Severe Weather

[AJE]

Channel 2 WBAY
April 20,2006
By Jeff Alexander

This is Tornado and Severe Weather Awareness Week throughout Wisconsin. Last year, our state experienced a record 62 tornadoes, including 27 on August 18th alone. One person died when an F-3 tornado hit a home in Dane County.

While tornadoes capture the most attention, there is a weather threat the National Weather Service says happens more often and causes much, much more damage in Wisconsin every year. When severe weather strikes, there is a better chance you will see this before you see a tornado.

On May 12, 2000, much of St. Nazianz in Manitowoc County was heavily damaged or destroyed.

On June 11, 2001, the violent weather left Oshkosh a mess.

On September 13, 2005, this destructive force collapsed buildings around Freedom.

Just last week, on April 13, it caused significant damage to homes, barns, and other structures in Calumet County.

In each case it wasn't a tornado but straight line winds that caused the destruction.

"Straight line winds occur much more often, frequently than tornados do, and the winds in straight line thunderstorms can reach in excess of 60-70 miles per hour, even greater than hurricane force," said Jeff Last of the National Weather Service.

Doppler radar technology lets meteorologists examine the wind structure inside a thunderstorm. In most severe cases it shows the wind pushing down and then out. Last said, "This is a signature we look for in a straight line wind or downburst thunderstorm."

If there is rotation, "In this case, we have a circulation forming, indication of a possible tornado."

Meteorologists say they can predict straight line winds in a storm about 17 to 20 minutes before they hit.

Even though straight line winds can reach 115 miles an hour and leave a path of destruction, the National Weather Service doesn't feel the winds get the respect they deserve.

"When a severe thunderstorm warning is issued, that's the time when people need to take shelter. They shouldn't wait for a tornado warning, shouldn't wait to see the storm approaching, because seconds save lives and they should take those warnings seriously."

[AJE]

Have empathy for those hit by hail!

Manitowoc County, WI survived the storm of a century on May 12, 2000. It is hard to believe a day that dawned so perfectly could so quickly deteriorate into a maelstrom of disastrous proportion.

The day dawned unseasonably warm under cloudless skies. The spring had been delightfully warm and perennials were set to produce waves of color as clusters of plants came into full bloom. The weather was still perfect as I began an appointment for a hair cut and perm. With only a few minutes left, a weather warning was suddenly issued on the radio. A severe storm was quickly approaching Valders from ten miles west. It was reportedly “traveling 50 miles an hour, with 60 mile an hour winds, large hail, and severe lightning.” I ran out the door at 11:45 AM. Blustery winds were whipping up a great deal of dust under darkening, gray skies. I was to start work at noon.

It didn’t take long for me to feel gripping fear clutch at my heart as I realized I probably made a mistake driving. Daylight died. I’ve seen more light at midnight during a new moon than what we had at that moment. (Some people said they could not see their hands in front of their face during the storm.) Of course I constantly monitored the storm through my rear view mirror and listened to urgently delivered weather reports on the radio. As blackness enveloped the entire area, the sky was lit up with nonstop lightning bolts. I began to meet emergency vehicles racing west. I prayed I could reach work before the storm caught me driving.

As I parked the car in Manitowoc, pouring rain was replaced by golf-sized hail horizontally pelting the city. Before the entrance door closed behind me, my boss said, “Your daughter just called and said all the west windows of your house have been blown out.” A call confirmed the family was ok, but we had sustained massive damage with shattered glass and hail blown across the width of the house. The sound of the hail pounding the Welnetz Studio was like the rumbling of vibrating sheet metal. For 8 minutes hail blasted to earth clogging the city sewer system. Flooding was eminent. I left for home at the first let up in the storm.

The midnight sky had lightened considerably. However, now I had to contend with dangerous, dense ground fog. Emergency vehicles passed me in whiteout conditions. The radio continued to broadcast reports of a possible tornado touchdown in St. Nazianz a mere five miles southwest of Valders. It “confirmed a report of a house with a west window blown out in Valders.” I wondered how they knew about my house. As I drove west, quick glances didn’t register any extensive property damage. (I was looking at the east side of buildings.) I was not prepared for the utter devastation I saw upon entering the village of Valders going in a southerly direction. Every building looked like a bomb had detonated nearby shattering all west windows, leaving torn draperies grotesquely glued to the plywood. Siding was either shredded or pockmarked and replaced with green debris. Trees that had been fully leafed out were now sorrowfully naked. The devastation was horrifying. Thank God my mother in law was like the Rock of Gibraltar that Mothers Day weekend and took it all in stride. Amber told me that during that 8 minute onslaught her Nana insisted upon standing in the stairwell doorway to see if the big picture window was going to shatter like the rest. This was a chance of a lifetime to see a hundred year storm in action. Bob, meanwhile, had his hands full at the 16 unit, two story elderly apartment complex we manage as all the windows there were lost on both the west and south sides.

