6/6/06 DISC: WI / IA / IL

[J West]

Currently two discrete rotating storms in SC WI with numerous visuals of rotating wall clouds, with a touchdown being reported crossing the Wisconsin River between Sauk and Iowa counties to the SE of Spring Green.

 

[Andy Wehrle]

Figures. Scott Weberpal was considering chasing today and invited me to join him, but decided not to go leaving me without a ride.

I'm really not sure how this is happening. We can't have had more than 5 minutes of unfettered solar heating this afternoon, and the cell in northeast Sauk County has a velocity couplet at least as pronounced as the one in the Viola storm of 8/18/05.

 

[J West]

A State trooper just got sideswiped by small tornado crossing I-90/94 at MP 102.5 in SC WI...advising veh's being blown over on the interstate and debris field aloft.

Edit 1939 hrs:

Another trooper reporting a 1/8 mile wide tornado with debris near MP 108 on I-90/94 in Columbia county...has a visual, watching highway signs being picked up and semi's being blown over.

This cell is a right mover, headed due south of the I94/39 split on the west side of the interstate in Columbia county, WI.

 

[Doug Raflik]

Another trooper reporting a 1/8 mile wide tornado with debris near MP 108 on I-90/94 in Columbia county...has a visual, watching highway signs being picked up and semi's being blown over.


[/b]

That would have been right about the time I saw this...

Doug Raflik
[email protected]

 

[J West]

That would have been right about the time I saw this...

Doug Raflik
[email protected]
[/b]

Most of our cars have in-car video cameras, but unfortunately this was a Sergeant watching this and they do not have camera's in their crusiers. He let it cross 90/94 then followed south as it paralled him to the west of 90/94. The first report I posted was from a Trooper who should have a video camera, and I'll check if he caught it on tape. Like usual, I was working so the best I could do was listen to the SC Region dispatch in my comm center and the NAWAS reports from other agencies. Congrads to those who got out and saw these in person.

As for the picture, you can see the inflow band coming in from the right (east), with the heavy precip core further east. As for the size of the actual tornado, based on what I heard when it crossed 90/94 I'd believe the Sgt's 1/8 mile estimation based on his other non-weather related crash investigation and speed equipment training (i.e. he can eyeball distance very well...saw it in person.)

Putting the ground zero report in context with Doug's picture, I'd go with the Meso/wall cloud being very low to the ground, with the actual tornado on the ground not being visable in the picture. This also jives due to the topragraphy of the area, which is up and down hills/valley stuff. I'm betting that right behind the bluff in the pic is the tornado. There were a lot of eyes on this, and I heard no reports of anything bigger than 1/8 mile. I'm not saying it wasn't (these are cops, not storm spotters/chasers), but I never heard the words "big", huge", "getting bigger" etc.

 

[Doug Raflik]

Just watched the video again. There is some really good motion in the cloud, but not incredible. It was in contact with the ground. As I was packing up, it crested the hill and you could see it was on the ground. It also had smaller vorticies around its perimeter. Hard to say what it was. Ill be waiting to hear the official results.

Doug

 

[mikegeukes]

Mid-Afternoon Update on June 6 Tornadoes Across South Central Wisconsin
http://www.crh.noaa.gov/crnews/display_sto...d=2711&source=0

Mike