Watching the Skies Over Wisconsin-Stormy Weather and Other Tempestuous Transpirings

Television, trains, weather and the death of a website

2007-11-03T20:44:00.000-07:00

Just so everyone knows, I haven't dropped off the face of the earth. I just haven't placed much priority on updating this blog since I've been quite busy with school since the end of August, the 2007 Wisconsin severe weather season was nil, and a hacker attack irrepairably destroyed the entire Stoughton Piston Head Society website, including the weather section and high risk archive, in mid-September.

Anyhow, I'm going to try to revive this blog with more updates and pictures from now on.

To start, here's one of me doing what I've been spending a lot of time on this semester-various work for UWGB's campus cable station, Channel 20. This is now my second semester there and in addition to editing the show "Phoenix Connexion", I am doing a lot more camera work including running cameras in the studio. Some of this semester's shows have been among the best in the show's history according to our general manager. It helps to have a great staff all around, the new producers have been much better to work with than last semester and the other editors have been putting together some great video packages for the show.

Although I started getting back into it in mid-late 2006, over the past year I have been spending a lot more time on what was for a long time not a priority hobby for me-railfanning. I liked trains as a kid but it wasn't until the last year or so that I began to actively seek them out for photography and videography. I find that trains and the scenery they travel through offer many of the same photogenic opportunities as storm chasing, plus there is the assurance that if you sit by the track long enough one will come by, whereas the same can't be said for even the best-forecasted storm chase!

Many of my train photographs can be seen at my Railroad Picture Archives contributor site, as well as a side aspect of photographing highway-rail grade crosssings and their warning devices at Mike's Railroad Crossing website.

More later.

A list of my Internet aliases

2007-05-25T22:45:00.000-07:00

Lately it seems that every useful website requires users to create a username and profile in order to access the useful content. Everything started out all neat and cozy with the Stoughton Piston Head Society website, but now I'm leaving my stuff flung all over the far corners of the Internet. I'm creating this list in part so people that know me can find everything I've written and posted, and in part so that I can keep everything straight and don't forget where I'm registered!

This is only a partial list, I have many other accounts that I don't use anymore either because the site closed down or I found a better one to serve the same purpose.

AOL/AIM/Pogo: vespanidus
Yahoo: vespanidus
Blogger: ayearedubya (duh, you're here!)
YouTube: VespineVid2
Railroad Picture Archives dot Net: andyws/contributor Andre Wehrle
Facebook: Take a wild guess...
MySpace: darkskiesoverwisconsin
Epinions: vespanidus
Wikipedia: WISkies
Photobucket: wisconsinskies
Stormtrack Forums: Andy Wehrle
Stormchasers.org Forums: Andy Wehrle
WxChat: thehumanlightningrod
Stansweather.net Forums: Andy Wehrle
Medialine.com Forums: Andy
Bugguide.net: Andy
Insecthobbyist.com: WISkywatcher
ModelRailroadForums.com: AndyWS
Zealot.com (Formerly The-Gauge.com): AndyWS
Fuzzy World 3: AndyWSOR
Mike's Railroad Crossing Forum: AndyWS
Wordrailfans.info: Andy Wehrle
Pokerstars: SilverHornet
The Poker Forum: TheVespine
Chess Exchange Forum: PxQ??
MobilEdit Forums: AW86

The Return of The (E)F5

2007-05-06T12:57:00.000-07:00

In the early evening of May 3, 1999, a giant tornado plowed through southern suburbs of Oklahoma City, ripping numerous well-constructed homes from their foundations and reducing them to matchsticks and rubble scattered across the landscape. National Weather Service damage surveyors determined that this destruction indicated that the tornado was an F5, the highest rating possible on the Fujita Scale of Tornado Intensity.

Since that time, dozens of destructive tornadoes have roared across the United States, destroying human lives and causing hundreds of millions of dollars in damages. Among them was the Stoughton tornado of August 2005, which flattened homes just two blocks north of mine. However, none of these tornadoes produced the level of complete destruction to be assigned the highest rating. Other tornadoes ballooned to gargantuan proportions in open fields and plains, displaying violent motion to the observers indicative of extreme winds within. Perhaps if one of these tornadoes had contacted a well-constructed, anchored frame house it would have been capable of "lifting it off its foundation and carrying it a considerable distance to disintigrate", the definitive indicator of F5 damage.

On February 1, 2007, the Fujita scale was retired in favor of the Enhanced Fujita Scale, which changes the estimated windspeeds associated with each category to (probably) better reflect the actual windspeeds in tornadoes, and most importantly provides much more detailed "damage indicators" for assessing damage caused by tornadoes that contact and damage many different types of structures, vehicles, trees, etc.

The 2007 tornado season got off to a fast start, producing many destructive and deadly tornadoes, but as with the past seven years, none was quite powerful enough, quite totally and utterly devastating enough for the survey teams to assign the maximum rating.

Until May 4.

As darkness fell that evening, a rotating supercell thunderstorm rapidly intensified as it moved into southwestern Kansas. Not too unusual for spring in the Plains. But then, a huge "wedge" tornado, wider than it was tall, touched down as the storm entered Kiowa County, taking dead aim on the unfortunate small town of Greensburg and its roughly 1,500 residents. By the time it was over, eight of their number were dead, scores injured, and roughly 90% of the town completely obliterated. Not just ripped to pieces. Gone. Some survivors couldn't even locate the debris from their houses, it had been carried and scattered too great a distance. On Sunday, May 6, the NWS survey teams made the news official. This was the first EF5 tornado, the most violent windstorm on earth in just over eight years.

KAKE news
Kansas.com
May 4 storm reports

April Snow...ugh!

2007-04-13T17:50:00.000-07:00

Wisconsin got a considerable April snowstorm on Wednesday, April 11...the first time this has occured in several years. It's mostly melted by today, though :-).

Here are some pics I took shortly after the snow began in Green Bay:

Additional late March/early April severe weather event links

2007-04-07T15:54:00.000-07:00

March 22-23:

NWS Write-Ups/Surveys:
Des Moines, IA
Albuquerque, NM
Lubbock, TX

Storm Chaser Reports:
Simon Brewer
Tony Laubach
Scott Olson
Jody Radzik
Eugene Thieszen
Reed Timmer

March 25:
NWS Lubbock, TX

March 29:
NWS Norman, OK

March 30:
NWS Little Rock, AR
NWS Topeka, KS

March 31:
NWS Davenport, IA
NWS Chicago, IL
NWS Omaha, NE

April 03:
NWS Huntsville, AL
NWS Little Rock, AR
NWS Louisville, KY
NWS Memphis, TN

The Research Team

2007-04-07T15:50:00.000-07:00

Group photos of myself and the other two Research Assistants working with UWGB professor Adolfo Garcia on his roommate conflict study this semester. Molly is on the left, Chelsea on the right.

Phoenix Connexion #04-04 (Season 4, Episode 4)

2007-04-07T15:14:00.000-07:00

I finally got around to uploading screenshots from the episode that aired the week after Spring Break (March 20-25). It actually ended up airing until April 1, because some cancellations and miscommunications in the production department forced the next scheduled episode to be cancelled. The next episode (currently airing until tomorrow) is #04-05, originally scheduled for the previous week, and I am currently working on #04-06 to air starting Tuesday, April 10.

I've started putting in an overlay with the host's names at the beginning of every episode.

This episode featured a tour of the new Kress Events Center, to open fall 2007, replacing the Phoenix Sports Center. Assistant Chancellor Dean Rodeheaver (left) conducted the tour, interviewed by Channel 20 producer intern Dan Whelan (right).

An interior shot of the still-under-construction Kress Events Center.

An exterior shot.

On Tuesday, March 6, Jeff Last of the Green Bay National Weather Service Office presented a storm spotter training seminar at UWGB, as he does every spring. I thought this would be an excellent opportunity to spread the word about the NWS's volunteer spotter program as well as severe weather awareness in general among UWGB students, so I videotaped the seminar to include clips from it on the show. I also conducted a short interview with Mr. Last following the seminar.

The Maintenance Tip of The Week featured tips on shower maintenance and cleanliness, including a plug for the electric shower cleaner that Dan is demonstrating here. I found this highly ironic when I edited it because my family has these in our showers at home, and I don't like them.

The studio guest was the soon-to-be departing (elections were coming up shortly) SGA (Student Government Association) President Trista Seubert.

Second major severe weather and tornado outbreak of 2007...

2007-03-31T10:20:00.000-07:00

...developed on Wednesday, March 28 over portions of the Texas/Oklahoma panhandles, western Kansas and Nebraska, and eastern Colorado. Major March outbreaks are not unheard of (a la March 1 this year, March 12 last year, March 27, 1994 and March 13, 1990 to name a few) but what was unusual was for it to take place so far west. The other outbreaks listed all happened in either the Southeast, the Mississippi Valley, or the eastern Plains.

Wednesday marked the first highly sucessful chase day for a lot of Plains chasers, and unfortunately resulted in four deaths, numerous injuries and quite a bit of property damage. At least two tornadoes have been rated EF3, and that number will probably grow. However, it wasn't as bad as it could have been due to the relatively sparse population of the region. There were many reports of large tornadoes in open country that would have caused major disasters had they hit towns or cities.

NWS Surveys and Write-Ups
Pueblo, CO
Dodge City, KS
Goodland, KS
North Platte, NE (1)
North Platte, NE (2)
Amarillo, TX
Lubbock, TX

Storm Chaser Reports
Scott Blair
Jason Boggs
Simon Brewer
Jason Brock
Verne Carlson
Brian Emfinger
George Flickinger
J.R. Hehnly
Mike Hollingshead
Caleb Kimbrough
Amos Magliocco
Gene Moore
Eric Nguyen
Michael O'Keeffe
Russel Parsons
Putnam Reiter
Brett Roberts
Chris Rozoff
Dean Schoeneck
Jeff Snyder
Bill Tabor
Skip Talbot
Justin Walker
Dustin Wilcox

A smaller outbreak hit eastern New Mexico on March 23, and isolated tornadoes occurred on the days preceding and following March 28. Wisconsin got its first tornadoes of the year today (March 31) in the far southwestern part of the state. Links related to those events coming later...

The Winter That "Roared"

2007-03-06T22:33:00.000-08:00

Here it is March 7, and 2007 has already seen nine tornadoes rated F3 (or EF3, with the transition to the new, improved "Enhanced Fujita Scale" on February 1) and one rated EF4. More than 40 people have been killed by these tornadoes. And we thought 2006 got off to a busy start! Of course, we all know what happened then. The active pattern dried up just in time for the start of most chaser's Plains vacations.

Here are the NWS write-ups and chaser accounts on this years most significant tornado events thus far:

January 04:
Lake Charles, LA

January 07:
Birmingham, AL
Peachtree City, GA

February 02:
Melbourne, FL

February 13:
Birmingham, AL
New Orleans, LA

February 23:
Chase Report by Verne Carlson
Chase Report by Brian Emfinger
Chase Report by Roger Hill
Chase Report by Tony Laubach
Dodge City, KS

February 24:
Little Rock, AR
Shreveport, LA
Kansas City, MO
Jackson, MS

February 28:
Chase Report by Andrew Fischer
Chase Report by Michael O' Keeffe
Chase Report by Reed Timmer
Topeka, KS
Wichita, KS
Kansas City, MO (1)
Kansas City, MO (2)

March 01: (high risk day)
Birmingham, AL
Mobile, AL
Tallahassee, FL
Peachtree City, GA
Lincoln, IL
Paducah, KY
Springfield, MO
Columbia, SC

Phoenix Connexion 04-03

2007-03-06T22:11:00.000-08:00

This week, Ben Krumholtz, regular co-host (with Tim Meylander) of Channel 20's sports talk show "On The Ball" filled in for Josh Brewer (who had taken an "early spring break") on the PC sports segment.

In this week's "Maintenance Tip of The Week", Dan (left) saved Brian's walls from certain destruction, as he stopped him from using either nails, or residue-leaving tape to hang his picture. Students are to always use tacks or poster putty.

This edition of "Phoenix Connexion" introduced a new segment, "Dining in Green Bay", to explore potential off-campus dining options for students. This week, Kristen and some guy I don't know went to Brett Favre's Steakhouse, interviewed the manager, got a tour of the restaurant and sampled the food.

Paul Harris, owner of Harris' Karate Academy, put on a self-defense seminar at UWGB. In the second screenshot, he demonstrates on a quite levelheaded assistant.

The studio guest was Sgt. Jeff Gros of the campus Public Safety department, who gave some tips on how students can stay safe over spring break.

Coming next week: A tour of the almost-complete Kress Center (new athletic facility at UWGB) and an interview (conducted and filmed by me!) with Jeff Last, Warning Coordination Meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Green Bay.

First Severe Weather Events of 2007

2007-03-01T19:45:00.000-08:00

The 2007 severe weather season is well and truly under way with the first high risk of the year issued by the Storm Prediction Center earlier today. It's already been a rough start to the year with approximately 30 fatalities caused by tornadoes to date, mostly in the Gulf Coast states. The synoptic storms that are producing these severe storms are also producing wintry weather further north. This was the scene in Green Bay last Sunday:

We are looking at more of the same overnight, a winter storm warning is in effect with around 7" of heavy wet snow expected when all is said and done. My high risk archive has been updated to reflect today's events, and page-jump links are being added to make navigation easier.