In retrospect, St. Nazianz experienced a weather phenomenon known as a wind sheer containing a 100 mph downburst. It was not a tornado. (Too wide an area was affected.) Huge, old trees were blown over or twisted into ragged toothpicks. Forests were devastated across a nine mile wide strip over many miles between Lake Winnebago and Lake Michigan. The St. Nazianz trailer court was gone. Houses were completely moved off their foundations. Roofs were ripped off. The storm completely destroyed 50 barns in just Manitowoc County. The first crop hay was obliterated. In its wake, the storm left thousands of pounds of wood and metal debris scattered to the four winds over the length and breath of Manitowoc and Calumet County farm fields. (Actually, the storm had traveled across the entire width of Wisconsin that day, hitting Omro and Oshkosh just 45 minutes before it hit us. Too bad we weren’t given more of a warning!)

Huge, metal power lines fell. The steel towers crumpled like so much aluminum run over by a bulldozer. Cattle were scattered to the four winds and livestock continued to die for two weeks after being caught in the pounding hail. A turkey hunter was caught in the woods near St. Nazianz when the storm hit. He tried to hide behind the largest tree available, shielding his head from the baseball sized hailstones with his hands. He broke a wrist, but lived. The flock of turkeys he had been calling all died.

The rear window on Aaron’s car was shattered, along with both side mirrors and blinkers. (Insurance totaled it. We took a huge loss.) Cars were left with deep craters. Bob’s Driver Education, 2000 Escort had $7,000 damage. Bird feeders, trellises and everything plastic was broken. Insurance covered man made items, but nothing created by nature. Our “Better Homes and Gardens” backyard was devastated. Rhubarb was now a quarter inch high, squishy pulp. Young trees were almost girdled from the impact of the hailstones. Trees that temporarily survived the storm were later killed by bugs.

Our immediate concern was securing the house from the elements. We were luckier than most since we had storm windows with which we could replace the shattered window glass so we still had natural light. (Air conditioning was a blessing during the heat of summer. Many homes in the area were boarded up for many months. Local contractors were not able to provide for the thousands of households needing immediate help. Solicitations from fly by night contractors wanting to get a piece of the action abounded. A long time family friend, who is also a professional carpenter, came to our rescue or we would still be waiting too.

We continued to hear the wail of sirens all that weekend. Thick fog continued to be produced from piles of hailstones which didn’t appear to be melting. St. Nazianz was sealed off to ambulance chasers as it was in a state of emergency. Hoards of wonderful people descended upon the village however with power saws and free labor to help with evacuations and the massive clean-up. Valders High School students were released from a day of school to help in the clean-up effort. The Salvation Army and Red Cross provided food and fresh water for everyone. In August I was still cleaning glass up from my flower beds. Over the next few months we would hear stories of the hardships, devastation, and miracles those eight minutes produced. A young mother told me after she came downstairs from having had just placed her sleeping baby in its crib upstairs, she suddenly felt an uncontrollable urge to get her baby. As she reached the door to the hallway with the sleeping baby safely in her arms, the west and north windows shattered above the crib, splintering glass where her baby had been just moments before.

In spite of the havoc, devastation, and depression the storm produced, it also left a rainbow with a pot of gold. St. Nazianz is rebuilding. It is much lighter now without the huge, overgrown trees. Manitowoc County sports bright, contemporary new roofs, new siding, and new windows. Many people used this event as the catalyst to upgrade and remodel. Now, if it ever happens again, I hope it comes from the east. We could use new windows!

[AJE]

It’s Tornado Season…Again

If a tornado is in your area, you need to know what to do to Mitigate or protect yourself and your loved ones from any danger.

Tornado Watch: weather conditions are favorable for development of severe weather. You should go about your daily routines but do remain alert for a change in atmosphere and thus be prepared for the worst-case scenario.

Tornado Warning: means that a tornado has been either sighted or Doppler indicated and we need to take immediate action for our safety.

If you’re at WORK, follow your facilities protocol outlined under severe weather.

If a tornado warning is issued while you are at home, go to the basement and seek shelter under a sturdy piece of furniture. If your building doesn’t include a basement you need to go to the lowest level of your most interior room, which doesn’t have any windows. It is important to remember that flying debris can be lethal to anything it penetrates. While in the designated shelter, crouch down and make sure to protect your head using your hands.

