National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office

PERSISTENTLY STRONG SOUTH WINDS OF 25 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO AROUND 50 MPH AFFECTED ALL OF SOUTH-CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN TODAY.

IMPACTS INCLUDED...
---A FEW TREES KNOCKED OVER...BUT MANY REPORTS OF BROKEN TREE BRANCHES UP TO 6 TO 10 INCHES IN DIAMETER
---SCATTERED POWER OUTAGES
---REDUCED VISIBILITIES BRIEFLY DOWN TO 1/4 MILE OR LESS DUE TO BLOWING DUST AND DIRT. DRY FARM FIELDS AND A LACK OF SUFFICIENT CROP COVER ALLOWED THE WINDS TO PICK UP DUST AND DIRT.
---DUST DEVIL OBSERVED BY A TRAINED SEVERE WEATHER SPOTTER SOUTH OF STH 106/CI IN SOUTH-CENTRAL JEFFERSON COUNTY.

THE GUSTY WINDS RESULTED FROM A LARGE SURFACE PRESSURE GRADIENT BETWEEN AN DEEP LOW PRESSURE MOVING FROM MINNESOTA INTO NORTHERN WISCONSIN AND A LARGE HIGH PRESSURE EAST OF THE NEW ENGLAND STATES.

BELOW IS A SURFACE WEATHER MAP SHOWING THE LOCATION OF THE LOW PRESSURE AT 6 PM.  NOTE THE SOUTH WINDS AHEAD OF THE ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT.  CLICK ON MAP FOR LARGER VERSION.

BELOW IS A SAMPLING OF LOCAL STORM REPORTS...

0215 PM     HIGH SUST WINDS  JUNEAU                  43.41N 88.70W
05/24/2012  M33.00 MPH       DODGE              WI   AWOS
            KUNU 15029G37KT

0253 PM     HIGH SUST WINDS  MADISON TRUAX AIRPORT   43.14N 89.33W
05/24/2012  M30.00 MPH       DANE               WI   ASOS
            KMSN 18026G37KT

0253 PM     HIGH SUST WINDS  FOND DU LAC AIRPORT     43.77N 88.49W
05/24/2012  M31.00 MPH       FOND DU LAC        WI   ASOS
            KFLD 17027G34KT

0301 PM     NON-TSTM WND GST LONE ROCK AIRPORT       43.21N 90.19W
05/24/2012  M48.00 MPH       SAUK               WI   ASOS
            KLNR PK WND 16042/2001

0315 PM     NON-TSTM WND GST MINERAL POINT AIRPORT   42.89N 90.23W
05/24/2012  M45.00 MPH       IOWA               WI   AWOS
            KMRJ 16026G39KT

0315 PM     NON-TSTM WND GST MONROE AIRPORT          42.62N 89.59W
05/24/2012  M46.00 MPH       GREEN              WI   AWOS
            KEFT 17028G40KT

0339 PM     NON-TSTM WND GST MADISON TRUAX AIRPORT   43.14N 89.33W
05/24/2012  M48.00 MPH       DANE               WI   ASOS
            KMSN PK WND 17042/2039

0335 PM     HIGH SUST WINDS  WISCONSIN DELLS AIRPORT 43.52N 89.77W
05/24/2012  M30.00 MPH       SAUK               WI   AWOS
            KDLL 17026G35KT

0340 PM     NON-TSTM WND DMG 3 ENE WAUKESHA          43.03N 88.18W
05/24/2012                   WAUKESHA           WI   TRAINED SPOTTER
            ESTIMATED 5 INCH TREE SNAPPED IN HALF NEAR INTERSECTION
            OF HIGHWAY 18 AND I-94.

0448 PM     NON-TSTM WND GST 1 SW MADISON            43.07N 89.40W
05/24/2012  M44 MPH          DANE               WI   TRAINED SPOTTER

0500 PM     NON-TSTM WND DMG BARABOO                 43.47N 89.74W
05/24/2012                   SAUK               WI   LAW ENFORCEMENT
            911 DISPATCHERS REPORTED SCATTERED REPORTS OF TREE
            BRANCHES AND SOME TREES DOWN ACROSS SAUK COUNTY WITH
            SCATTERED POWER OUTAGES. NO SPECIFIC LOCATIONS OR TIMES
            WERE GIVEN.

0518 PM     NON-TSTM WND GST 3 SW MONROE             42.57N 89.69W
05/24/2012  M52 MPH          GREEN              WI   TRAINED SPOTTER

0544 PM     NON-TSTM WND GST 2 ENE GREENFIELD        42.97N 87.97W
05/24/2012  E45 MPH          MILWAUKEE          WI   TRAINED SPOTTER
            LIVE BRANCHES 8 TO 10 INCHES IN DIAMETER DOWN.

0545 PM     NON-TSTM WND GST 3 S MADISON             43.04N 89.38W
05/24/2012  E45 MPH          DANE               WI   TRAINED SPOTTER
            6 INCH DIAMETER TREE BRANCH BLOCKING A PORTION OF LAKE
            FARM RD JUST SOUTH OF THE CAMPGROUND.

0627 PM     NON-TSTM WND GST 1 WSW DE FOREST         43.24N 89.36W
05/24/2012  M42 MPH          DANE               WI   TRAINED SPOTTER

0655 PM     HIGH SUST WINDS  MONROE AIRPORT          42.62N 89.59W
05/24/2012  M32 MPH          GREEN              WI   AWOS
            GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH.

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