Brief Meteorological Synopsis:
The 12Z upper air data showed a strong warm advection pattern with a thermal ridge ("hot prod")
showing up at both H850 and H700. At the surface the warm front was much farther west than
the warm front at H850. The upper level winds also featured a strong direction shear where
winds swung around from the southeast at the surface to northwest aloft. The freezing level
during the morning was at about 9 or 10 thousand feet and was forecast to rise to 13,000 feet
during the day.
With southwest winds from H850-H700, a strong baroclinic and convergent zone developed
extending from northwest to southeast Wisconsin. The storms that developed then tracked
southeast along this boundary. The storm report graphic from the Storm Prediction Center for this day clearly shows the nw/se orientation of the severe weather. Although surface dewpoints were in the 40s during the morning the moisture was coming in aloft on the southwest winds and caused the elevated convection.
Although there was considerable hail with the strongest storms, the discontinuity below the
elevated convection may have helped to keep strong and damaging winds from descending all the
way to the ground.
Here are some photos of the large hail:
Here is the Local Storm Report from the Milwaukee/Sullivan National Weather Service Office.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI
356 PM CDT MON MAY 14 2001
TIME(CDT) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
1029 AM 1 E RANDOLPH WI 1 INCH HAIL
05/14/01 DODGE EVENT DURATION 1
MINUTE. REPORTED BY
STORM SPOTTER.
1059 AM JOHNSON CREEK WI .88 INCH HAIL
05/14/01 JEFFERSON EVENT DURATION 1
MINUTE. REPORTED BY LAW
ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL.
1115 AM 2 SE JOHNSON CREEK WI .75 INCH HAIL
05/14/01 JEFFERSON REPORTED BY LAW
ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL.
EVENT DURATION 1 MINUTE.
1121 AM 3 SE SULLIVAN WI 1.5 INCH HAIL
05/14/01 JEFFERSON EVENT DURATION 2
MINUTES. REPORTED BY
NWS EMPLOYEES.
1135 AM PRINCETON WI .25 INCH HAIL
05/14/01 GREEN LAKE REPORTED BY LAW
ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL.
EVENT DURATION 1
MINUTE. 40 MPH WIND
GUSTS ALSO NOTED.
1144 AM RIPON WI .25 INCH HAIL
05/14/01 FOND DU LAC EVENT DURATION 1
MINUTE. REPORTED BY LAW
ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL.
50 MPH WIND GUSTS ALSO
NOTED.
1145 AM EAST TROY WI .88 INCH HAIL
05/14/01 WALWORTH EVENT DURATION 4
MINUTES. REPORTED BY
LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL.
1150 AM 5 SSW MARKESAN WI .75 INCH HAIL
05/14/01 GREEN LAKE REPORTED BY STORM
SPOTTER. EVENT DURATION
1 MINUTE.
1206 PM BEAVER DAM WI .88 INCH HAIL
05/14/01 DODGE EVENT DURATION 4
MINUTES. REPORTED BY
LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL.
1215 PM 2 NE FRIESLAND WI 60 MPH TSTM GUST
05/14/01 COLUMBIA EVENT DURATION 1
MINUTE. REPORTED BY
STORM SPOTTER. LARGE
TREES DOWNED.
1217 PM LOWELL WI 2 INCH HAIL
05/14/01 DODGE REPORTED BY STORM
SPOTTER. EVENT DURATION
3 MINUTES. IN SAME
STORM..HAIL 1.75 IN
DIAMETER FELL IN NEARBY
REESEVILLE.
1219 PM SILVER LAKE WI 1 INCH HAIL
05/14/01 KENOSHA EVENT DURATION 2
MINUTES. REPORTED BY
LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL.
1228 PM WATERTOWN WI 3.5 INCH HAIL
05/14/01 DODGE REPORTED BY LAW
ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL.
EVENT DURATION 2 MINUTES.
1235 PM WATERTOWN WI 2.5 INCH HAIL
05/14/01 JEFFERSON REPORTED BY LAW
ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL.
EVENT DURATION 1 MINUTE.
1240 PM 1 N ALDERLEY WI .75 INCH HAIL
05/14/01 DODGE REPORTED BY LAW
ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL.
EVENT DURATION 1 MINUTE.
1243 PM OCONOMOWOC WI 1 INCH HAIL
05/14/01 WAUKESHA EVENT DURATION 5
MINUTES. REPORTED BY
LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL.
1244 PM 3 NE OKAUCHEE WI 1.75 INCH HAIL
05/14/01 WAUKESHA REPORTED BY LAW
ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL.
EVENT DURATION 1 MINUTE.
1256 PM 1 S DOUSMAN WI 1.5 INCH HAIL
05/14/01 WAUKESHA EVENT DURATION 1
MINUTE. REPORTED BY
OFF-DUTY NWS EMPLOYEE.
0100 PM WALES WI 1 INCH HAIL
05/14/01 WAUKESHA GROUND COVERED WHITE.
REPORTED BY STORM
SPOTTER. EVENT DURATION
2 MINUTES.
0104 PM NORTH PRAIRIE WI 1.75 INCH HAIL
05/14/01 WAUKESHA REPORTED BY OFF-DUTY
NWS EMPLOYEE. EVENT
DURATION 4 MINUTES.
0110 PM WEST ALLIS WI .75 INCH HAIL
05/14/01 MILWAUKEE REPORTED BY OFF-DUTY
NWS EMPLOYEE.
0115 PM NEW BERLIN WI 1 INCH HAIL
05/14/01 WAUKESHA EVENT DURATION 2
MINUTES. REPORTED BY
STORM SPOTTER. MINOR
URBAN FLOODING ALSO
REPORTED DUE TO HEAVY
RAINS.
0122 PM WATERFORD WI 1.5 INCH HAIL
05/14/01 RACINE EVENT DURATION 8
MINUTES. REPORTED BY
STORM SPOTTER. DAMAGE
TO VEHICLES...DOLLAR
AMOUNT UNKNOWN.
0145 PM 2 E TWIN LAKES WI 1 INCH HAIL
05/14/01 KENOSHA REPORTED BY LAW
ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL.
EVENT DURATION 1 MINUTE.
0155 PM SOMERS WI 1 INCH HAIL
05/14/01 KENOSHA EVENT DURATION 1 MINUTE.
NNNN