If you’re driving when a warning is sounded, do not stay in the vehicle or try to outrun the tornado. You must seek shelter in a ditch and cover up your extremities. Do not seek shelter under a bridge or overpass.

Remain in the shelter until the storm has passed, if the severe weather does unfortunately take out your neighborhood.
1. Check for injured persons and obtain medical assistance if necessary.
2. Watch out for foundations, which may further collapse.
3. Stay away from all downed power lines, gas leaks and broken water mains until the proper authorities give an all clear to return. If you absolutely need to return to the foundation please take appropriate precautions for you safety.

[AJE]

*Our state averages about 21 tornadoes every year. The greatest number was 58 in 2005 and just two years before that in 2003, only 14 tornadoes were recorded.

*The busiest time for tornado activity in Wisconsin is from May through August, but tornadoes have occurred in every month except February.

*Most tornadoes occur between noon and 9PM, with late afternoon being the time of peak activity.

*A tornado usually travels southwest to northeast or east to west.

*The average tornado travels about two miles on the ground and has a path width of just under 50yards.

*The deadliest Wisconsin tornado occurred in June 1899 when 117 people died and 125 were injured. In more recent times, the Barneveld tornado of June 1984 killed 9 and injured 200.

*The Oakfield tornado of July 1996 and the Barneveld tornado were the costliest, with each doing over $40,000,000 in damage. Both were F5 as was is assumed the above June 1899 twister.

*Tornadoes in April 1929 and May 1878 traveled 170 and 150 miles on the ground, respectively. Tornadoes in September 1984 and 1924 both traveled 120 miles on the ground.

*Since 1982, Dane and Rock Counties have had around 202 and 172 tornadoes. Counties with the fewest number of tornadoes were Menominee with 19 and Iron with 22.

*Wisconsin ranks 17th in the country for annual tornadoes. Texas 1st with an average of 125 and Washington, Delaware, Nevada, Oregon, Vermont, Hawaii, Rhode Island, Alaska and the District of Columbia all rank last with fewer than one per year on average.

[SunnyDinFLA]

<Sigh>.....Hurricane season is coming for me....that includes a threat of tornadoes.

[AJE]

Farmers Clean Up after Storm

July 3, 2006
Oconto County

by Jason Allen

People are still cleaning up from a Saturday storm that dropped huge hail stones across sections of Oconto County. People who have lived there all their lives say they've never seen anything like it.

There are still craters covering the ground in Oconto County, turning farm fields into more of a moonscape. It's just one sign left behind by one of the worst area hailstorms in years.


For continued coverage please go to the following WBAY link
http://www.wbay.com/Global/story.asp?S=5109582

[AJE]

Today marks the 10th year anniversary of a F5 tornado ripping apart central Wisconsin. I remember sitting outside of my home with my parents watching the spectacular outburst and my mother remarking “God help the poor souls getting hit by that supercell.” (Little was I too know at that time my hometown years later was to be devastated by its own tragic weather phenomenon on May 12, 2000.) We actually found out before the general public did when my father bumped into a local state trooper while filling for gas. The officer said he’s been activated for duty in Fond Du Lac county where a tornado just hit. At that time he couldn’t disclose any more information, but did say he’d be letting us know what transpired.

:arrow: On July 18, 1996 the town of Oakfield, Wisconsin was all but destroyed by a powerful and rare F5 tornado. Oakfield residents only were notified of the storm via a mere 8 minutes before the tornado struck the village.

This violent whirlwind developed in Fond du Lac County and moved southeastward across Wisconsin taking direct aim at Oakfield. At 7:15 PM the large tornado struck the small town, injuring 17 people. Damage estimates later were totaled over $40 million as 60 of 320 homes and buisnesses were completely destroyed. Governor Tommy declared a “state of emergency” for the small town. Heck, damage must have been severe since the general public wasn’t allowed access for over a month after the disaster occurred. Many, times had my family tried to witness the damage, but each time we were shooed away by authorities. Our only indication was the patches of terribly mangled tree grooves, which were seen just off of Hwy 151 and the SE line that followed straight toward the town. Even with binoculars we really couldn’t take scoop of the damage.