Phoenix Connexion 04_02

2007-03-01T19:26:00.000-08:00

Here are a few screenshots from this semester's second episode of "Phoenix Connexion", which premiered this past Tuesday. It's the second episode of the fourth semester it has been on Channel 20, hence the production code 04_02.

Drew & Kristen introduce this episode.

A scene from the intro video that plays during the beginning of every PC episode, a black-and-white shot of the entrance to UWGB.

Resident Assisstant Brian introduces the "Maintenance Tip of The Week".

This week it was "Better Love Your Room", and instructed students to always clean up spills and how to do it.

The guest this week was Hannah Johnson, the chief editor of the campus newspaper, "The Fourth Estate".

Credits got to roll again...

"Phoenix Connexion"

2007-02-21T12:20:00.000-08:00

If there's anyone that reads my blog regularly (and let it be known I appreciate it if you do) you know I haven't updated much lately. There are a few reasons for this. One, I mainly use this blog to post photography and other tidbits related to my hobbies of storm chasing and wasp observation, and it being winter there hasn't been a whole lot to talk about in either of those categories.

Second, Blogger has really been pissing me off lately, with their ever-increasing insistence that I get a new username and password for "new Blogger" with a Google account. Therefore I haven't wanted to even try logging in much. Finally today they made it literally impossible to log in without switching accounts. Grrrrrrrr.

Third, I've been busier this semester than I have for a long time. After 2 1/2 years of college, I decided it was high time to get some out-of-the-classroom experience, so I applied to be a video production intern at Residence Life Channel 20, UW-Green Bay's on-campus cable station. I got the gig, so I've been spending quite a bit of time on that lately. I am also doing a Research Assistantship for UWGB professor Adolfo Garcia, who approached me about it last semester when I was in one of his classes. He is conducting an emperical research experiment about college roommate conflicts, using student volunteers from the Communication and Psychology departments at UWGB. Myself and two other students are helping him prepare and conduct the experiment this semester.

My primary responsibility at Channel 20 is to edit "Phoenix Connexion" (sic), the news show which is typically used to spread the word about upcoming campus events, or discuss those events that recently took place. I edited the first episode of this semester this past weekend, so it could premiere as scheduled on Tuesday at 8 AM, with re-broadcasts throughout the week. I also served as a cameraman for the game show "Phlash Card" (another sic), a combination of trivia quiz and draw poker that this semester, pitted a team of Resident Assistants against a team of Student Ambassadors. It is scheduled to air for the first time tonight at 7 PM.

Here are some screenshots from this semester's first episode of "Phoenix Connexion":

PC hosts Drew and Kristen introduce the show. Kristen signed on to be a promotions intern this semester, but ended up filling in on-air because the regular female co-host, Kelly, joined the foreign exchange program and is spending this semester in London.

Governor Doyle visited the UW-Green Bay campus on Monday, February 12th to discuss his budget proposal and promised it would make "a major new investment" in the University of Wisconsin system.

Channel 20's Resident Assistant correspondent Brian discusses some of the upcoming events being held by Residence Life. At the bottom of the screen is the "Phoenix Connexion" title crawl that is present during all in-studio scenes except the intro. Brian is a fellow proud graduate of Stoughton High School.

Sports editor Josh plugs the intramurals program and urges students to sign up their teams online.

Office of Student Life event coordinator Grant Winslow discusses the events students can look forward to this semester.

Student Ambassadors Rob (left) and Ben (right) discuss what it's like to be an Ambassador and what is required to sign up.

The end credits roll as the hosts and guests shake hands and congratulate each other on a good show.

Every Wednesday, Channel 20 holds its all-staff meeting. Today's was filmed as part of an upcoming promotional video:

From left: Fellow video production intern Dan; Brian (with his back to the camera); marketing intern Matt; promotions intern and Phoenix Connexion co-host Kristen; and yours truly.

From left: Producer intern Dan (a different Dan from above); John, producer intern and host of talk/comedy show "Jaded Nights"; and promotions manager/Student Ambassador/former chief editor Ben (standing).

So, that's what's keeping me busy this semester. The weather is getting more interesting, with the early February severe cold snap replaced by a balmy 35-45 degrees over the last few days. There is even the possibility of a significant severe weather outbreak across much of the Plains and Midwest over the coming weekend. However, that's for another post. Stay tuned...

Goodbye and Good Riddance to 2006

2007-01-01T00:02:00.000-08:00

It's the wee hours of the morning on New Year's Day, meaning this blog is now one year old. As you can tell from the title of this post, I am none too pleased with the way the past year has gone. It wasn't completely without its moments, but 2006 was by and large the Year of the Letdown. Several things that appeared to hold a lot of promise early on turned out to be pretty ***-in' lousy.

Let's hope for a better 2007.

2006 Severe Weather Wrap-Up

2006-12-10T16:05:00.000-08:00

A long overdue update...

There was indeed a significant tornado outbreak on September 22nd, including only the second F4 tornado of the year. Following that there were several more notable events in October, November and December.

NWS Birmingham, AL
NWS Huntsville, AL
NWS Little Rock, AR (includes several days in September)
NWS Chicago, IL
NWS Paducah, KY
NWS Springfield, MO
NWS St. Louis, MO
Chase Report by Chris Collura
Chase Report by Charles Edwards
Chase Report by John Farley
Chase Report by Andrew Pritchard
Chase Report by Dan Robinson
Chase Report by David Schuttler
SPC Storm Reports Log

September 23rd
NWS Grand Rapids, MI

October 2nd
NWS Chicago, IL

October 26th
Dodge City, KS
Chase Report by Simon Brewer
Chase Report by Mike Umscheid
SPC Storm Reports Log

October 27th
Tallahassee, FL

November 15th
Birmingham, AL
Jackson, MS
Peachtree City, GA
SPC Storm Reports Log

November 16th
Wilmington, NC

December 1st (Yes, tornadoes in the northeastern U.S., in December!)
Binghamton, NY
SPC Storm Reports Log

Weather Event #...I lost count long ago-August & September tornado events; and musings on another screwey "tornado season"

2006-09-21T14:36:00.000-07:00

Well, 2006 like 2005 before it just further proves that the weather will do whatever the hell it wants, when it wants. Averages are merely a mean of extremes.

After a fast start with several monster outbreaks in March and early April that raised chaser's hopes for a big year; followed by less significant but still considerable activity through early May, the 2006 tornado "season" completely died. After the Westminister, TX tornado on May 9 (right before the weekend when most chasers from all over the country and even the world had scheduled the start of 2 or 3 weeks of vacation time to make their annual pilgrimage to the Plains), a massive ridge scoured the moisture out of the atmosphere and shut down virtually all tornado activity. The next tornado rated at least F3 in the United States would not be until the beginning of August, which I posted about below.

A few weather systems managed to force their way through the ridge during the mid/late spring and early summer, but by and large they only served to further frustrate chasers. There were days like June 6 and 18 in Wisconsin; which produced tornadoes after most chasers had decided the situations were too iffy to be worth the time and $2.95 a gallon gas. There were days like June 20 in western Iowa, when many chasers made the trip for what appeared to be the most promising tornado setup in over six weeks. After what was (for my chase partners and I) a 5-hour journey, we watched those extremely favorable tornado parameters fizzle in an atmosphere that refused to yield a single storm cloud.

During July and most of August the central states baked under one of the hottest summers on record. August 23rd looked like a very favorable local setup for tornadoes over southern Wisconsin, even more so like August 18 of the previous year (!). However it was the chase that never was for Scott Weberpal and I. Scott came over to my house and we hung around for several hours pouring over weather data until it became clear that like June 20; things would not be coming together after all. At least we didn't have to drive 5 hours each way on that expensive gas!

The next day, August 24; brought the first significant tornado outbreak since April. Numerous tornadoes developed across South Dakota and Minnesota. Unfortunately, several were quite destructive and even deadly.

Chase report by Simon Brewer
Chase report by Dean Cosgrove
Chase report by Bill Doms
Chase report by Mike Hollingshead
Chase report by Aaron Kennedy
Chase report by Melanie Metz
Chase report by Scott Olson
SPC Storm Reports log

The next significant severe weather event took place from September 15-16. A deadly tornado hit Rogers, Minnesota after sunset on September 16, with no tornado warning in effect. The storm had intensified extremely rapidly in between radar scans.

September 15:
Surprise, NE F2 tornado
Buffalo County, NE tornado
SPC Storm Reports log

September 16:
Chase report by Bill Doms
Chase report by Andrew Fischer
Chase report by Dick McGowan
Chase report by Scott Olson
Rogers Tornado-NWS Twin Cities
Southeast South Dakota tornadoes
Thunderstorm Damage from September 16-NWS Hastings, NE
SPC Storm Reports log

Another round of severe weather began on Thursday, September 21. An F1 tornado hit Russell, Kansas as part of an outbreak of cold-core mini supercell tornadoes.

NWS Wichita, KS
Chase Report by Simon Brewer

As I write this (updating on Friday 9/22), PDS tornado watches are in effect for parts of Arkansas, Missouri and Oklahoma and will probably be issued into central and southern Illinois later. In 2005, November was the biggest month for tornadoes out of the year. Could September turn out to be the most active month for tornadoes in 2006? We shall see, although it'll take quite an outbreak to beat March and early April.

Meanwhile, the 2006 Atlantic hurricane season; hyped by the media as a likely repeat of last year's abberation, has been nothing if not completely benign. The only storms that have made landfall have been mere tropical storms. The strongest system, Hurricane Helene (which peaked at a 125 mph category 3, same as that of Katrina at landfall) curved out to sea well away from the U.S. coast along with all the other Cape Verde storms that have formed. Averages are just a mean of extremes. Another example: Wisconsin's 2005 tornado count: 62 2006 YTD (and highly unlikely that we will see more): 10 (all F0-F1).

Saturday August 19 in Sauk County-Badger Steam & Gas Engine Show and Mid-Continent Railroad Museum

2006-08-20T15:36:00.000-07:00

I took a little day trip to Sauk County yesterday for the Badger Steam & Gas Engine show in Baraboo, and then afterward paid a visit to the Mid-Continent Railroad Museum in nearby North Freedom. My family and I have been going to the Badger show for quite a few years now. It features large exhibitions of antique steam, gas and diesel engines and vehicles, blacksmith shop and woodworking demonstrations, as well as a flea market with just about everything (sometimes even including the kitchen sink) up for sale.

We couldn't help but notice the engraving on the base of this old water-heating cauldron. It's probably not a relation, my dad was an only child and most of his father's siblings never had children.

Another exhibit that caught my attention (and fit in with the later theme of the day) was this 7 1/2" gauge steam locomotive, Southern Pacific 4-6-2 #7982. This is about as small as trains can get and still be rideable-the driver rides astraddle a cushion on top of the tender and operates the engine through the cutout in the roof of the cab. This particular locomotive is fired on propane gas from a tank in the tender. It is quite detailed, right down to the AAR (American Association of Railroads) engraved on the couplers, and miniature American Locomotive Company builder's plates.

After leaving the Badger Steam & Gas Engine show, I suggested that we make the trip to the Mid-Continent Railroad Museum just down the road, which we hadn't done since 1994 (when I was 8). The museum is headquartered at the former North Freedom depot, and the exhibits stretch off in both directions down the ex-Chicago & Northwestern branch line from North Freedom to Quartzite Lake.

One of the first things you notice upon arrival at the museum is Soo Line #2645, a Brooks Locomotive Works 4-6-0. It was recently cosmetically restored and its black paint fairly gleams.

A close-up of one of #2645's Brooks builder's plates:

#2645's ALCO reversing gear:

Another of Mid-Continent's more prominently placed exhibits is this undercoat dull-red 2-8-0 Consolidation type, Copper Range #29. #29 is an ALCO product from 1907 and is on display in front of the Coach Shed on the south side of the street.

Parked directly in front of the depot is Mid-Continent's four-a-day excursion train, including Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range caboose #C74.

Also on display close to the depot is Kewaunee, Green Bay & Western 2-8-0 Consolidation #49. #49 is the only surviving steam locomotive from that railroad. It has received a new coat of paint since the last times I saw it in 1992 and 1994, although its bell and headlight have mysteriously gone missing.

In between the main line on which the passenger train is parked and the display tracks that contain #2645 and #49 is this Dodge car modified to run on railroad tracks; together with a maintenance-of-way vehicle behind it. We photographed this car with our late Cairn terrier Harry in 1992.

Farther down the tracks on the depot (north) side of the street are two more steam locomotives on display. One is Mid-Continent's only Shay locomotive, recently cosmetically restored Goodman Lumber #9. Instead of chassis-mounted cylinders that drive the wheels directly via connecting rods, Shays have a steam engine mounted vertically on the side that drives the wheels through a system of shafts and bevel gears.

Close to the Shay is the only decrepit-looking locomotive on the north end of the museum. Woodward Iron #41, a Baldwin 2-10-0, is also the largest, heaviest and probably most powerful steam locomotive on display at MCRM.

This is a steam-powered rotary snowplow from the Oregon Short Line. It contains a control cab, boiler and steam engine and requires a tender for fuel and water...but is not self-propelled and requires a locomotive to push it along.

Immediately on the opposite (south) side of the street from the depot are the water tower and Coach Shed (with CR #29 in front). Close to the water tower are several freight cars on display, including a Soo Line ore car, UTLX tank car, and two steam locomotive tenders including that for Western Coal & Coke #1.

Much of Mid-Continent's fully restored rolling stock collection is protected from the elements inside the Coach Shed, including this handcar and late-19th century Soo Line boxcar.

