At 2:56 p.m. CDT Monday, the National Weather Service in Milwaukee/Sullivan issued a severe thunderstorm warning for a wide slice of southeast Wisconsin that remained in effect until 4:15 p.m. Radar picked up a powerful storm cell capable of producing tennis ball size hail and wind gusts near 70 mph as it pushed south across the region. The alert covered Walworth County along with parts of Racine, Waukesha, Jefferson and Kenosha counties, and listed towns from Waukesha to Lake Geneva in the storm's projected path. Forecasters warned that people and animals outdoors faced a real risk of injury and that roofs, vehicles and trees could be damaged.
According to the National Weather Service in Milwaukee/Sullivan, at 2:56 p.m. CDT the storm was located over Ottawa, near Wales, moving south at about 40 mph. The bulletin spelled out the primary hazards as "tennis ball size hail and 70 mph wind gusts" and advised residents to stay alert for a possible tornado and to move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building if conditions warranted.
Communities named in the warning
The Waukesha Police Department reposted the NWS bulletin on Facebook, sharing the alert with local residents and highlighting neighborhoods sitting inside the warning polygon. The Waukesha Police Department reiterated the list of affected towns, including Waukesha, Pewaukee, Elkhorn, Delavan, Lake Geneva and Mukwonago, and urged anyone outdoors to take shelter immediately.
How to stay safe
The National Weather Service and preparedness guides recommend moving to a basement or a small interior room on the lowest level, staying away from windows and keeping a NOAA Weather Radio or phone alerts enabled for rapid updates. For full preparedness tips, see the National Weather Service's thunderstorm safety page at weather.gov. If you encounter downed power lines or structural damage, report it to local authorities and call 911 for life-threatening emergencies.
This item will be updated as agencies and local officials post damage reports or announce changes to the warning.
