRANCHES DOWN ON POWER LINES NEAR
SOUTH MILTON AND SHOPIERE ROAD.

0649 PM TSTM WND DMG 4 NNW DARIEN 42.65N 88.73W
05/17/2017 WALWORTH WI TRAINED SPOTTER

BARN BLOWN OVER ALONG HWY 11. EIGHT INCH
TREE LIMBS DOWN.

0648 PM TSTM WND DMG 6 NW DARIEN 42.65N 88.81W
05/17/2017 ROCK WI NWS STORM SURVEY

WALLS COLLAPSED ON SEVERAL OLDER FARM
BUILDING. ESTIMATED WIND SPEEDS OF 80 MPH.

0646 PM TSTM WND DMG JANESVILLE 42.68N 89.02W
05/17/2017 ROCK WI 911 CALL CENTER

            NUMEROUS REPORTS OF TREES DOWN. OVER 200
            CALLS ABOUT TREE DAMAGE ACROSS EASTERN TWO
            THIRDS OF ROCK COUNTY.

0645 PM HAIL 2 N JANESVILLE 42.71N 89.02W
05/17/2017 E1.00 INCH ROCK WI PUBLIC

REPORTED VIA SOCIAL MEDIA.

0638 PM TSTM WND DMG BELOIT 42.52N 89.02W
05/17/2017 ROCK WI 911 CALL CENTER

            NUMEROUS REPORTS OF TREES DOWN. OVER 200
            CALLS ABOUT TREE DAMAGE ACROSS EASTERN TWO
            THIRDS OF ROCK COUNTY.

0635 PM NON-TSTM WND DMG 3 ESE PADDOCK LAKE 42.56N 88.06W
05/17/2017 KENOSHA WI PUBLIC

TREE DOWN. REPORTED VIA SOCIAL MEDIA.

0630 PM NON-TSTM WND DMG 4 SSE SULLIVAN 42.96N 88.56W
05/17/2017 JEFFERSON WI PUBLIC

TREE DOWN ACROSS ROAD. TIME ESTIMATED.

0420 PM HAIL BERLIN 43.97N 88.95W
05/17/2017 E0.25 INCH GREEN LAKE WI PUBLIC

30 MPH WINDS.

0418 PM HAIL 2 SSW BERLIN 43.94N 88.97W
05/17/2017 M0.75 INCH GREEN LAKE WI TRAINED SPOTTER

RELAYED THROUGH GREEN LAKE EMERGENCY
MANAGEMENT.

0404 PM HAIL GREEN LAKE 43.84N 88.95W
05/17/2017 E0.25 INCH GREEN LAKE WI EMERGENCY MNGR

25 MPH WINDS.

0352 PM HAIL MARQUETTE 43.75N 89.14W
05/17/2017 E0.25 INCH GREEN LAKE WI EMERGENCY MNGR

ACCOMPANIED BY TORRENTIAL RAIN.

0318 PM HAIL 1 SSE PORTAGE 43.54N 89.46W
05/17/2017 E0.75 INCH COLUMBIA WI LAW ENFORCEMENT

WITH TORRENTIAL RAIN.

0316 PM HAIL 1 SE PORTAGE 43.54N 89.45W
05/17/2017 E1.00 INCH COLUMBIA WI LAW ENFORCEMENT

0245 PM TSTM WND DMG 1 WSW MERRIMAC 43.37N 89.64W
05/17/2017 SAUK WI EMERGENCY MNGR

SEVERAL TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN.

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