Beyond the coach shed are several tracks containing most of the museum's unrestored and work-in-progress exhibits, as well as the locomotive maintenance and storage sheds.

A row of unmarked freight cars. The one closest to the caboose is a refrigerator car.

This ALCO S-1 diesel-electric switcher locomotive, lettered MCRY #7, is currently Mid-Continent's primary motive power.

This General Electric switcher, lettered MCRY #4, is used around the Museum grounds to move rolling stock between the various sheds and display tracks.

Outside the maintenance sheds is Lake Superior & Ishpeming #22, an ALCO 2-8-0 Consolidation. It is a privately owned locomotive being stored at Mid-Continent for restoration.

Moving further south down the myriad of storage sidings on the west side of the maintenance sheds, one comes across the largest diesel road locomotive on display at MCRM, Milwaukee Road ALCO RSC-2 #988. Diesel locomotives can be classified by their wheel arrangements like steam locomotives but the system is somewhat different. The AAR wheel configuration counts axles instead of wheels, using letters for powered axles, numbers for idler axles, and dashes to seperate trucks (swivelling wheel assemblies). #988 is an A1A-A1A locomotive, meaning the center axle on each truck is unpowered. MCRY #7 above is a B-B, meaning it has two trucks each with both axles powered.

During our trip to MCRM in 1994, the eight-year-old me was photographed on the platform of this locomotive.

Parked next to #988 is a Soo Line crane car with flat car.

Beyond Milwaukee #988 is the oldest locomotive in MCRM's collection, Dardanelle & Russellville 2-6-0 Mogul #9. It was built in 1884 and served as the flagship of Mid-Continent's collection in the museum's early years of operation. It last ran in 1991 and has since deteriorated below operational condition, although it does appear to be the most complete and intact steam locomotive on the south end of the museum.

Beyond D&R #9, at the very end of the last siding before it merges back with the main line which disappears into the trees around a bend; is the half-disassembled Chicago & Northwestern Class R-1 4-6-0 #1385 and its tender. #1385 was the pride of Mid-Continent for more than three decades before the locomotive was found to need major boiler and firebox reconstruction. It was for all practical purposes retired indefinitely in 1998, as progress has been extremely slow.

Here is #1385 doing what it did best during our first visit to MCRM in 1992:
Front
Side
Cab
Tender

#1385 was briefly taken out of service in 1994 so its running gear could be removed and repaired, but that was nothing compared to the eight-year (and counting) hiatus it is currently in.

1385 sans wheels in 1994

#1385 sans cab, smokebox cover and numerous other parts in 2006:

Now heading back north toward the depot on the east side of the maintenance sheds, we come across Mid-Continent's several disassembled locomotives, which either came to the museum on the verge of scrapping or were taken apart for a restoration that was never completed. The boiler and cab below belong to Louisiana Cypress 2-6-0 Mogul type #2 and the saddle tank behind the boiler is part of CIPS #6, an 0-4-0 switcher.

These six wheels might belong to either L.C. #2 or Western Coal & Coke #1, not sure which.

Nearby I found the smokebox cover for #1385, propped up against one of the boxcars converted to storage sheds.

The final exhibit I photographed at Mid-Continent, Wisconsin Sand & Gravel #2, a gasoline-engine switcher built in 1928.

Conspicously absent from the museum was any sign of Saginaw Timber Company (now Polson Bros. Logging Company) 2-8-2 Mikado type #2, another of their formerly operable steam locomotives. I may have spotted its wheels under a tarp near the old freight car storage tracks, but I'm not sure.

August 1 Minnesota F3 tornado-1st F3+ since May 9

2006-08-02T22:18:00.000-07:00

The U.S. broke a nearly 3-month drought of F3-or-stronger tornadoes during what is almost universally regarded as the worst chase season in recent memory on Tuesday, August 1. A tornado in southwest Minnesota was rated F3.

Residents Clean Up After SW MN. Tornado

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
1140 PM CDT WED AUG 2 2006

...DAMAGE SURVEY FROM WATONWAN COUNTY...

TWO TORNADOES STRUCK WATONWAN COUNTY TUESDAY EVENING AUGUST 1.

THE FIRST TORNADO WAS RATED AS F3. IT TOUCHED DOWN ABOUT 715 PM...5.5 MILES SOUTHWEST OF BUTTERFIELD...JUST EAST OF THE WATONWAN/COTTONWOOD COUNTY LINE. IT MOVED NORTHEAST AND PRODUCED SOME DAMAGE AT ONE FARMSTEAD...INCLUDING SCATTERED DOWNED TREES AND THE PARTIAL REMOVAL OF ROOFS OFF TWO LARGE SHEDS.

THE TORNADO THEN MOVED ACROSS CORN AND BEAN FIELDS... BEFORE REACHING ANOTHER FARMSTEAD...AND DEVASTATING IT. THIS WAS WHERE THE F3 DAMAGE OCCURRED. A HOUSE WAS LEVELLED...BUT IT HAD BARELY BEEN ATTACHED TO THE FOUNDATION. A 60 FOOT CONCRETE BASE SILO WAS TOPPLED AND ROLLED... BUT IT HAD JUST BEEN RESTING ON THE GROUND AND WAS NOT ANCHORED. VIRTUALLY ALL BARNS...SHEDS AND OUTBUILDINGS WERE COMPLETELY DESTROYED. A PICKUP TRUCK AND TRAILER WERE ROLLED BUT NO VEHICLES WERE SENT AIRBORNE. THERE JUST WAS NOT ENOUGH TO SUGGEST THAT IT MIGHT BE MORE THAN AN F3...AND SO THIS TORNADO WILL BE GIVEN AN F3 RATING. THREE MEN AVOIDED INJURY WHEN THEY TOOK COVER UNDER A STAIRWELL IN THE BASEMENT.

SHORTLY AFTER HITTING THIS FARMSTEAD...THE TORNADO ROPED OUT AND DISSIPATED AT ABOUT 722 PM...ABOUT 5 MILES SOUTH-SOUTHWEST OF BUTTERFIELD. THE MAXIMUM WIDTH WAS 1/4 MILE...AND PATH LENGTH WAS 1.5 MILES. THE FIRST TORNADO WARNING FOR WATONWAN COUNTY WAS ISSUED AT 703 PM...VALID UNTIL 745 PM. DUE TO THE ONGOING THREAT FARTHER EAST...THIS TORNADO WARNING WAS REISSUED AT 739 PM...VALID UNTIL 830PM.

THE SECOND TORNADO IN WATONWAN COUNTY WAS RATED AN F1. IT TOUCHED DOWN ABOUT 743 PM... 4 MILES SOUTH OF ST. JAMES. WITHIN 1/4 MILE OF TOUCHDOWN... IT MOVED ACROSS A FARMSTEAD JUST NORTH OF COUNTY ROADS 10 AND 27. NEARLY EMPTY GRAIN BINS WERE DENTED... SHEDS WERE DEMOLISHED... A HOUSE LOST ITS GARAGE AND PARTIALLY LOST ITS ROOF...A 32 FOOT CAMPER WAS ROLLED... AND A LARGE VEHICLE WAS PUSHED A COUPLE HUNDRED FEET. A COUPLE AVOIDED INJURY AT THIS LOCATION BY TAKING SHELTER IN THE BASEMENT AFTER HEARING THE WARNING.

AFTER ABOUT ONE MILE...ANOTHER FARMSTEAD WAS HIT...DESTROYING MORE MACHINE SHEDS AND REMOVING THE ROOF OFF A BARN. WHEN IT WAS NOT HITTING STRUCTURES...IT WAS TEARING THROUGH CORN AND BEAN FIELDS.

PERHAPS THE MOST NOTEWORTHY ASPECT OF THIS TORNADO WAS ITS ERRATIC PATH. IT FIRST MOVED EAST FOR 1/4 MILE... THEN SOUTHEAST ABOUT 1/2 MILE... THEN NORTHEAST FOR ANOTHER 3/4 MILE... THEN EAST AGAIN FOR ANOTHER 1/4 MILE...AND FINALLY IT TOOK A SHARP TURN TOWARD THE NORTH FOR 1/4 MILE. THE TOTAL PATH LENGTH WAS TWO MILES. ITS MAXIMUM WIDTH WAS 100 YARDS. THE SECOND TORNADO WARNING FOR WATONWAN COUNTY WAS ISSUED AT (time missing from PNS due to typo)

LASTLY...THERE WAS A FUNNEL CLOUD ONE MILE NORTHWEST OF LEWISVILLE AT ABOUT 803 PM. NUMEROUS TRAINED SPOTTERS... LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS...AND CHASERS WERE WATCHING THIS FUNNEL...AND NOBODY EVER SAW ANY TOUCHDOWN. NOR WAS THERE ANY DAMAGE.

ALTHOUGH THERE HAVE BEEN TIMES LISTED IN THIS STATEMENT...THESE ARE APPROXIMATIONS. SPECIFIC TIMES WILL BE DETERMINED BY COMPARING VIDEO TAPES...AMATEUR RADIO INFORMATION AND 911 LOGS. FURTHERMORE... PREVIOUS REPORTS OF A TORNADO IN WATONWAN COUNTY AT 703 PM TURN OUT TO HAVE BEEN IN COTTONWOOD COUNTY.

MANY THANKS MUST BE GIVEN TO EVERYONE INVOLVED IN THE REPORTING OF THIS EVENT. ZERO INJURIES IS AMAZING. SPOTTERS REPORTED WHAT THEY WERE SEEING. LAW ENFORCEMENT DISPATCHERS FREQUENTLY RELAYED REPORTS. AMATEUR RADIO OPERATORS ACTED AS SPOTTERS AND THEN IMMEDIATELY COMMUNICATED OR RELAYED REPORTS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. RADIO AND TELEVISION STATIONS GAVE PEOPLE GREAT INFORMATION THAT PERSUADED CITIZENS TO TAKE COVER.

$$TDK

July 27 heavy rain/severe weather event

2006-07-27T19:38:00.000-07:00

Early Thursday afternoon my mother and I left for Madison to visit my grandparents at the senior complex on Mineral Point Road; and drove straight into a slow-moving complex of thunderstorms that created havoc all over town. We nearly hydroplaned on the Beltline, then drove through several areas of water that covered 3/4 of our wheels on Park Street, and had to detour around downed power lines on Monroe Street. The end result was that what is normally a 1/2-hour trip took 1 1/2 hours.

The storm also resulted in wind damage and several reports of funnel clouds, including one near Stoughton. However, the National Weather Service has yet to confirm any touchdowns and they issued a statement indicating the likelihood of destructive tornadoes was low:

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI
139 PM CDT THU JUL 27 2006

WIZ046-047-051-052-056>060-062>072-272200-
COLUMBIA-DANE-DODGE-FOND DU LAC-GREEN-GREEN LAKE-IOWA-JEFFERSON-KENOSHA-LAFAYETTE-MARQUETTE-MILWAUKEE-OZAUKEE-RACINE-ROCK-SAUK-SHEBOYGAN-WALWORTH-WASHINGTON-WAUKESHA-
139 PM CDT THU JUL 27 2006

...BRIEF FUNNEL CLOUDS POSSIBLE WITH THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON...

CONDITIONS ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN ARE FAVORABLE FOR BRIEF FUNNEL CLOUD FORMATIONS WITH THE SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON.

THESE TYPES OF FUNNEL CLOUDS NORMALLY DO NOT TOUCH THE GROUND...AND ARE SHORT LIVED. THE ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS THESE FUNNELS ARE DEVELOPING IN ARE NOT SUPPORTIVE OF STRONG...DAMAGING TORNADOES.

IN THE RARE CASE THEY DO TOUCH DOWN...THEY SHOULD BE ON THE GROUND ONLY BRIEFLY AND PRODUCE MINIMAL...IF ANY DAMAGE. HOWEVER...IF THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS APPROACH YOUR LOCATION...MOVE INDOORS TO A PLACE OF SAFETY.

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEAR SULLIVAN WILL CONTINUE TO CLOSELY MONITOR THE SITUATION.

WOOD

Mammatus clouds from a weakening storm seen on the way home in the evening:

Also hard hit was Waukesha County, where Alex Lamers took several pictures of the wind damage that occurred.

National Weather Service report

Dolichovespula arenaria

2006-06-22T16:13:00.000-07:00

Accidentally "encountered" this yellowjacket's nest while mowing today. Luckily they weren't too inclined to pursue.

June 20, 2006 Storm Chase: Chronicles of a Cap Bust

2006-06-21T20:52:00.000-07:00

This appeared to be one of the better tornado setups in the upper Midwest since April. Scott Weberpal had invited me along again; and even though the last few model runs had thrown a few question marks into the mix, we were determined not to repeat the debacle of June 6th and it was all systems go Tuesday morning.

Scott arrived at my house about 8:15 in the morning and we headed to Verona where we met up with Chris Gullikson and transferred to his more spacious van for the long-distance trip.

From there it was a straight shoot westward to the target area in north-central Iowa. We passed through Barneveld, our second encounter with hallowed tornado ground in Wisconsin (the road to and from my house parallels the path of the Stoughton tornado). Close to the Platteville area we began to be overspread by the cirrus, then stratus clouds out ahead of the weakening complex of thunderstorms moving through eastern Iowa. The stratus clouds became quite photogenic as we neared, then crossed the Mississippi River at Dubuque.

