National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce

Severe Thunderstorm and Tropical Storm Bertha Impacts

Numerous severe thunderstorms are expected across a broad region from the Ohio Valley to the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast States today into tonight. Swaths of damaging wind gusts are expected and some tornadoes are possible. Bertha is expected to bring tropical storm conditions to portions of the Gulf Coast from the Florida Panhandle westward to southeastern Louisiana later today and Wednesday. Read More >

Here is a listing of the strongest winds observed across south central and Southeast Wisconsin!  

 

Those winds caused some damage across the area.  A few thousand people lost power.  Numerous large semi's were blown over on our interstate system.  Latest count was 4.  Two in the Racine/Kenosha area on I-94 and two just south of Janesville in Rock County on I-90/39.  Many signs, fences and siding sustained some damage. 

I-94 Racine County

I-90/39 Rock County

Milwaukee County

 

As predicted, a strong low pressure system tracked across northern Wisconsin and brought dangerously high winds and mild temperatures to southern Wisconsin.  Below is an animation of the track of the low pressure system from 6 AM to 6 PM Friday, February 19th, 2016.

 

There was a short period in the late morning and early afternoon where the warm front associated with the low pushed into southern Wisconsin and really warmed things up.  Many areas climbed into the 50s, with a few even hitting the lower 60s.  Abundant sunshine accompanied that spike in warmth.  This was then followed a few hours later by a cold front and cloudy skies that cooled everything back down into the 40s.  Below are images of high temperatures for Friday, Feburary 19, 2016 for southern Wisconson and across the state.  There is also a text listing of the warmest temps below the images. 

 


Davis