Then one day the state trooper made a special stop at our home to let us personally know that we now were able to get into the town. But with his visit wasn’t the least of it he also brought a home video with 20 minutes of footage of that massive twister, many photographs of the damage and the amazing stories of its survivors which he was able to meet. For example he spoke about a man whom a week after the storm hit Oakfield was mailed his lost wallet from someone living in Michigan where the wallet was dumped onto the lawn. The very next day we were back in the car and on the way. Its one thing to read and hear about the event but if you really want a brunt understanding of the true forces of nature you really do need to see it for yourself. We came into town from the back way and didn’t see too much damage. We entered Oakfield from the far eastern side of town up on the hill and although we did see severe damage it wasn’t extreme. It was when the road began the decline to the lower section of town that we started to cry.

There was nothing left of the inner village but only the skeleton foundation slabs of what used to be homes and business. It’s amazing that no one perished. Thank God the storm happened on a weekend and not during the busy day. Homes, businesses and churches were amongst the 60 structures destroyed by the July storm and what the storm didn’t destroy was by the hands of man in the process of rebuilding the town. The core width of the most intense damage was about 150 to 200 yard swath, although at times, some secondary damage was observed in a 400-yard wide path. (Which is a half-mile.)

An addition 130 homes and businesses were just damaged and in need of a touch up job but they were still useable and not condemned. The tornado was powerful enough to level the Friday Canning Company, while picking up millions of empty cans and leaving them sprawled over a 50-mile distance. There was eyewitnesses to a couple o automobiles became airborne missiles for a distance of about 400 feet.

Besides structural damage to buildings the tornado was quite costly to farmers like about $900,000 in losses. Crops, livestock, and farm equipment were also destroyed. In the rural areas along the tornadoes path, 18 barns and many sheds were destroyed or sustained damaged, and about 500 acres of crops were wiped out with burn marks to prove the strength.

The original National Weather Service report from Milwaukee categorized the tornado to be a F3 to with winds of 158-260 mph, but was later upgraded to an F5 with winds greater than 261 mph, the most severe tornado possible on the Fujita scale. F5 tornadoes are very rare, only occurring, on average, every other year in the United States. In the last 100 years Wisconsin has seen a grand total of 3 super mesocyclone monsters. :twisted: The F5 rank was issued based on the inspection of the damage to the Oakfield area. Doppler indicated the tornado stayed on the ground for over 20 minutes as it moved southeastward for nearly 20 miles before finally dissipating.

[AJE]

A personal account of the Oakfield Tornado as told by Kelly Wojahn:

"This is my personal account (to the very best of my recollection) of what happened the night of July 18th, 1996 - the night of the Oakfield Tornado.

That evening, my co-ed softball team was scheduled to play a game. I remember it was beautiful out,and it was very warm. About 85+ degrees that day. The sky was blue, but there was a tornado watch put out at about 4:30pm. The game was set to start at 6pm. We were at a softball diamond in Ladoga on Hwy. TC (otherwise known as 103).

Since I have always been intruiged by storms... I kept my eye to the sky. At that time, there wasn't a single cloud. But by the time I was up to bat for the first time, I remember that I saw a tiny patch of clouds Southwest of us that had just appeared out of nowhere.

These clouds were slowly moving Northeast and very slowly growing larger. By the time they were above our heads, they had grown into a long, but skinny, line of clouds that stretched from West to East. They moved to the North of us and then we all heard a loud rumbling noise. Most of us just dismissed this as a plane, and didn't think much of it. But then we realized the noise was constant and not letting up. We decided it must be coming from the thin line of clouds, which seemed very odd.

The rumbling continued for what seemed to be forever, and then we noticed the line of clouds expanding to the North and South and also darkening.

Not much later, the noticeably larger mass of clouds started moving back toward us- towards the Southeast. We hurried the game along, as we figured it would start raining any time.

We were right, a few minutes later it began to downpour. But only for a minute or so. The clouds then stalled overhead and became very eerie. It wasn't raining, so we continued to play as much as we could. After 2 or 3 batters, it began to rain hard again and it also began to hail. This wasn't a good sign, but it let up again a couple minutes later. At this point, we were determined to finish the game.

We all got back on the field... and it didn't rain again. A couple of us did notice that the clouds were beginning to swirl and expand even more. This made us feel a bit uneasy, but no one else seemed too bothered by it.

Although it was still rumbling constantly, there hadn't been any lightning- just rain and hail. We continued to play.

Not much later, the clouds were swirling and rotating like crazy, but the clouds started moving quickly to the Southeast- away from us. There was a big house and tree on the East side of the field that blocked most of the sight in that direction if you were batting. Only the outfielders could see past the house.

Then, I remember that we switched one last time... we came in to bat, and the other team went out in the field. All of a sudden,the fielder in left field started jumping up and down and screaming. None of us could hear him over the rumbling.