Chris (left) and Scott (right) in Chris' chase van:

Approximately halfway between Dubuque and Waterloo, we encountered the rain associated with these thunderstorms. A few nice bolts of cloud-to-ground lightning flashed nearby, but I did not capture them since my video camera was still in its case. I was saving its tapes and battery power for the supercell-fest that appeared likely to unfold late in the afternoon into the evening. :-)

After a quick gas stop and lunch at Subway in overcast, rainy Evansdale, IA (a suburb of Waterloo) it was a non-stop drive to the initial target of Webster City in north-central Iowa, a little bit west of due north of Des Moines. We arrived there shortly before 2 PM and discovered a wifi hotspot next to a park, so we pulled over and Chris and Scott began pouring over every piece of available model, mesoanalysis, satellite and radar data while I observed intently over their shoulders.

The new mesoanalysis data and model runs were painting a confusing picture. The sky had cleared following the earlier round of showers and storms, but we were still in the cool sector well north of the warm front. The front had been expected to move north to near the Iowa/Minnesota border and serve as a focus for moisture pooling and thunderstorm initiation later in the afternoon. However, that front now appeared to have stalled over southwest Iowa, perhaps reenforced by outflow from the old storms. Meanwhile, the near-term RUC (Rapid Update Cycle) model wanted to veer the surface winds over most of Iowa to southwesterly by the evening, which would reduce surface convergence and hence the chances of new thunderstorm development. Also there was the little matter of the 10C H7 temperature line, which was analyzed by the mesoanalysis to be retreating westward, but the RUC insisted on planting it in eastern Iowa by 00z (7 PM). If correct, this meant warm temperatures at the mid-levels of the atmosphere that would also impede thunderstorm development.

As we mulled over these less-than-encouraging developments, we were joined by Doug Raflik and Todd Sprinkmann. We all clustered around the laptop computers, constantly refreshing the mesoanalysis and satellite loops, hoping something would jump out and provide a clue as to where to go from here. That was getting us nowhere, but luckily Doug and Todd had brought a foam-rubber football for amusement.

Scott drops back to pass:

Chris (left) and Doug (right):

Todd searches for a weakness in the defense:

We hung around the park for a good 3+ hours. In between catch sessions, we would run back to the vans to see if the analysis updates would make a target jump out at us, or if the Storm Prediction Center would issue a mesoscale discussion, or just something, ANYTHING that would provide a clue as to where the heck to go. Maybe we needed to get a better spiral on the football to induce some vorticity in the air. It gradually became more humid as the warm front neared, but it also clouded up again as isentropic lift on the warm front touched off weak, elevated showers and thunderstorms to its north-another potential wrench in the supercell machine.

Todd scans the atmosphere with his handheld anemometer/thermometer/hygrometer:

Scott and Todd compare dewpoint readings. Talk about your mesoscale boundaries!

After waiting around at the park for 3 1/2 hours, a ray of hope came at last at 5:20 PM in the form of a mesoscale discussion from the SPC, indicating that supercells and tornadoes were still possible across central and eastern Iowa. The md highlighted an area a bit east of where we were, and not wanting to be behind west-to-east moving storms we decided to head that way. Finally the chase was on...or was it? Chris turned the key in his van only to discover that the battery was dying and it wouldn't start! After taking about 10-15 minutes to jump start it from Doug's van, we said goodbye to Webster City.

We drove east the way we came, out of Webster City and toward Waterloo. The sky still did not look promising, with very little cumulus development. As the evening wore on it became apparent that the warm temperatures aloft were winning, so we just continued on home. Pushing into eastern Iowa, we encountered the only thunderstorm around, a small, lone cell that was making a valiant but ultimately futile attempt to overcome the cap. Like the morning storms, some light rain and a couple of lightning strikes were all it could muster. Then, as the setting sun to the west shone against the rain shafts of the storm, two spectacular rainbows appeared, one on either side of the highway.

These are of the one to the left (north) of the road. My pictures, taken from the backseat are not that great. Scott also got his camera out and I would expect his are better. I did not get still photos of the other rainbow to the south, although I did take video of it and might post a capture if I feel like it.

A picture of the sun dropping behind the clouds, made blurred by the long exposure time required by the low light as we move at 65 mph down the highway.

So much for long-distance chase #1. I didn't particularily expect to see tornadoes but I also did not expect a complete cap bust! However, I'd have felt worse sitting at home watching radar of supercells popping up all over Iowa, which given the conditions forecast by the earlier model runs was definitely within the realm of possibility. It was also fun to get out on the road and meet some of Wisconsin's veteran chasers. Chases like this seem to have been the rule for most of May and June 2006. Either the atmosphere finds some way to screw up a nice looking situation, or the situation looks so bad that nobody plans on chasing it, and it produces tornadoes (a la June 6 and 18).

Weather Event #18: Hartford, WI tornado OR: "What The F*** is Going On?"

2006-06-19T19:44:00.000-07:00

Early Sunday afternoon, I was relaxing at my computer, chatting on AIM with Alex Lamers about the standard afternoon summer thunderstorms that were going on. We had just had a brief spurt of heavy rain, with only 1 or 2 rumbles of thunder. The Storm Prediction Center had dropped the 5% ("see text") probabilities for severe wind and hail over southern Wisconsin in their latest outlook update. I was certain that testing out Dad's new outdoor lounge chair would be the highlight of my day:

Then, to my surprise, my NOAA weather radio's alert siren went off shortly before 2:30. I was even more surprised to discover that it was not a severe thunderstorm warning, but a tornado warning:

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI
227 PM CDT SUN JUN 18 2006

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MILWAUKEE HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...

DODGE COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN
WASHINGTON COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN

* UNTIL 315 PM CDT*

AT 226 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO NEAR HARTFORD... MOVING EAST AT 15 MPH.

* THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR... SLINGER AROUND 250 PM CDT... WEST BEND AROUND 300 PM CDT... JACKSON AROUND 310 PM CDT...

THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS IN A BASEMENT. GET UNDER A WORKBENCH OR OTHER PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. IF NO BASEMENT IS AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF THE BUILDING IN AN INTERIOR HALLWAY OR ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET. USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO COVER YOUR BODY AND ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

IF IN MOBILE HOMES OR VEHICLES...EVACUATE THEM AND GET INSIDE A SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER. IF NO SHELTER IS AVAILABLE...LIE FLAT IN THE NEAREST DITCH OR OTHER LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

LAT...LON 4344 8849 4321 8849 4321 8808 4342 8808

Events like this are not unprecedented in spring/summer in Wisconsin; when an ordinary thunderstorm briefly develops weak rotation on a day when no severe weather is anticipated, and receives a tornado warning. Usually nothing touches down from these, and any tornado that does develop is very short-lived and weak. I wrote this off as one of those probable false alarms and turned my radio back off, only to have it blare again with my finger still on the button:

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI
228 PM CDT SUN JUN 18 2006

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MILWAUKEE HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...

SOUTHWEST JEFFERSON COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN
SOUTHEAST DANE COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL WISCONSIN

* UNTIL 300 PM CDT*

AT 226 PM CDT...TRAINED WEATHER SPOTTERS REPORTED A TORNADO NEAR STOUGHTON...MOVING EAST AT 10 MPH.

* THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR... UTICA AROUND 255 PM CDT... ALBION...BUSSEYVILLE AND ROCKDALE AROUND 300 PM CDT

...THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS IN A BASEMENT. GET UNDER A WORKBENCH OR OTHER PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. IF NO BASEMENT IS AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF THE BUILDING IN AN INTERIOR HALLWAY OR ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET. USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO COVER YOUR BODY AND ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

IF IN MOBILE HOMES OR VEHICLES...EVACUATE THEM AND GET INSIDE A SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER. IF NO SHELTER IS AVAILABLE...LIE FLAT IN THE NEAREST DITCH OR OTHER LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

LAT...LON 4298 8935 4285 8935 4284 8890 4297 8890

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A few seconds later, I could hear the distant wail of the Stoughton sirens as they roared to life for the second time in less than two weeks. I immediately switched my sweatpants for a pair of jeans, popped a tape in my video camera and raced out the door. Once around the tree line I looked to the southwest toward the city of Stoughton, and I could clearly identify the area of "concern". The storm was a mini-supercell, with a low-hanging, dark updraft base that appeared to have several small funnels protruding from it. Even fully zoomed in with my video camera, I could not say for sure if these were rotating. There was some horizonal motion, that is an individual "funnel" would appear to move laterally, and there were little wisps of condensation also drifting slowly along beneath the main cloud base. I could easily see how these could be mistaken for a funnel/tornado especially from a distance. However, radar-indicated rotation was very weak at best and the National Weather Service has not confirmed any tornadoes near Stoughton.

One of several reported "funnels" near Stoughton:

Wider angle view of the storm:

After this, Dad offered to break his Father's Day couch-warming routine and join me on what may be the most impromptu chase ever. We followed the storm's base south toward Edgerton for about an hour and then let it pass by. It continued to look supercellular, although it never developed strong low-level rotation there continued to be pointy appendages as well as clumps of scud drifting around below the base that prompted more reports of funnels and tornadoes.

Meanwhile the first tornado warned storm in Dodge and Washington counties did produce a confirmed tornado, an F1 that hit Rubicon and Hartford. The National Weather Service in Milwaukee has put together a page about the tornado with a damage survey, track map, damage photos and tornado photos.

The Doppler radar velocity image (second image below) shows the much stronger rotation with the Hartford storm compared to the Stoughton storm:

Abu Musab al-Zarqawi

2006-06-09T16:07:00.000-07:00

There was a man in Iraq who was causin' lots of trouble
So America's Great Leader went for him on the double
Said "The liberals and the Dems don't think I can;
You just watch me now, I'll get my man"

So they looked high and they looked low
and they took him out with the bomb's mighty blow
They were determined to collect that bounty on his head
Finally good news from Iraq, for al-Zarqawi's dead

The President met with his men that night
to plot how he would keep up the fight
He said "Well done boys, you've really earned your pay,
now find me bin Laden right before Election Day!"

-ARW 6/09/06

Weather Event #17-June 6 Wisconsin Tornadoes

2006-06-08T19:19:00.000-07:00

Three tornadoes developed across south-central Wisconsin on Tuesday, June 6. Wind profiles and instability were not particularily impressive, as indicated in the forecast for the day; but they proved to be adequate and with low LCL heights (small temperature-dewpoint spreads resulting in lower cloud bases) tornadoes were able to develop. The Columbia County tornado was quite large and long-lived and its F1 rating may be an underestimate of its true strength, especially if it did not encounter any well-constructed/well-anchored buildings.

NWS Milwaukee/Sullivan, WI
Doug Raflik's chase pictures: 1 2 3
Scott Weberpal's chase pictures: 1 2 3

I took these pictures of a cumulonimbus cloud looking north from my neighborhood at about the time a tornado was reported unroofing a house near Waunakee. This tornado was not confirmed, so the damage may have been caused by straight-line thunderstorm winds.

As as aside, Stoughton's EMS must be paranoid after last August 18th. They blew the sirens twice Tuesday night; once for each tornado warning issued for Dane County, even though neither storm remotely threatened the Stoughton area.

Preliminary pictures from May 24, 2006 Storm Chase

2006-05-30T20:04:00.001-07:00

Last Wednesday, May 24, 2006; I had the opportunity to go on my first-ever real storm chase. Jim Westover, his girlfriend Leslie, and I chased a line of severe storms across south-central Wisconsin; from Stoughton to Janesville to Whitewater. Alex Lamers provided nowcasting for us via cell phone.

I will be putting together a complete web page about this on my weather site within the next few days. For now here is a sampling of what we saw:

Shelf cloud near the I-90/Highway N interchange. We received outflow winds of about 40-45 mph as this passed over; raising a dust cloud in a dirt driveway to our south.

From this point we took I-90 south toward Edgerton and stopped at another truck stop northeast of town on Highway 59; trying unsucessfully to get Jim's laptop to connect to the wireless network they supposedly had. We were just ahead of the shelf cloud and the winds were beginning to pick up again. Alex informed us that radar indicated an area of rotation embedded in the squall line and heading our way. We turned around to face west so we could see what was coming at us, and saw this:

I am still not 100% positive what this feature was; like the lowering I saw on May 17th it was not clearly a shelf cloud and not clearly a wall cloud. I could not distinguish rotation in real time and I will have to do a thorough video analysis.

Driving southwest into Edgerton we saw this lowering which looked more like a classic wall cloud. This image is lousy because of the powerlines and streetlight; but we drove right up to this later and observed scud clouds rising into it.

From Edgerton we headed south to Janesville and then attempted to get ahead of the storm by driving northeast through Milton to Whitewater; back on Highway 59. From Whitewater we took Highway 89 south by about four miles. During this entire journey we were enveloped in a nearly blinding rainstorm as the cells on the end of the squall line began to congeal and quashed any slight remaining possibility of tornadic storms. We finally began to regain visibility as the line of storms passed and revealed a beautiful sunset to the west:

Meanwhile, the squall line raged on to the east with torrential rain; brilliant lightning and a nice display of mammatus clouds:

A day that began like any other storm day ended up as my first chase; and I had a blast! Thanks to Jim and Leslie for a great chase experience and to Alex Lamers for some excellent nowcasting, especially considering he was without the Milwaukee/Sullivan radar which crashed during the storms!

Waspishness-Installment 3

2006-05-22T21:18:00.000-07:00

The Cotoneaster continues to hum with insects; some flies, bumblebees and solitary bees but its most frequent customers remain the social wasps.

