Kenosha Tornado

**CarolsCritterCare** · 01-08-2008, 08:24 AM

Such strange weather we have been having. PK how did you ride out the storm? Everything fine were you live? How about everyone else down in the Kenosha area? Hope everyone is safe and little damage.

The storms have made National News. Here is one I saw on AOL News.

Deadly Freak Storms Slam Midwest - AOL News

Quote:

WHEATLAND, Wis. (Jan. 8) - A freak cluster of tornadoes raked across an unseasonably warm Midwest, demolishing houses, knocking railroad cars off their tracks and even temporarily halting justice in one courthouse.

Record temperatures were reported across much of the country Monday, and storms continued to pummel the nation's midsection as darkness fell. More warmth and storms were in store for Tuesday.

pk · 01-08-2008, 09:12 AM

It was pretty crazy here with the weather yesterday. I had a feeling something was going to be wrong since the temps kept climbing and it was so stuffy feeling out. I think we went up to 65 degrees here.

The storms danced all around where the kids and I stayed a few blocks over at my oldest daughters house. The sirens went off so many times during the whole ordeal that I lost count. Straight west of us on hwy 50 and O was hit the hardest with homes being hit pretty hard. If it came straight down hwy 50 we would have caught it but it went more north west some.

On the very north end of Kenosha power lines/poles came crashing down and hit a Business on 22nd Ave and 15 Court. Took a roof off a pool building at an apartment complex. Lots of branches and a few big trees came down all over. Heard someone say they got a video of what appeared to look like a skinny tornado on Greenbay Road and Washington Street. He said it lasted about a 1 1/2 minutes and then dissipated.

I heard the next city up from us got alot more (Racine downtown) and then it went further up north from us. We were more on the very edge of it. And being so close to the lake always seems to help us alot in avoiding some of the major storms which is always a good thing.

It was pretty wild time though. We kept watching the clouds and the air kept going from windy to totally still out. The clouds were totally dark and mean looking out. I know I never in my time remember anything like this in Jan. before. Anyways, I did hear this happened sometime back in the 60's in Jan. but I don't remember it.

Hope everyone else faired ok in all of this.

pk

**CarolsCritterCare** · 01-08-2008, 09:22 AM

Good to hear from you! Glad you are ok.

rudedog · 01-08-2008, 05:58 PM

whoohooo. I have power!!
It was pretty wild ride last night. tornado comes ripping through the neighborhood, then the cops evacuate us for a gas main break, before we could even see how much damage was done.
between evacuating, waiting to come home in the rain, talking to the fire fighters, police, and public works workers, electrical line workers,then listening to emergency generators all night, along with police loud speakers warning people who didn't live here, to get out.(oh i almost forgot about stupid helicopters flying around in the dark ) Im just a little tired. if i could just get the phone to quit ringing. i might get some sleep tonight. Im whipped
oops, forget that idea, someone called and said my house was on channel twelve news. now i have to stay up to see what they said,(hows that for shallow, like i don't already know what it looks like). bummer.
everyone wave to the yellow cape cod, with the missing fence if it comes on .
gotta go.

p.s
p.k, yes the poodle bushes are still there. the pine tree next them is history though.
life goes on.

and if anyone from wheatland reads this, i think i have some of your pots and pans in my back yard. and part of your fence, and a piece of a grey siding,ect ect ect.

pk · 01-09-2008, 01:08 AM

So good to hear you are OK Rude! Oh my your poodle bushes must have been really shaking! lol

I just read that about 30 homes in all were destroyed by this tornado, 70+ homes were damaged, and over 100 people were left homeless. Also over 5,000 electric customers in Kenosha County were without their power. I also heard a local high school set up cots to offer shelter for those that needed a place to sleep.

Someone was saying the north side tacos el rey was destoyed but I didn't read that anywhere do you know if it was Rudedog? That's up your way.

Guess we were sooo lucky where the kids and I stayed. We are just maybe a mile or so South from Rude and we kept our electric and was much safer.

