Storm Record · Sauk County
May 29, 2013: Straight-line wind in Sauk County
What the National Weather Service recorded
A line of severe thunderstorms moved into Iowa and Sauk counties during the early evening hours of May 29th, with damaging wind gusts estimated up to 80 mph (70 knots) knocking down trees and power lines as well as causing roof damage to several homes and structural damage to outbuildings on a few farms. The line of severe storms had developed to the west of Wisconsin during the day, ahead of a mesoscale convective vorticity maximum. The increased southerly low-level flow ahead of this wave drew warm, moist and unstable air into the region that converged over western Wisconsin, with lift aided by the upper divergence associated with the exit region of an upper-level jet. The line weakened as it moved east into cooler and more stable air over eastern portions of the state.
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database · episode 74795
Every report, in the Weather Service's words
Where It Hit
| Location | County | Hazard | Size | Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hillpt (5 W) | Sauk | Wind | 70 mph wind | The Sauk County 911 center received reports of tree and power line damage in a 10-mile wide swath from 5 miles west of Hill Point to 8 miles east of Baraboo due to powerful thunderstorm wind gusts that were estimated at 70 mph (61 knots). A shed was blown down on Coon Bluff Road northwest of Baraboo. The line of thunderstorms produced a gustnado 7 miles east of Baraboo, however only some minor tree damage was reported with the gustnado. |
| Plain | Sauk | Wind | 64 mph wind | The Sauk County 911 center received a report of damage to a building in Plain due to thunderstorm wind gusts that were estimated at 65 mph (56 knots). |