Queen eastern yellowjacket, Vespula maculifrons:

Queen German yellowjacket, Vespula germanica:

Things That Go Buzz in the Garden-Installment 2

2006-05-21T18:23:00.000-07:00

This is a newly started nest of the bald-faced hornet (Dolichovespula maculata). It is attached to the roof eaves on the garage at the house in Madison that my family moved out of seven years ago and still owns. At this stage it looks exactly like a Polistes wasp nest except for the golfball-sized paper cover over the comb; and the founding queen is the only adult hornet in the nest.

Weather Event #15-May 17 Wisconsin Storms

2006-05-17T23:26:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, May 17 was Wisconsin's first notable severe thunderstorm day since April 13. I observed the leading edge of an approaching severe storm just northeast of Stoughton between 3:00 and 3:30 PM. The storm did not produce severe weather at my location, although a news report said trees were downed in Stoughton. If so, no local storm report was issued for the event. However hail and wind damage were reported in the Madison and Janesville areas from the same storm complex.

Ominous-looking cloud lowering. Judging from its location in the storm it was probably an outflow cloud, even though it doesn't look like a classic shelf cloud. It probably gave residents quite a fright though as it hovered directly over areas affected by a major tornado on August 18, 2005.

The lightning was a lucky shot:

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI
326 PM CDT WED MAY 17 2006

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MILWAUKEE HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
WESTERN JEFFERSON COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN
EASTERN DANE COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL WISCONSIN

* UNTIL 415 PM CDT*

AT 322 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING NICKEL SIZE HAIL...AND DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH. THIS STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR COTTAGE GROVE...OR ABOUT 7 MILES EAST OF MCFARLAND...AND MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NEAR... CAMBRIDGE...LAKE RIPLEY AND LAKE MILLS AROUND 340 PM CDT...
JEFFERSON AROUND 350 PM CDT...
FORT ATKINSON AROUND 400 PM CDT...

THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM. IF YOU ARE IN ITS PATH...PREPARE IMMEDIATELY FOR DAMAGING WINDS...DESTRUCTIVE HAIL...AND DEADLY CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING. PEOPLE OUTSIDE SHOULD MOVE TO A SHELTER...PREFERABLY INSIDE A STRONG BUILDING BUT AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

LAT...LON 4319 8907 4305 8931 4285 8913 4285 8878
4318 8883

MK

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI
941 PM CDT WED MAY 17 2006

..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON.....DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE.... ..REMARKS..

0125 PM HAIL WAUKESHA 43.01N 88.24W 05/17/2006 M0.25 INCH WAUKESHA WI NWS EMPLOYEE

0141 PM HAIL 1 NNE GREENFIELD 42.98N 88.00W 05/17/2006 E0.25 INCH MILWAUKEE WI TRAINED SPOTTER

0215 PM HAIL JEFFERSON 43.01N 88.81W 05/17/2006 M0.25 INCH JEFFERSON WI TRAINED SPOTTER

0222 PM TSTM WND GST SHEBOYGAN 43.75N 87.73W 05/17/2006 M43.00 MPH SHEBOYGAN WI ASOS

0223 PM HAIL SHEBOYGAN 43.75N 87.73W 05/17/2006 M0.25 INCH SHEBOYGAN WI LAW ENFORCEMENT

0239 PM HAIL PLYMOUTH 43.75N 87.97W 05/17/2006 M1.75 INCH SHEBOYGAN WI TRAINED SPOTTER

0249 PM HAIL 4 WNW CASCADE 43.68N 88.08W 05/17/2006 E0.75 INCH SHEBOYGAN WI PUBLIC ESTIMATED 0.75 INCH DIAMETER HAIL IN THE TOWNSHIP OF MITCHELL.

0258 PM HAIL DEFOREST 43.25N 89.35W 05/17/2006 M1.75 INCH DANE WI TRAINED SPOTTER

0302 PM HAIL DEFOREST 43.25N 89.35W 05/17/2006 E0.75 INCH DANE WI FIRE DEPT/RESCUE ESTIMATED 0.75 INCH DIAMETER HAIL AT INTERSECTION OF HOLUM AND MAIN STREETS.

0309 PM HAIL BEAVER DAM 43.46N 88.84W 05/17/2006 E0.50 INCH DODGE WI TRAINED SPOTTER REPORTED ON THE WEST SIDE OF BEAVER DAM LAKE.

0319 PM HAIL MADISON 43.08N 89.39W 05/17/2006 M0.50 INCH DANE WI ASOS

0325 PM HAIL 1 W MADISON 43.08N 89.41W 05/17/2006 E0.50 INCH DANE WI CO-OP OBSERVER ESTIMATED 0.50 INCH DIAMETER HAIL COVERING THE GROUND AT THE UW MADISON ATMOSPHERIC AND OCEANIC SCIENCES BUILDING. OTHER REPORTS OF 0.50 INCH DIAMETER HAIL WERE RECEIVED IN THE MADISON AREA.

0332 PM HAIL 1 SSW WAUNAKEE 43.17N 89.46W 05/17/2006 M0.50 INCH DANE WI AMATEUR RADIO MEASURED 0.50 INCH DIAMETER HAIL 0.75 MILES SSW OF WAUNAKEE.

0401 PM TSTM WND GST JANESVILLE 42.68N 89.02W 05/17/2006 E65.00 MPH ROCK WI PUBLIC ESTIMATED 65 MPH WIND GUST ON THE NORTH SIDE OF JANESVILLE.

0401 PM FUNNEL CLOUD MILWAUKEE 43.06N 87.97W 05/17/2006 MILWAUKEE WI OFFICIAL NWS OBS REPORTED BY FAA CONTRACT WEATHER OBSERVER AND TOWER PERSONNEL AT MILWAUKEE/S MITCHELL INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.

0402 PM HAIL MILWAUKEE 43.06N 87.97W 05/17/2006 E0.25 INCH MILWAUKEE WI TRAINED SPOTTER REPORTED IN DOWNTOWN MILWAUKEE.

0405 PM HAIL HARTLAND 43.10N 88.34W 05/17/2006 E1.00 INCH WAUKESHA WI PUBLIC ESTIMATED 1.00 INCH DIAMETER HAIL IN HARTLAND. SOME CRACKED WINDSHIELDS AND DENTS IN CARS.

0405 PM HAIL 1 W RACINE 42.73N 87.83W 05/17/2006 E0.88 INCH RACINE WI AMATEUR RADIO

0410 PM TSTM WND GST SHOPIERE 42.50N 88.73W 05/17/2006 E45.00 MPH WALWORTH WI TRAINED SPOTTER

0410 PM TSTM WND DMG JANESVILLE 42.68N 89.02W05/17/2006 ROCK WI LAW ENFORCEMENT A FEW TREES DOWN ON HIGHWAY 11 NEAR AVALON AND EMERALD GROVE SOUTHEAST OF JANESVILLE.

0425 PM FUNNEL CLOUD RACINE 42.73N 87.81W 05/17/2006 RACINE WI FIRE DEPT/RESCUE REPORTED AT TAYLOR ST AND 17TH ST 2 MILES WEST OF LAKE MICHIGAN.

0427 PM FUNNEL CLOUD RACINE 42.73N 87.81W 05/17/2006 RACINE WI PUBLIC REPORTED AT 7TH AND MAIN ST. 1 MILE WEST OF LAKE.

0430 PM HAIL WATERTOWN 43.19N 88.72W 05/17/2006 E0.50 INCH JEFFERSON WI LAW ENFORCEMENT REPORTED AT THE INTERSECTION HIGHWAYS D AND E.

0445 PM HAIL RACINE 42.73N 87.81W 05/17/2006 E0.50 INCH RACINE WI PUBLIC ESTIMATED 0.50 INCH DIAMETER HAIL AT SAINT MARY HOSPITAL IN RACINE. SMALL DENTS FOUND IN SIDE AND TOP OF VEHICLE AND ON ALUMINUM SIDING OF HOUSE IN RACINE.

WOOD

What's buzzin' lately

2006-05-17T22:20:00.000-07:00

These are "gyne", or egg-laying female paper wasps, Polistes species; on their incipient nests. The first nest is located in a corner under the roof eaves of the house. The second is located inside the cavity formed at the corner of the deck railing.

Paper wasps collecting loose wood fibers off the deck surface to make their nests:

This queen aerial yellowjacket, Dolichovespula arenaria, partakes of some nectar from the Cotoneaster bush out back. In theory, all female paper wasps are capable of laying viable eggs, although only a select few do. In yellowjackets, there are distinct worker and queen castes and only the queens can lay fully viable eggs.

This is a queen eastern yellowjacket, Vespula maculifrons, also feeding from the Cotoneaster. Aerial yellowjackets get their name because they usually build nests aboveground. Their nests are very similar to the bald-faced hornet nests like that pictured a few posts down. Eastern yellowjackets and German yellowjackets (farther down in this post) nest in the ground, hollow stumps, or wall voids.

Head-on view of a queen German yellowjacket, Vespula germanica. The three black spots on the face are diagnostic character of this species.

Moving Day

2006-05-12T10:02:00.000-07:00

Time to move out from Apartment B-4 at UWGB that has been my home since September, 2005.

My bedroom before the packing starts:

During:

After:

Jayme (my roommate and R.A.) cooks himself something in the kitchen:

Weather Event #14-May 11 Wisconsin Wind Storm

2006-05-11T20:29:00.000-07:00

A powerful low pressure system centered over Michigan brought rain and strong winds to much of Wisconsin on Thursday. Winds gusted to near 50 mph at times, causing sporadic minor damage. Power was knocked out at UWGB from about 8:15 to 10:00 PM.

National radar loop. The circulation resembles that of a tropical storm.

Minor damage around campus. I'm not sure what this post with the electrical wires and box was for, but it came down several hours before the power outage. Most of the tree branches that came down were only about 1/2" thick, with the exception of a couple that were near 1".

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREEN BAY WI
1128 AM CDT THU MAY 11 2006..

TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
...DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..

1115 AM NON-TSTM WND DMG GREEN BAY 44.51N 88.00W 05/11/2006 BROWN WI TRAINED SPOTTER
18 INCH DIAMETER TREE SPLIT IN TWO. WIND GUST TO 49 MPH AT GREEN BAY ASOS.

1050 AM NON-TSTM WND GST GILLS ROCK 45.28N 87.01W 05/11/2006 M70 MPH DOOR WI MESONET

0942 AM NON-TSTM WND GST SISTER BAY 45.18N 87.11W 05/11/2006 M66 MPH DOOR WI MESONET
TREES AND POWER LINES ARE DOWN ACROSS DOOR COUNTY.

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREEN BAY WI
124 PM CDT THU MAY 11 2006

..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
...DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..

1225 PM NON-TSTM WND DMG PEMBINE 45.63N 88.00W 05/11/2006 MARINETTE WI AMATEUR RADIO
TREE DOWN.

1230 PM NON-TSTM WND DMG 1 S MARINETTE 45.08N 87.61W 05/11/2006 MARINETTE WI AMATEUR RADIO
TREE DOWN BLOCKING ROAD.

1230 PM NON-TSTM WND DMG 8 W MARINETTE 45.09N 87.77W 05/11/2006 MARINETTE WI AMATEUR RADIO
TREE DOWN BLOCKING ROAD.

1230 PM NON-TSTM WND DMG 1 N WAUSAUKEE 45.37N 87.94W 05/11/2006 MARINETTE WI AMATEUR RADIO ***1INJ*** FALLEN TREE WITH A SERIOUS INJURY

KURIMSKI

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREEN BAY WI
455 PM CDT THU MAY 11 2006

...AN INTENSE STORM SYSTEM BRINGS HEAVY RAINS AND STRONG WINDS TO THE REGION...

AN INTENSE STORM SYSTEM MOVING ACROSS WESTERN LOWER MICHIGAN BROUGHT HEAVY RAINS AND GUSTY WINDS TO THE AREA TODAY. HERE IS A LIST OF PRECIP AMOUNTS AND PEAK WIND REPORTS THROUGH 4 PM.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
CITY COUNTY WIND(MPH) PRECIP(IN)

GILLS ROCK(MARINE) DOOR 70 MPH M
SISTER BAY(MARINE) DOOR 66 MPH M
ALGOMA(MARINE) KEWAUNEE 52 MPH M
STURGEON BAY DOOR 55 MPH 1.65
PLOVER PORTAGE 51 MPH 0.82
GREEN BAY(NWS) BROWN 49 MPH 1.09
MARSHFIELD WOOD 47 MPH M
BELLEVUE BROWN 47 MPH 1.91
MANITOWOC MANITOWOC 46 MPH 1.78
MARINETTE MARINETTE 46 MPH 1.50
OSHKOSH WINNEBAGO 44 MPH 1.04
APPLETON OUTAGAMIE 43 MPH 1.50(RECORD)
WAUSAU MARATHON 43 MPH 0.53
WISCONSIN RAPIDS WOOD 41 MPH 0.41
SHAWANO SHAWANO 40 MPH 0.75
WAUTOMA WAUSHARA 40 MPH 0.87
ATHELSTANE MARINETTE 38 MPH 1.10
DARBOY SE OUTAGAMIE 38 MPH M
RHINELANDER VILAS 36 MPH 0.37
KIMBERLY OUTAGAMIE 36 MPH 0.85

------------------------------------------------------------------------

THE PRECIP DID SWITCH TO SNOW ACROSS VILAS COUNTY THIS MORNING. WE WILL BE SENDING OUT AN ADDITIONAL PNS STATEMENT SOMETIME THIS EVENING. THANKS TO THE LOCAL COOP OBSERVERS AND WIND SPOTTERS FOR THIS STATEMENT.