Wow never a dull moment with Wisconsin weather seems like. Yesterday, 60's and tornados in Jan. and now a night away it's dropped 30+ degrees and cold outside. Strange.

pk · 01-09-2008, 07:43 AM

It reads now that the tornado and winds were about 150 miles an hour, leaving a 200 yard wide path of destruction that was 11 miles long.

Here is one of many articles about the Midwest Tornado:

Storms Strike Midwest, Killing at Least 6

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/09/us...do.html?ref=us

Paddlefisher · 01-09-2008, 09:27 AM

Good to see everyone here is safe. Good to hear that Taco El Rey came through as well. I love that place!

pk · 01-09-2008, 10:33 AM

I guess the Tacos El Rey did get destroyed as the following article shows:

Kenosha: Tacos El Rey Destroyed

Kenosha: Tacos El Rey Destroyed | Today's TMJ4 - Milwaukee, Wisconsin News, Weather, Sports, WTMJ | Local News

pk · 01-09-2008, 10:36 AM

The twister lifted one Kenosha house off its foundation and moved it two and a half feet!

Kenosha: Woman Loses Home | Today's TMJ4 - Milwaukee, Wisconsin News, Weather, Sports, WTMJ | Local News

pk · 01-09-2008, 10:44 AM

Rare tornadoes strike Kenosha County
A collection of photos taken over the course of the tornado's destructive path.

Click here:
Green Bay Press-Gazette - Photo Gallery

Paddlefisher · 01-09-2008, 12:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pk

I guess the Tacos El Rey did get destroyed as the following article shows:

Kenosha: Tacos El Rey Destroyed

Kenosha: Tacos El Rey Destroyed | Today's TMJ4 - Milwaukee, Wisconsin News, Weather, Sports, WTMJ | Local News

SNIFF-SNIFF

rudedog · 01-09-2008, 05:56 PM

even though we had gotten hit here in the city of kenosha, our prayers are with the people out in wheatland. they did indeed end up with the worst end of things.

i thought i would stop by and update everyone on the church that was hit here in kenosha.
we received word this afternoon that the remainder of the church is being reinforced, and then we're going to have it put back together, or at least the insurance company is . right now were being told within 4 months we will be back to regular services. thats really good news.

**AJE** · 01-09-2008, 06:34 PM

god is merciful, glad nobody here was killed like our neighbors belove. remember though Wisconsin has had tornados every month except February.

Severe Weather

rudedog · 01-09-2008, 09:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AJE

god is merciful, glad nobody here was killed like our neighbors belove. remember though Wisconsin has had tornados every month except February.

Severe Weather

yep, everyone that was involved here is gratefull for the lack of casualties, no doubt.
and throughout the situation we were definitly aware that this could have been much, much worse.

the fact that we were having this bezare weather in jan, and that the twister came this close to the lake had everyone kinda bewildered. people in the neighborhood were walking around in t-shirts right before it got ugly out ( myself included). even after the storm had passed, and everyone was in damage assessment mode there were people walking around in shorts in a early january night. thats just very strange. usually lake Michigan protects us from these storms. they die out before they get to close to the lake. this was one of the rare occasions that it didn't.

perhaps thats one of the things that made this so mind boggling, the fact that we should have been shoveling out after a storm this time of year, rather then raking the glass out of the lawns. weird stuff man.

oh, well. its already back to the cold. I hear we have snow on the way.

pk · 01-10-2008, 01:15 AM

Yes you are correct about the lake saving us from most of the worse storms. I even mentioned in a post earlier that I figured we did not get hit to bad where I was at because of the lake protecting us. I had no real idea how much damage was just to the north of me when I wrote that. It's strange how one part of a city gets damage and yet another is left unmarked.

I'm sorry to hear about your Church. And yes, even though it's quite shocking for our city to be cleaning up from this storm, you are correct in saying that for the most part Wheatland which is West of us seems to have received the worse of it all. I'm sure somewhere there must be a place for donations of food, clothes etc. for those that lost everything.

Anyone know anything they can post about this?

pk