We ran out there just as the funnel cloud he was screaming about turned into a full-blown tornado... bigger than I ever imagined a tornado being in real life. It was about 1/2 mile to 3/4 miles away from us.

We stood there in awe, and then realized we needed to get out of there. By that time, my friend's parents were already there in their truck to pick us up (they lived about a 1/2 mile down the road). We took the truck and rode behind the tornado so we could get to the houses where it first touched down.

There were 3 houses in this area that were hit. We all split up and went to see who needed help. People started coming out of their basements in complete shock. Luckily, no one was hurt beyond a cut or a bruise. We helped them salvage what we could... pictures, breakables, etc. and called to get them more help. One of the men we helped found his boat more than 2 miles away a couple days later.

When we left this area, we used the CB in the truck to call into Oakfield. We had a chainsaw and 2 of us knew CPR and first aid. They had blockades everywhere, so we couldn't get into town- even though we told them were were there to help. It was very chaotic, so we understood.
I know that we helped as much as we could, but I wished we could have done more. I have since learned a lot about what I experienced that day.

The Oakfield Tornado sparked my interest in what I can do to help my community, so I have taken storm spotting classes to learn about what I saw. There was a good 10 minutes or so from when the clouds started rotating to when the funnel cloud developed. If I had known more about the structures of thunderstorms and what to watch for, I think I could have recognized what was going on in time to warn someone."

[AJE]

Lightning's Deadly Reach
July 25, 2006
WBAY-TV Green Bay


By Emily Matesic

An Antigo man killed by lightning was identified Monday afternoon Curtis Meyer. The 24-year-old was standing near a tree struck by lightning Monday. His friends began CPR but Meyer died at the hospital 40 minutes later.

:arrow: For the complete story please view the following link:
http://www.wbay.com/Global/story.asp?S=5196698

[AJE]

Aug 25, 2006
'Wicked' Tornadoes Hit Northern Plains

In Wisconsin, a 43-year-old woman was knocked to the ground while carrying an umbrella and groceries through a parking lot in Waukesha County.

"I don't remember hearing thunder or seeing lightning or anything," Kelly Owen told WISN-TV in Milwaukee. "It's the weirdest sensation."

Lightning also killed a dozen cows on a farm in Marshall, and strikes were suspected of starting fires at a seniors' apartment complex in Kenosha and a home in Cottage Grove home.

For continued coverage of this article please redirect too:
http://cbs11tv.com/national/topstori...236224142.html

[AJE]

Oakfield Feels Greensburg's Pain



May 7, 2007

FYI: The massive twister moved on a track of 1.7 miles wide and 22 miles long stretch. This F5 Enhanced tornado with estimated winds as high as 205 mph, was the most powerful twister to hit the US in eight years destroyed 95% of the town last Friday May 4, 2007. The death toll from this tornado that obliterated this farming village climbed to 10 Monday, they did have a 20 minuted notice.

A Fond du Lac County community understands what people in a small Kansas town are going through. An extended F5 tornado -- the most powerful rating the National Weather Service can give a tornado -- flattened 95 percent of the town of Greensburg, a community of 1,500, killing ten.

This summer marks eleven years since an F5 tornado destroyed most of the town of Oakfield, and those affected are still coping with the storm's aftermath.

"You thank God you're alive and your family's alive," Dale Schmidt says.

People in Oakfield say they know what it's like to rebuild a community ripped apart.

"It wiped out the school out and the church, and now you don't have a school there," Schmidt says.

Schmidt remembers coming home to what was the main street of his town although nothing was intact.

"We had cans from the canning company here, we had cans and glass, you name it," he remembers.

"There were resources there set up for us, which helped us all, I think, in the long run -- the tetanus shot there, the things you needed on a day-to-day basis, the people came by with the sandwiches and helped us," Joan Ryan recalls.

One woman who lost her home to the tornado says her heart always goes out to tornado victims who lose everything and have to face what remains.

"It's a long, hard process, but in the end they will be all right," Ryan says. "I truly believe you have to have faith and that will bring them through it."

Others in Oakfield say it's hard to watch the weather on TV because any warning of bad weather reminds them of what they went through.

"Every time it gets cloudy, they're nervous, they're nervous as hell, because they're afraid it's going to come," Vernon Riese says.

"My brother lost a house down in here, my cousin lost a house that was badly damaged. The town has changed a lot. This main street used to be all oak trees; they're all gone," Riese adds.

People here say they may have lost bits and pieces of their town but they say ultimately they're thankful because here in Oakfield no lives were lost.

http://www.wbay.com/Global/story.asp?S=6481238