SACWEATHER.GOV/GREENBAY

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI
948 PM CDT THU MAY 11 2006

BELOW ARE SOME OF THE HIGHER PEAK WIND GUSTS AND RAINFALL AMOUNTS FROM TODAY AND THIS EVENING ACROSS SOUTHEAST AND SOUTH CENTRAL WISCONSIN. VALUES ARE REPORTED THROUGH 9 PM CDT THURSDAY MAY 11....SELECTED AUTOMATED AIRPORT WEATHER STATION OBSERVATIONS AND SCHOOL WEATHER NET SITES ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN...

LOCATION CITY COUNTY SPEED(MPH) RAINFALL (IN)

SHEBOYGAN NORTH HS SHEBOYGAN SHEBOYGAN 49.8 0.32
MADISON MEMORIAL HS MADISON DANE 48.0 0.68
MITCHELL INTL APRT MILWAUKEE MILWAUKEE 47.0 0.84
SHEBOYGAN AIRPORT SHEBOYGAN SHEBOYGAN 47.0 1.61
LINCOLN ELEMENTARY BEAVER DAM DODGE 46.5 1.01
UW-MILWAUKEE MILWAUKEE MILWAUKEE 46.5 1.77
RANDOM LAKE ES RANDOM LAKE SHEBOYGAN 45.6 3.6321
ST CENTURY PREP RACINE RACINE 45.4 NA
BADGER HS LAKE GENEVA WALWORTH 45.2 1.34
OOSTBURG MS OOSTBURG SHEBOYGAN 44.7 1.25
ST ROBERT SCHOOL SHOREWOOD MILWAUKEE 44.5 NA
PARK LAWN ES OCONOMOWOC WAUKESHA 44.3 0.96
BARABOO/DELLS APRT BARABOO SAUK 44.0 0.42
RICHFIELD ES RICHFIELD WASHINGTON 43.8 1.76
BARNEVELD SCHOOL BARNEVELD IOWA 39.0 NA
FALL RIVER SECONDARY FALL RIVER COLUMBIA 39.0 1.26
MINERAL POINT APRT MINERAL PT IOWA 38.0 NA
MONROE APRT MONROE GREEN 38.0 0.15
DANE CNTY INTL APRT MADISON DANE 35.0 0.59

REM/AFK

Weather Event #13-Early May Storms and Tornadoes

2006-05-11T00:12:00.000-07:00

The first few days of May were an active period for severe weather across Texas, particularly the central and southern parts of the state. May 2nd and 5th were the most active tornado days of this period. May 2nd also had a tornado in South Dakota captured by chaser Scott Olson.

On the evening of May 9th, a strong F3, similar in strenth to the Stoughton (WI), Caruthersville (MO) and Gallatin (TN) tornadoes; hit Westminster in northeast Texas killing three people. That same evening an F2 tornado hit Childress in the Texas Panhandle.

Several more tornadoes occured in Texas, Mississippi, Alabama and Indiana on Wednesday, May 10th.

Tuesday, May 02:
Lubbock, Texas (covers May 02-05)
Midland, Texas
Chase pictures by Adam Atkins
Chase pictures by Chad Lawson and Mickey Ptak
Chase pictures by Scott Olson 1 2
SPC Storm Reports log

Thursday, May 04:
Midland, Texas
SPC Storm Reports log

Friday, May 05:
Midland, Texas
Chase report by Tony Laubach
Chase report by Amos Magliocco
Chase report by Gene Moore
Chase report by Eric Nguyen
Chase video by Kevin Walter
SPC Storm Reports log

During the early AM hours of May 6th; Waco, Texas received widespread damage from an F2 tornado coupled with downburst winds:

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
857 PM CDT SAT MAY 6 2006

...RESULTS OF THE SURVEY OF THE MCLENNAN COUNTY STORM OF MAY 6...

ON SATURDAY AFTERNOON...STAFF FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SURVEYED THE DAMAGE IN WACO AND MCLENNAN COUNTY. BASED ON THE RESULTS OF THIS SURVEY...IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE DAMAGE IN AND NEAR WACO WAS CAUSED BY A COMBINATION OF DOWNBURST WINDS AND A TORNADO.

ISOLATED AREAS OF WIND DAMAGE WERE NOTED IN WESTERN MCLENNAN COUNTY...NEAR CRAWFORD...NEAR VALLEY MILLS...AND WESTERN WACO. MORE WIDESPREAD WIND DAMAGE WAS NOTED IN WOODWAY...HEWITT...ROBINSON...AND SOUTH WACO. THIS DAMAGE EXTENDED ALONG AND SOUTH OF THE HIGHWAY 6 CORRIDOR. MINOR ROOF DAMAGE AND DAMAGE TO TREES...SIGNS...AND AWNINGS WAS NOTED IN THIS AREA. DAMAGE PATTERNS AND CORRELATION WITH RADAR DATA SUGGEST DOWNBURST WINDS OF 50 TO 80 MPH WERE LIKELY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DAMAGE.

NORTH OF THE DOWNBURST AREA...EVIDENCE OF A CIRCULATION WAS FIRST OBSERVED SOUTH OF NEW ROAD AND JUST WEST OF SPUR 298...OR JUST NORTH OF RICHLAND MALL. THE TORNADO REACHED ITS PEAK INTENSITY...AND CAUSED THE MOST SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE...JUST EAST OF SPUR 298. SEVERAL COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS HAD CONSIDERABLE SECTIONS OF ROOF REMOVED AND WALLS DAMAGED. NUMEROUS TREES WERE DOWNED AND POWER POLES WERE SNAPPED IN AND EAST OF THIS AREA. THE CIRCULATION WEAKENED AS IT APPROACHED INTERSTATE 35...AND THE LAST EVIDENCE OF CIRCULATION WAS NOTED IN BEVERLY HILLS...APPROXIMATELY 3/4 MILE EAST OFINTERSTATE 35. DOWNBURST-RELATED WIND DAMAGE CONTINUED TO THE EAST OF WACO.

WHILE DEBRIS IN THE AREA NEAR AND SOUTH OF HIGHWAY 6 WAS CARRIED MAINLY EAST AND SOUTHEAST...DEBRIS IN THE CIRCULATION AREA WAS CARRIED TO THE NORTH AND NORTHWEST IN SOME LOCATIONS. EVIDENCE WAS ALSO SEEN OF A CONVERGING WIND FIELD IN THIS AREA. THIS SUGGESTS THAT A TORNADO WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE NORTHERN PORTION OF THE DAMAGE SWATH.

BASED ON THE DAMAGE...THE TORNADO WILL BE GIVEN A PRELIMINARY RATING OF A LOWER F2 ON THE FUJITA SCALE. MAXIMUM WIND SPEEDS IN THE TORNADO WERE LIKELY IN THE 115 MPH RANGE. PATH LENGTH WAS AROUND 2.6 MILES...AND AVERAGE PATH WIDTH WAS APPROXIMATELY 150 YARDS.

THIS WAS A METEOROLOGICALLY COMPLEX EVENT. THE TYPE OF THUNDERSTORM WHICH MOVED ACROSS THE WACO AREA IS CALLED A SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORM. SUPERCELLS ARE CHARACTERIZED BY AN AREA OF STORM-SCALE ROTATION...KNOWN AS A MESOCYCLONE. A STRONG DOWNDRAFT...CALLED A REAR FLANKDOWNDRAFT...LIKELY WRAPPED AROUND THE WEST AND SOUTH SIDE OF THE MESOCYCLONE...STRUCK THE GROUND...AND PRODUCED THE DOWNBURST DAMAGE. JUST NORTH OF THE DOWNBURST AREA AND NEAR THE CENTER OF THE MESOCYCLONE...A SMALL VIGOROUS AREA OF ROTATION DEVELOPED AND EVOLVED INTO THE TORNADO.

WOODALL

Tuesday, May 09:
Huntsville, Alabama
Fort Worth, Texas
Chase report by Sam Barricklow
Chase report by Amos Magliocco
Chase report by Mike Mezeul II
Chase report by Eric Nguyen
SPC Storm Reports log

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
755 PM CDT WED MAY 10 2006

...UPDATED RESULTS FROM DAMAGE SURVEY IN COLLIN AND GRAYSON COUNTIES FROM STORMS ON MAY 9TH 2006...

AFTER ADDITIONAL SURVEY WORK AND CONSULTATION WITH STORM SPOTTERS AND WIND DAMAGE EXPERTS...HERE IS UPDATED INFORMATION ON THE COLLIN-GRAYSON COUNTY STORM OF MAY 9.

IT APPEARS THAT TWO...AND POSSIBLY THREE...TORNADOES MOVED ACROSS NORTHERN COLLIN AND INTO SOUTHEASTERN GRAYSON COUNTIES. ON THE NIGHT OF MAY 9...STORM SPOTTERS REPORTED A POSSIBLE TORNADO JUST NORTHWEST OF ANNA AT APPROXIMATELY 1026 PM CDT. NO SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE WAS REPORTED TO THE ANNA FIRE DEPARTMENT...AND NO SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE WAS NOTED BY THE SURVEY TEAM. THEREFORE...IF A CIRCULATION WAS PRESENT...IT WAS LIKELY BRIEF AND WOULD BE RATED F0.

AS THE STORM PASSED JUST NORTH AND NORTHEAST OF ANNA...SPOTTERS REPORTED ANOTHER TORNADO AT 1033 PM CDT. SOME DAMAGE WAS NOTED ALONG FARM ROAD 2862 1 TO 2 MILES NORTHEAST OF ANNA. DAMAGE WAS CONFINED TO TREE LIMBS AND STORAGE BUILDING ROOFS...AND THIS TORNADO WILL BE RATED F0.

THE MOST SIGNIFICANT TORNADO DEVELOPED AT APPROXIMATELY 1037 PM...3 MILES EAST-NORTHEAST OF ANNA. JUST EAST OF COLLIN COUNTY ROAD 477...THE TORNADO UNROOFED A HOME AND DAMAGED ANOTHER. TREES WERE SNAPPED AND UPROOTED...AND POWER POLES WERE DOWNED. A ROOF WAS DAMAGED ALONG F.M. 2862 WEST OF COLLIN COUNTY ROAD 480. THE TORNADO THEN TURNED ON A SLIGHTLY MORE NORTHERLY TRACK.

THE TORNADO REACHED ITS MAXIMUM INTENSITY AS IT CROSSED F.M. 3133 JUST NORTH OF THE WESTMINSTER COMMUNITY. VEGETATION WEST OF F.M.3133 WAS SCOURED. THE TORNADO HEAVILY DAMAGED TWO HOMES SOUTH OF COLLIN COUNTY ROAD 531. A MOBILE HOME AND SEVERAL PERMANENT STRUCTURES SUFFERED HEAVY DAMAGE ALONG BRANGUS AND BLACK ROADS...NEAR THE COLLIN-GRAYSON COUNTY LINE. THESE WERE THE LOCATIONS OF THE FATALITIES.

THE TORNADO REMAINED STRONG AS IT CROSSED INTO GRAYSON COUNTY. NUMEROUS TREES WERE SNAPPED OR UPROOTED ALONG YELLOW BRIDGE ROAD...DURHAM ROAD...AND RED MOORE ROAD. THE TORNADO DAMAGED OUTBUILDINGS...ROLLED OVER A MOBILE HOME...AND CAUSED AT LEAST MINOR DAMAGE TO STRUCTURES IN THIS AREA. AS THE TORNADO APPROACHED GORDON ROAD SOUTHEAST OF THE PILOT GROVE COMMUNITY...AT LEAST TWO ADDITIONAL HOMES WERE HEAVILY DAMAGED. THE TORNADO CROSSED F.M. 121 AND DAMAGED A SHED ALONG BETHEL CANYON ROAD...JUST WEST OF HIGHWAY 160. THE TORNADO CROSSED HIGHWAY 160 AND DISSIPATED APPROXIMATELY 3 MILES SOUTH OF WHITEWRIGHT JUST BEFORE 11 PM.

BASED ON THE DAMAGE NEAR F.M. 3133 AND AFTER CONSULTATION WITH WIND ENGINEERS...THE THIRD TORNADO WILL BE RATED F3 ON THE FUJITA SCALE. USING THE NEW ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE GUIDELINES...MAXIMUM WINDS WERE LIKELY IN THE 150 TO 160 MPH RANGE. F2 DAMAGE WAS NOTED AT OTHER LOCATIONS ALONG THE TRACK...INCLUDING THE HOMES EAST OF COLLIN COUNTY ROAD 477...AND THE HOMES NEAR GORDON ROAD IN GRAYSON COUNTY. THESE AREAS WILL CONTINUE TO BE EVALUATED...AND MAY BE UPGRADED TO F3 AS WELL. PATH LENGTH OF THE THIRD TORNADO WAS 9.3 MILES...AND THE AVERAGE PATH WIDTH WAS AROUND 300 YARDS.

