SE Wisconsin severe weather threat; potential for hail, damaging winds | FOX6 Milwaukee
May 15, 2025 6:04pm CDT
- The National Weather Service has issued a tornado warning for parts of Dodge, Fond du Lac and Washington counties on Thursday night. A tornado watch remains in effect for all of southeast Wisconsin, and severe thunderstorm warnings are rolling across the region.
The NWS said a confirmed tornado was located over Mayville around 6 p.m. Dodge County Emergency Management reported damage to Mayville High School and Mayville Engineering Co.
The tornado watch covers all counties – Dodge, Fond du Lac, Jefferson, Kenosha, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Racine, Sheboygan, Walworth, Washington and Waukesha – until 10 p.m.
What we know:
The Storm Prediction Center has southwest Wisconsin under an enhanced risk, which is level 3 out of 5. There is the potential for large hail, damaging winds, and tornadoes. Wind gusts could be as high as 70 mph. The line of storms will be moving fast, therefore flooding is not expected. Large hail over 2" and a strong tornado cannot be ruled out.
The storms will begin to develop in southwest Wisconsin between 2 p.m. and 4 Pp.m., which is peak heating time.
The warming of the atmosphere will help create an unstable environment. As storms continue to migrate eastward, the storms could intensify. The peak intensity timing will be anywhere from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
The highest confidence in storms will be north of I-94. However, we can't rule out isolated intense storms for areas south of I-94.
Another thing to factor in is the lake breeze and what that will do for the lakeside areas. The lake breeze could spin up a brief tornado along the lake. The lake breeze acts as its own boundary. Once the storms pass the lake breeze boundary, the storms could weaken as they interacts with the cooler air.
The storms should be out of the area by 9 p.m., leaving mostly clear skies for the night.
Meanwhile, FOX6Now.com offers a variety of extremely useful weather tools to help you navigate the stormy season. They include the following:
What is the FOX Model?
FOX Weather Expert Tom Wachs explains the value of the FOX Model for our team -- and our viewers.
We have a host of maps and radars on the FOX6 Weather page that are updating regularly — to provide you the most accurate assessment of the weather. From a county-by-county view to the Midwest regional radar and a national view — it’s all there.
When the weather gets a little dicey, schools and businesses may shut down. Monitor the latest list of closings, cancellations, and delays reported in southeast Wisconsin.
The Source: Information in this report is from the FOX6 Weather Experts and National Weather Service.
