06-23-04 NOW: Great Lakes Region

[Amos Magliocco]

Blue boxes in several upper midwestern and Great Lakes region states. Post your comments and observations.

 

[mikegeukes]

Severe Thunderstorm Watches out for
N Illinois, S Michigan SE Minnesota, S & W Wisconsin.

As of 545 CDT, best storms are northwest of the La Crosse WI
and line of storms are forming from the Princeton Illinois to near
Kenosha WI over Lake Michigan to Muskegon MI. Movement
of the storms are off to the east.

Mike

 

[Joe Smith]

Potent system for this time of year. Can only wish we had deep moisture with 70 dewpoints instead of the upper 50's at present. Strong storms southeast of Eau Claire may trend more southeastward this evening. SPC has upgraded risk to moderate because of straight line wind potential. I also note helicity values of 250/300 m2/s2 in southeast Wisconsin and NE Illinois. Tornado touchdown reported at Stevens Point.

 

[Jeff Snyder]

Those are some pretty nice velocity couplets on a few of the storm currently in southern and central WI... Multiple tornado warnings on them for good reason. SPC mesoanalysis shows instability is weak to moderate over this area, and will likely decrease as the sun starts to set... However, the approaching 80+kt 500mb jet max now entering central MN will likely drive these storms as they become damaging wind producers with time... However, that supercell over southcentral/southwest WI looks to be entering a favorable low-level shear environment, so a continued tornado threat, I'd think, should be present with that supercell...

 

[Carrie Halliday]

Right about now (8:15pm CT) I would be very nervous on the south side of Madison, WI. That super cell is nasty!

 

[mikegeukes]

Damage being reported from a tornado in Wisconsin,
743 PM TORNADO 3 SW GRAND MARSH 43.90N 89.71W
06/23/2004 ADAMS WI LAW ENFORCEMENT
TORNADO DAMAGED SEVERAL MOBILE HOMES IN AREA

Mike

 

[mikegeukes]

Radar Loop of the Storms in Wisconsin

[Broken External Image]:http://mgweather.com/4rad_mkx_ani_ani.gif

Mike

 

[mikegeukes]

Wow, I hope the people are okay.

0902 PM TSTM WND DMG ALTO 43.68N 88.80W
06/23/2004 FOND DU LAC WI LAW ENFORCEMENT

HOUSES BLOWN OVER AND PEOPLE TRAPPED ON MIDKE ROAD.

Mike

 

[Rich Dorfman]

Tor sighted southern Waukesha county, looks like currently hook echo western Racine county. Unfortunately positioned on north side of storm, too dark to see much anyway except the occasional spectacular lightning.

 

[Andy Rice]

Madison

I am out of town so this is 2nd hand.... but my co-workers (who are mostly mets) say a tornado went through parts of the Research Park area of Madison, WI around the Whitney Way/Mineral Point Road area. My office building either took a direct or indirect hit. If anyone is familar with Madison, I work in the first bank building on Rosa and Mineral Point.

Andy

 

[Andy Rice]

http://www.madison.com/wisconsinstatejourn...local/77001.php

 

[mikegeukes]

Sad news out of Wisconsin, you hate to see storms that kill
and injure people.

0704 PM TORNADO WARRENS 44.13N 90.50W
06/23/2004 F1 MONROE WI NWS STORM SURVEY

*** 3 INJ *** PRELIMINARY STORM SURVEY CONFIRMED 3
INJURIES AND PRODUCED A PRELIMINARY LOW F1 DAMAGE RATING
FOR THIS TORNADO. TWO OF THE INJURIES OCCURRED IN
JELLYSTONE CAMPGROUND...THE THIRD OCCURRED IN A HOUSE
JUST WEST OF INTERSTATE 94.

0835 PM TORNADO MARKESAN 43.71N 88.99W
06/23/2004 GREEN LAKE WI EMERGENCY MNGR

*** 1 FATAL *** TREE...HOUSE...AND BARN DAMAGE REPORTED
FROM JUST WEST OF MARKESAN TO THE SOUTHEAST CORNER OF
GREEN LAKE COUNTY. EXACT PATH AND TIME OF TORNADO WILL BE
DETERMINED BY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS ON THURSDAY.

Waupaca County had some damage 1-2 houses destroyed, etc and in Outgamie County, several roofs torn off houses and businesses.

Wisconsin tornado count throught 300 AM CDT Friday:
Tornadoes so far: 18
Adams County: 743 pm
Dane County: 840 pm, 840 pm, 844 pm
Dodge County: 840 pm
Jackson County: 645 pm. 653 pm
Jefferson County: 927 pm
Marquette County: 800 pm, 835 pm
Monroe County: 704 pm
Outgamie County: 852 pm, 902 pm
Portage County: 747 pm, 753 pm
Washington County: 927 pm
Waupaca County: 755 pm, 800 pm

Map of Wisconsin Counties:
http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/travel/maps/county.htm

Wind gusts to 73 mph in Minnesota
Wind gusts to 80 mph in Wisconsin
Wind gusts to 62 mph in Michigan

Mike

 

[Steve Fitzsimmons]

The latest on this storm is 7 tornadoes hit south central Wisconsin. Several counties have just been declared disaster areas by the Governor.

In the Madison area alone the newspaper reported over 1,000 trees uprooted and over 200 homes damaged. Estimated costs to repair are over 1Million and climbing.

I live three blocks from where the tornado hit. As a new tornado spotter, I was outside looking for the storm. The sirens went off 10 minutes before it hit, so I was expecting to see something. I never saw the tornado because my view to the NW was blocked by trees, but when it came down it was extremely loud. It sounded a lot like the loud roar of a jet engine and getting louder. Thinking it was coming straight at me from an area I couldn't see, I headed in and to the basement. The tornado was on the ground for about a half mile, then went back up, and came down a half mile east for another half mile, then it went up, and came down a third time. Where it came down trees were ripped out and thrown around, houses and businesses lost parts of their roofs or siding. Power was out for a day by me, and several days at ground zero. This was an F0 to F1 they said. I always seen pictures of tornadoes, but never actually heard one. They are violent storms and they make a lot of noise, more noise then in the movies. When I think of what is causing the tornado, the amount of air being brought in to the storm, it just amazes me.

Things I noticed were a yellow turbulant sky hours before. Then a lot of low dark clouds moving fast different directions just minutes before the tornado came down. Also there was a patch of green clouds high above just north of me. Here's a picture I took just before the tornado hit, in that general area.

[Broken External Image]:http://www.pjpublications.com/Storm3.jpg