WHILE THIS INFORMATION IS MORE COMPLETE...IT SHOULD STILL BE CONSIDERED PRELIMINARY. ADDITIONAL CONSULTATION WITH STORM SPOTTERS...A MORE DETAILED REVIEW OF RADAR DATA...AND ADDITIONAL FOLLOWUP WITH LOCAL EMERGENCY OFFICIALS MAY RESULT IN ADJUSTMENTS TO THIS INFORMATION.

WOODALL/DUNN

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LUBBOCK TX
915 PM CDT WED MAY 10 2006

...NWS CONDUCTS DAMAGE SURVEY FOLLOWING MAY 9 2006 SEVERE WEATHER IMPACTS...

ON TUESDAY MAY 9 2006...THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPED ALONG AND JUST TOTHE EAST OF THE CAPROCK ESCARPMENT AND QUICKLY BECAME SEVERE WITH DAMAGING HAIL AND HIGH WINDS. IN ADDITION...A TORNADO IMPACTED THE CITY OF CHILDRESS WITH EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO TREES AND SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO AREA STRUCTURES.

OUT OF THE TWENTY-FOUR COUNTIES SERVICED BY NWS LUBBOCK...FOUR WERE IMPACTED BY SEVERE THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY AND INCLUDED THE FOLLOWING...DICKENS...MOTLEY...HALL AND CHILDRESS.

ON WEDNESDAY MAY 10 2006...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LUBBOCK DISPATCHED AN ASSESSMENT TEAM TO INVESTIGATE THE DAMAGE REPORTED IN THE CITY OF CHILDRESS. THE FOLLOWING REPORT IS A SUMMARYOF THE TEAM'S FINDINGS.

THE ASSESSMENT TEAM...COMPRISED OF JUSTIN WEAVER...NWS LUBBOCK METEOROLOGIST IN CHARGE...AND BRIAN LAMARRE...NWS LUBBOCK WARNING COORDINATION METEOROLOGIST INVESTIGATED THE DAMAGE ZONES ACROSS THE CITY OF CHILDRESS.

DAMAGE SURVEY RESULTS INDICATED A MIXTURE OF TORNADO DAMAGE AND STRAIGHT-LINE WIND DAMAGE ASSOCIATED WITH AN INTENSE THUNDERSTORM DOWNDRAFT KNOWN AS THE REAR FLANK DOWNDRAFT OR /RFD/. THE RFD CANDEVELOP ON THE BACK-SIDE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AND...IN ADDITION TO DAMAGING WINDS...CAN PLAY A CRITICAL ROLE IN THE FORMATION OF A TORNADO.

THE DAMAGE IN THE CHILDRESS AREA WAS EXTENSIVE AND STRETCHED ALONG A 2 TO 2.5 MILE PATH EXTENDING ALONG THE NORTHWEST...NORTH AND NORTHEAST SECTIONS OF THE CITY OF CHILDRESS.

1. THE FIRST INDICATIONS OF DAMAGE OCCURRED AT AN APARTMENT COMPLEXABOUT ONE HALF MILE WEST OF THE INTERSECTION OF HIGHWAY 83 AND 287. HAIL AND WIND DAMAGE WAS EVIDENT ON MAINLY THE WEST FACING SIDE OF THE APARTMENTS WHERE TORN SIDING AND WINDOW DAMAGE WAS OBSERVED. JUST TO THE NORTH OF THE INTERSECTION OF HIGHWAY 83 AND 287...A MEDIUM VOLTAGE POWER POLE WAS BLOWN OVER IN A WEST TO EAST DIRECTION.

A ZONE OF SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE WAS OBSERVED IN A 1 TO 1.5 MILE SWATH STRETCHING FROM ABOUT TWO TENTHS OF A MILE WEST OF THE CHILDRESS HIGH SCHOOL AND DISSIPATING NEAR THE CHILDRESS CEMETERY.

2. A RESIDENTIAL AREA TO THE WEST OF THE CHILDRESS HIGH SCHOOL SUSTAINED TREE AND STRUCTURAL DAMAGE ASSOCIATED WITH SEVERE WINDS AND THE FORMATION OF A TORNADO. LARGE TREES WERE UPROOTED AND/OR DOWNED IN A WEST TO EAST DIRECTION WITHIN THE STRONG AND PREVALENT FLOW OF THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM. AN OVERHANG PORCH STRUCTURE ON THE SOUTH FACING SIDE OF THE HOME WAS BLOWN FROM SOUTH TO NORTH OVER THE RESIDENCE AND PRODUCED ROOF DAMAGE AND CRUSHED SEVERAL LARGE BRANCHES BEHIND THE HOME IN THE BACKYARD. A NEARBY STOP SIGN WAS ALSO BLOWN FROM A SOUTH TO NORTH DIRECTION...LIKELY INDICATING ENHANCED INFLOW TO THE TORNADO FORMING IN THIS AREA.

TORNADO RATING...F0. FUJITA WIND SPEED ESTIMATE...40 TO 72 MPH.

3. THE CHILDRESS HIGH SCHOOL SUSTAINED SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO ONE OF THE SCHOOL'S TWO GYMNASIUMS. THE TORNADO AND ASSOCIATED DAMAGING WIND AND FLYING DEBRIS IMPACTED THE SCHOOL AND PENETRATED THE WEST FACING BRICK WALL OF THE OLDER GYM...FORCING A 66 FOOT WIDE BREACH. AS A RESULT...SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE OCCURRED INSIDE THE GYMNASIUM...HOWEVER PENETRATION DID NOT PASS THROUGH THE OPPOSING WALL. THE INTEGRITY OF THIS BRICK WALL TO THE FOUNDATION WAS NOTED AND LIKELY CONTRIBUTED TO ITS FAILURE IN COMPARISON TO THE NEWER GYMNASIUM.

FOUR LARGE AIR CONDITIONING UNITS WERE ALSO DESTROYED. THREE OF THE UNITS WERE BLOWN OFF THE ROOF OF THE SCHOOL...AND TWO OF THEM WERE BLOWN FROM SOUTHEAST TO NORTHWEST...LANDING 90 TO 200 FEET FROM THE SCHOOL. THE PATH WIDTH OF THE TORNADO WAS MEASURED AT ONE TENTH OF A MILE.

TORNADO RATING...F1. FUJITA WIND SPEED ESTIMATE...73 TO 112 MPH.

SEVERAL LARGE UPROOTED AND/OR DOWNED TREES WERE OBSERVED IN THE NARROW PATH OF SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE STRETCHING TO THE EAST OF THE HIGH SCHOOL...INCLUDING DAMAGE TO AREA ROOFS. A NURSING HOME FACILITY EVACUATED PATIENTS DUE TO ROOF AND INTERNAL DAMAGES. THERE WERE NO INJURIES.

4. THE MOST SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE ASSOCIATED WITH THE TORNADO OCCURRED IN THE FAIR PARK AREA...APPROXIMATELY ONE HALF MILE EAST OF THE HIGH SCHOOL. A TENNIS COURT WAS DESTROYED WITH LARGE LIGHT POLES EITHER BLOWN DOWN AT THE BASE OR BENT AT VARIOUS HEIGHTS DUE TO SEVERE WINDS AND FLYING DEBRIS. A LARGE METAL MAINTENANCE STRUCTURE USED TO HOUSE EMERGENCY VEHICLES WAS COMPLETELY DESTROYED. STEEL BEAMS WERE COMPLETELY TORN FROM THEIR BOLT FIXTURES AND TWISTED INTO RUBBLE. THE DEBRIS WAS NOT DISPLACED FROM THE LOCATION AND WAS PILED ON TOP OF ITSELF AND THE EMERGENCY VEHICLE INSIDE THE STRUCTURE.

ADJACENT TO THIS LOCATION WAS AN AREA COMPRISED OF NUMEROUS LARGE TREES UPROOTED AND BLOWN IN VARIOUS DIRECTIONS. A PREDOMINANT WEST TO EAST FORWARD FLOW WAS OBSERVED...HOWEVER THE ORIENTATION OF DAMAGED TREES ALSO CONSISTED OF A SOUTHWEST TO NORTHEAST DIRECTION...AS WELL AS A WEST TO EAST DIRECTION WITHIN THE TIGHT AND NARROW TORNADO CIRCULATION. IN THE IMMEDIATE AREA...A BRIDGE EXTENDING ACROSS PARK LAKE WAS RIPPED FROM WOODEN BEAMS AND BLOWN TO THE EAST. A LARGE STONE PICNIC TABLE TOP WAS BLOWN OFF IN A SOUTH TO NORTH DIRECTION.

TORNADO RATING...F2 /LOW-END/. FUJITA WIND SPEED ESTIMATE...113 TO157 MPH.

LARGE TREE AND WEAKER STRUCTURAL DAMAGE WAS ALSO NOTED WITHIN ONE HALF MILE TO THE SOUTH OF THE HIGH WIND AND TORNADO PATH...INCLUDING A LARGE TREE SNAPPED NEAR THE BASE AT THE CHILDRESS COUNTY COURTHOUSE. THERE WAS ONE INJURY REPORTED IN THE AREA AS A MAN WAS IMPACTED BY A TREE AND WAS TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL WHERE HE RECEIVED SEVEN STITCHES IN HIS ARM.

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LUBBOCK WOULD LIKE TO THANK ALL OF THE EMERGENCY RESPONSE OFFICIALS AND THE CHILDRESS COUNTY JUDGE FOR THEIR HELP DURING THE NWS LUBBOCK DAMAGE SURVEY. IN ADDITION...THE INFORMATION PROVIDED BOTH DURING AND FOLLOWING THE IMPACTS IN CHILDRESS...AS PROVIDED BY MEDIA AFFILIATES IN BOTH AMARILLO ANDLUBBOCK...ARE GREATLY APPRECIATED.

BRIAN LAMARRE
WARNING COORDINATION METEOROLOGIST
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE - LUBBOCK TX

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
930 PM CDT WED MAY 10 2006

...DAMAGE SURVEY RESULTS FROM MAY 9TH AND MAY 10TH STORMS...

A STORM SURVEY WAS CONDUCTED TODAY TO INVESTIGATE DAMAGE THAT OCCURRED IN NORTHERN OKMULGEE COUNTY EARLY THIS MORNING.

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM MOVED INTO NORTHWESTERN OKMULGEE COUNTY AT 120 AM THIS MORNING AND PRODUCED A SWATH OF WIND DAMAGE THAT WAS AT LEAST TWO TO THREE MILES WIDE AND 10 MILES LONG THAT BEGAN SOUTHWEST OF MOUNDS AND CONTINUED AT LEAST AS FAR EAST AS HECTORVILLE. WINDS WITHIN THE DAMAGE SWATH LIKELY GUSTED TO BETWEEN 70 AND 80 MPH BASED ON DAMAGE TO TREES...OUTBUILDINGS...MOBILE HOMES...AND POWER POLES.

IN ADDITION TO THE STRAIGHT-LINE WIND DAMAGE...THERE APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN A TORNADO ABOUT 7 MILES WEST-SOUTHWEST OF HECTORVILLE. THE TORNADO DESTROYED A COUPLE OF OUTBUILDINGS...UPROOTED OR SNAPPED A NUMBER OF TREES...DAMAGED A CAMPER TRAILER...AND PRODUCED MINOR DAMAGE TO A HOUSE. THE TORNADO WAS RATED F1 ON THE FUJITA SCALE AND LIKELY PRODUCED WIND SPEEDS UP TO AROUND 80 MPH. IT OCCURRED AROUND 140 AM. THERE WERE NO INJURIES AS A RESULT OF THIS TORNADO. CURRENT PATH INFORMATION FOR THIS TORNADO PENDING FURTHER DATA IS 1/2 MILE LONG AND UP TO ABOUT 75 YARDS WIDE.

A STORM SURVEY WAS ALSO CONDUCTED TODAY TO INVESTIGATE TORNADO REPORTS AND DAMAGE IN NORTHEASTERN CRAIG COUNTY AND NORTHWESTERN OTTAWA COUNTY EARLY TUESDAY MORNING. WE COULD NOT CONFIRM A TORNADO BASED ON WHAT WAS OBSERVED DURING THIS SURVEY BUT FURTHER INVESTIGATION WILL OCCUR ON THURSDAY.

EJC

Wednesday, May 10:
Birmingham, Alabama
Louisville, Kentucky
Paducah, Kentucky
SPC Storm Reports log

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LITTLE ROCK AR
145 PM CST THU MAY 11 2006

...WEAK TORNADO FOUND IN DALLAS COUNTY...

TODAY...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LITTLE ROCK SURVEYED STORM DAMAGE CAUSED BY STORMS WEDNESDAY MORNING...MAY 10TH.

A WEAK TORNADO TRACKED FROM 2.5 MILES WEST OF PRINCETON TO 1 MILE EAST OF PRINCETON. THE PATH LENGTH WAS 3.5 MILES.

THE TORNADO WAS RATED F0 ON THE FUJITA SCALE OF TORNADO INTENSITY CLASSIFICATION...WITH WINDS AROUND 70 MPH.

THE TORNADO KNOCKED THE TOPS OUT OF TREES...AND UPROOTED SEVERAL TREES.

A LARGE PINE TREE FELL INTO THE STOREROOM OF A LOCAL STORE. THE SURVEY WAS CONDUCTED BY JOHN ROBINSON...WARNING COORDINATION METEOROLOGIST...AND NEWTON SKILES...A SENIOR FORECASTER...BOTH FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN LITTLE ROCK.

