Early May Severe Weather Wrap-Up

The weather pattern in the Upper Midwest was primed for severe weather this first week of May.  A stationary front was situated from Nebraska through Minnesota on Tuesday, May 1st and gradually leaned into Iowa and Wisconsin through Thursday, May 3rd.  A warm front pushed into Wisconsin on the nose of strong winds just above the ground (meteorologists call this a Low Level Jet), and the warm, humid and unstable air interacted with subtle upper level disturbances to produce thunderstorms.  (see graphic below)

Several rounds of thunderstorms rolled across Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin and Illinois over the course of the week, with some thunderstorms producing large hail and damaging winds.  A series of thunderstorms tracked across the same area in east central wisconsin late Wednesday night, dropping a total of 4 to 5 inches of rain in Winnebago and Calumet counties, especially in the Oshkosh area.  The NWS office in Green Bay has a news story article about the flooding event: click here.

Here is a list of severe weather reports from the NWS Milwaukee/Sullivan office from the thunderstorms that occured in the afternoon on Thursday, May 3rd.

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI
620 PM CDT THU MAY 03 2012
 
..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..
 
0115 PM     HAIL             WATERTOWN               43.19N 88.72W
05/03/2012 M1.25 INCH       JEFFERSON          WI   TRAINED SPOTTER
 
            HAIL FELL FOR A TEN MINUTE PERIOD
 
0125 PM     HAIL             1 W WATERTOWN           43.19N 88.74W
05/03/2012 M1.00 INCH       JEFFERSON          WI   PUBLIC
 
0126 PM     HAIL             WATERTOWN               43.19N 88.72W
05/03/2012 M0.25 INCH       JEFFERSON          WI   PUBLIC
 
0139 PM     HAIL             1 W MILWAUKEE           43.03N 87.94W
05/03/2012 E0.25 INCH       MILWAUKEE          WI   TRAINED SPOTTER
 
0139 PM     HAIL             2 W LAKE MILLS          43.07N 88.95W
05/03/2012 M0.50 INCH       JEFFERSON          WI   FIRE DEPT/RESCUE
 
            OBSERVED AT KORTH PARK ON THE WEST SIDE OF ROCK LAKE
 
0141 PM     HAIL             LAKE MILLS              43.07N 88.91W
05/03/2012 M1.00 INCH       JEFFERSON          WI   FIRE DEPT/RESCUE
 
0148 PM     HAIL             JOHNSON CREEK           43.08N 88.77W
05/03/2012 M1.00 INCH       JEFFERSON          WI   NWS EMPLOYEE
 
            ESTIMATED 50 MPH WIND GUST
 
0149 PM     HAIL             JOHNSON CREEK           43.08N 88.77W
05/03/2012 M0.25 INCH       JEFFERSON          WI   TRAINED SPOTTER
 
            ESTIMATED 50 MPH WINDS
 
0155 PM     HAIL             5 E JOHNSON CREEK       43.08N 88.67W
05/03/2012 M0.88 INCH       JEFFERSON          WI   PUBLIC
 
            DELAYED REPORT. NEAR INTERSECTION OF COUNTY HIGHWAYS B
            AND D.
 
0200 PM     HAIL             2 SW OCONOMOWOC         43.09N 88.53W
05/03/2012 M0.75 INCH       WAUKESHA           WI   NWS EMPLOYEE
 
0200 PM     HAIL             6 NE OCONOMOWOC         43.17N 88.41W
05/03/2012 M1.50 INCH       WAUKESHA           WI   911 CALL CENTER
 
0200 PM     HAIL             LEBANON                 43.26N 88.63W
05/03/2012 M0.25 INCH       DODGE              WI   POST OFFICE
 
0202 PM     HAIL             5 N SULLIVAN            43.08N 88.59W
05/03/2012 M1.00 INCH       JEFFERSON          WI   PUBLIC
 
            IN CONCORD.
 
0214 PM     HAIL             2 SW OCONOMOWOC         43.09N 88.53W
05/03/2012 M1.00 INCH       WAUKESHA           WI   NWS EMPLOYEE
 
0214 PM     HAIL             1 N OCONOMOWOC          43.13N 88.50W
05/03/2012 M0.25 INCH       WAUKESHA           WI   TRAINED SPOTTER
 
0215 PM     HAIL             2 E HOLY HILL           43.24N 88.29W
05/03/2012 M0.75 INCH       WASHINGTON         WI   TRAINED SPOTTER
 
            WIND GUSTS AT 46 MPH.
 
0215 PM     TSTM WND GST     GERMANTOWN              43.23N 88.10W
05/03/2012 M70.00 MPH       WASHINGTON         WI   TRAINED SPOTTER
 
0218 PM     HAIL             LEBANON                 43.26N 88.63W
05/03/2012 M1.00 INCH       DODGE              WI   BROADCAST MEDIA
 
0223 PM     HAIL             1 SE LAKE MILLS         43.06N 88.89W
05/03/2012 M1.25 INCH       JEFFERSON          WI   TRAINED SPOTTER
 
0223 PM     HAIL             GERMANTOWN              43.23N 88.10W
05/03/2012 M1.75 INCH       WASHINGTON         WI   TRAINED SPOTTER
 
0228 PM     TSTM WND GST     RIVER HILLS             43.17N 87.94W
05/03/2012 M57.00 MPH       MILWAUKEE          WI   BROADCAST MEDIA
 
            WEATHER NET SITE AT UNIVERSITY SCHOOL.
 
0229 PM     HAIL             2 SW OCONOMOWOC         43.09N 88.53W
05/03/2012 M0.50 INCH       WAUKESHA           WI   NWS EMPLOYEE
 
0238 PM     HAIL             CEDARBURG               43.30N 87.99W
05/03/2012 M0.50 INCH       OZAUKEE            WI   TRAINED SPOTTER
 
0249 PM     HEAVY RAIN       OCONOMOWOC              43.11N 88.50W
05/03/2012 M1.39 INCH       WAUKESHA           WI   TRAINED SPOTTER
 
            1.39 INCHES OF RAIN FELL IN A 50 MINUTE PERIOD
 
0325 PM     FLOOD            6 SE MADISON            43.02N 89.30W
05/03/2012                   DANE               WI   TRAINED SPOTTER
 
            SEVERE FLOODING...2.5 FT. IMPASSABLE OR CLOSED ROADS AT
            RIMROCK AT BADOEN LANE.
 
0404 PM     HAIL             JUNEAU                  43.41N 88.70W
05/03/2012 E1.00 INCH       DODGE              WI   TRAINED SPOTTER
 
0404 PM     HAIL             JUNEAU                  43.41N 88.70W
05/03/2012 M1.25 INCH       DODGE              WI   TRAINED SPOTTER
 
0427 PM     HAIL             1 NE FORT ATKINSON      42.94N 88.83W
05/03/2012 E1.75 INCH       JEFFERSON          WI   PUBLIC
 
 


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