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON MS
940 PM CST THU MAY 11 2006

AN NWS SURVEY TEAM CONDUCTED STORM DAMAGE SURVEYS TODAY IN SOUTHWEST MISSISSIPPI AND EAST CENTRAL LOUISIANA. TWO TORNADOES WERE FOUND FROM THE STORMS THAT MOVED THROUGH THE AREA.

TORNADO #1...CONCORDIA PARISH
TIME...435 PM TO 443 PM
LOCATION...10 WSW CLAYTON TO 8 SW CLAYTON
PRELIMINARY FUJITA RATING...F1
PATH LENGTH...2.7 MILES
MAX PATH WIDTH...90 YDS
DAMAGE...INITIAL DAMAGE WAS TO TREETOPS BEFORE DESCENDING INTO A FIELD. THE TORNADO CROSSED HWY 566...PASSING A FEW HUNDRED YDS SOUTH OF A HOUSE...AND MOVED THROUGH A CORN FIELD. ABOUT A 50 YD PATH OF CORN WAS TOTALLY LEVELED...WITH A CLEARLY CONVERGENT PATTERN TO THE DAMAGE. THE TORNADO MEANDERED GENERALLY EAST SOUTHEAST THROUGH THESE CORN FIELDS...WITH A DAMAGE PATH VARYING FROM 50 TO 90 YDS BUT WITH A CORE OF DAMAGE BETWEEN 25 AND 50 YDS WHERE ALL THE CORN WAS LEVELED. THE TORNADO MOVED OUT OF THE CORN FIELDS INTO A TREE LINE WHERE A COUPLE OF TREETOPS WERE SNAPPED. THE TORNADO WAS OBSERVED DURING MOST OF ITS LIFETIME BY A CONCORDIA PARISH DEPUTY SHERIFF...WHO TOOK SEVERAL PICTURES OF THE ROPELIKE TORNADO.
STARTING LAT/LON...31 DEG 40.41 MIN N 91 DEG 41.55 MIN W
ENDING LAT/LONG...31 DEG 39.88 MIN N 91 DEG 28.83 MIN W

TORNADO #2...JEFFERSON COUNTY
TIME...549 PM TO 601 PM
LOCATION...5.5 SE FAYETTE TO 5.5 WSW UNION CHURCH
PRELIMINARY FUJITA RATING...F2
PATH LENGTH...7.0 MILES
MAX PATH WIDTH...440 YDS
DAMAGE...MUCH OF THE DAMAGE ALONG THIS PATH WAS TO TREES...AND THOUSANDS OF TREES WERE SNAPPED AND UPROOTED ALONG THIS TORNADO'S PATH. THE MOST INTENSE DAMAGE WAS IN A SMALL AREA ABOUT 6 MILES WSW OF UNION CHURCH ALONG PERTH ROAD WHERE NEARLY EVERY TREE...MANY OF THEM VERY LARGE...IN A HEAVILY FORESTED AREA WERE SNAPPED OR UPROOTED. THE DAMAGE HERE WAS RATED AT THE LOW END OF F2...MOST OF THE DAMAGE ALONG THE PATH WAS F1 INTENSITY. LUCKILY NO HOMES APPEAR TO HAVE BEEN DIRECTLY IMPACTED BY THE TORNADO...BUT TWO SHEDS NEAR A HOME WERE DESTROYED.
STARTING LAT/LON...31 DEG 39.08 MIN N 90 DEG 59.77 MIN W
ENDING LAT/LON...31 DEG 40.22 MIN N 90 DEG 52.75 MIN W

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE CONCORDIA PARISH SHERIFF OFFICE FOR THEIR ASSISTANCE IN PERFORMING OUR SURVEY.

AEG/GRG/CAW

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BIRMINGHAM AL
1000 PM CDT THU MAY 11 2006

...MARENGO COUNTY F1 TORNADO ON MAY...10...2006...

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE...NWS...METEOROLOGISTS SURVEYED DAMAGE THAT OCCURRED ON WEDNESDAY...MAY...10...BETWEEN JEFFERSON STATION AND LINDEN...ON EITHER SIDE OF STATE HIGHWAY 28...ON THURSDAY...MAY 11...AND DETERMINED THAT AN F1 TORNADO HAD OCCURRED.

THIS TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN AT APPROXIMATELY 244 PM CDT...WITH ESTIMATED WINDS OF AROUND 80 MPH...AND LIFTED AT 248 PM CDT. THE TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN 1.05 MILES SOUTHEAST OF JEFFERSON STATION...AND LIFTED ON SOUTH SHILOH ROAD IN LINDEN NEAR STATE HIGHWAY 28. THE TORNADO PATH WAS 2.6 MILES LONG AND 150 YARDS WIDE AT ITS WIDEST POINT. NUMEROUS TREES AND SCATTERED POWER LINES WERE DOWNED ALONG THE PATH. THE ONLY STRUCTURAL DAMAGE OCCURRED WHEN A LARGE TREE FELL ON A HOME...COMPLETELY DESTROYING ONE OF ITS GARAGE DOORS. ANOTHER HOME SUSTAINED PARTIAL ROOF DAMAGE.

NO INJURIES OR FATALITIES WERE REPORTED. A TORNADO WARNING WAS ISSUED FOR MARENGO COUNTY FROM 223 PM CDT TO 300 PM CDT...AND THEN RE-ISSUED FROM 255 PM CDT TO 330 PM CDT...ON WEDNESDAY...MAY...10. TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 335...FOR SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL ALABAMA...INCLUDING MARENGO COUNTY...WAS IN EFFECT FROM 145 PM CDT TO 900 PM CDT ON WEDNESDAY...MAY 10.

SPECIAL THANKS TO JEFF LADURON...CHIEF OF POLICE...LINDEN POLICE DEPARTMENT...IN ASSISTING NWS STORM SURVEY PERSONNEL IN CONDUCTING THIS STORM SURVEY.

MBS/JBW

Springtime at UW-Green Bay

2006-05-07T11:21:00.000-07:00

All taken Thursday, May 04, 2006

Find the bee:

Remarkable Longivitey-Hornet Nest at UWGB

2006-04-30T21:14:00.000-07:00

I recently noticed this bald-faced hornet (Dolichovespula maculata) nest hanging in a tree on campus. Judging from its size it was obviously built last summer and abandoned in the fall. What is unusual about this is that it is in only slightly worse condition than the ones I found in Stoughton in late December, despite being exposed to the elements for a much longer period of time. It is not as if we have had particularily benign winter weather here in Green Bay either, with numerous snow, rain and wind storms.

Notice the new leaves forming on the tree. It's only a matter of time before the nest is hidden from view-for the second time!

Weather Event #12-El Reno & Randlett, Oklahoma tornadoes

2006-04-28T17:45:00.000-07:00

Three tornadoes developed in Oklahoma on Monday, April 24, 2006. All three were rated F1 although the one that did the most damage was in actuality probably the weakest of the three. This was the anticyclonic tornado that hit the El Reno airport, unroofing a hanger and shifting at least one plane on its tarmac.

The airport tornado had been preceded by a more classic, mesocyclonic tornado that was quite large and judging from the video and pictures I have seen it was probably capable of at least F2 damage. It threatened the west side of El Reno but encountered only trees and was rated a "low F1", while the anticylonic tornado that probably had lower wind speeds was a "high F1"!

The third tornado came from a different storm, in far southern Oklahoma near the Red River. It also damaged only trees (F1 rating) but was a well-developed tornado that would have been highly dangerous to anyone in its path.

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
315 PM CDT WED APR 26 2006

OKZ004>048-050>052-270300-
315 PM CDT WED APR 26 2006

...FINAL DAMAGE SURVEY INFORMATION - CANADIAN COUNTY TORNADOES...

HERE ARE THE FINDINGS OF THE DAMAGE SURVEY OF THE TORNADOES NEAR EL RENO ON MONDAY APRIL 24 2006...

TORNADO NUMBER ONE - 723 PM TO 738 PM THIS TORNADO DEVELOPED 5.5 MILES WEST OF DOWNTOWN EL RENO AND MOVED JUST NORTH OF DUE EAST...ENDING 3.1 MILES WEST-SOUTHWEST OF DOWNTOWN EL RENO.

THE ONLY DAMAGE WAS TO A SMALL GROVE OF TREES. A FUJITA SCALE RATING OF F1 IS BEING ASSIGNED BASED ON DAMAGE TO THE TREES. THE MAXIMUM WIDTH OF THIS TORNADO WAS AROUND 100 FEET.

TORNADO NUMBER TWO - 730 PM TO 739 PM THIS ANTICYCLONIC...OR CLOCKWISE ROTATING...TORNADO DEVELOPED SOUTH OF TORNADO NUMBER ONE...FORMING 5.1 MILES SOUTHWEST OF DOWNTOWN EL RENO AND MOVED EAST...AND THEN SOUTHEAST BEFORE DISSIPATING 5 MILES SOUTH-SOUTHWEST OF DOWNTOWN EL RENO.

F1 DAMAGE OCCURRED TO A HANGAR AT THE EL RENO MUNICIPAL AIRPORT...WHICH SUSTAINED A DIRECT HIT FROM THE DUSTY TORNADO. METAL PANEL WALLS AND THE METAL SEAM ROOF WERE DAMAGED...ALONG WITH SOME INTERIOR WALLS. SEVERAL AIRCRAFT INSIDE THE HANGAR WERE ALSO DAMAGED. THE MAXIMUM WIDTH OF THIS TORNADO WAS AROUND 600 FEET.

$$SMITH/SPEG/STUMPF/BURKE

NWS NORMAN CONTINUES TO GATHER DETAILS ABOUT THE TORNADO THAT MOVED ACROSS SOUTHERN COTTON COUNTY SOUTH OF RANDLETT. INFORMATION SO FAR INDICATES THERE WAS NO STRUCTURAL DAMAGE...ONLY DAMAGE TO TREES...POWER LINES AND FENCES. MORE DETAILS WILL BE RELEASED AS WE GET THEM.

Chase Report by Simon Brewer
Chase Report by Jason Brock of TASC
Chase Report by Mike Hollingshead
Chase Report by Aaron Kennedy
Chase Report by Amos Magliocco
Chase Report by Gene Moore
Chase Report by Jeff Snyder
Chase Report by Bill Tabor
Chase Report by Justin Walker
SPC Storm Reports log

Weather Event #11-Severe Weather and Tornadoes Continue Over Easter Weekend

2006-04-17T12:03:00.000-07:00

Although there were no major outbreaks, widespread severe thunderstorm activity with at least one significant tornadic supercell per day was the rule from Friday, April 14 through Sunday, April 16.

Friday April 14:
Indianapolis, Indiana
Syracuse, Indiana
SPC Storm Reports log

Saturday, April 15:
Topeka, Kansas
Kansas City, Missouri
Omaha, Nebraska
Chase report by Shane Adams
Chase report by Roger Hill
Chase report by Michael Peregrine
Chase report by Kurt Silvey
Chase report by Benjamin Sipprell
SPC Storm Reports log

Sunday, April 16:
Lincoln, Illinois
Indianapolis, Indiana
Chase report by Simon Brewer
Chase report by Brad Emel
SPC Storm Reports log

Weather Event #10-More Signs of Spring

2006-04-14T09:53:00.000-07:00

An outbreak of severe thunderstorms developed rather unexpectedly over Iowa, Wisconsin and Illinois on the evening of Thursday, April 13. Several strong, destructive tornadoes touched down across eastern Iowa with at least one fatality confirmed. In southern Wisconsin, widespread hail larger than golfballs caused considerable damage.

KCRG Ch. 9 Photo Gallery
NWS-Davenport Final Report on April 13 Tornadoes
NWS-Milwaukee/Sullivan Hail Pictures from Thursday Night
NWS-Milwaukee Sullivan April 13th Wisconsin Hailstorm
NWS-Green Bay Severe Thunderstorms Pound East-Central Wisconsin
NWS-Green Bay Microbursts in Calumet County
WISC Ch. 3-Madison, WI-Large Hails Pounds Parts of Wisconsin
SPC Storm Reports log

A series of thunderstorms passed over Green Bay from about 10 PM-midnight with copious amounts of lightning and wind gusts in the 30-40 mph range. I set up my video camera on the eastern shore of the Green Bay pointing west/southwest.

Spring Arriveth

2006-04-12T16:01:00.000-07:00

You know it's spring when...

...first day you can feel comfortable outdoors without a sweatshirt
...there are big flies buzzing around in the weight room again (probably the offspring of the ones that were buzzing around in there until late October last year)
...daffodils, crocuses and Easter bunnies...

...and the final piece of evidence...

...THERE IS A SLGT RISK OF SVR TSTMS FROM THE UPPER MS VALLEY INTO THE GREAT LAKES...

This is for tomorrow. The main risk is for hail from elevated storms, but with strong deep-layer shear they will probably be supercellular and quite photogenic (if they can form discrete cells instead of one giant convective mess). I can't chase because I have class in the late afternoon, but with luck I will at least be able to see a decent thunderstorm, which would be the first since March 11th.

Weather Event #9-April Strikes Again

2006-04-07T21:10:00.000-07:00

Reports on April 06-07 Severe Weather Events (Updated April 12, 2006)

Yet another potent extratropical cyclone crossed the United States during this period and interacted with sufficiently unstable air for severe thunderstorms and tornadoes. An F2 tornado hit Washington County, Kansas on April 6th and preliminary reports indicate several destructive tornadoes across Tennssee, Mississippi and Alabama on the 7th. The National Weather Service offices have yet to survey these damage paths, so a lot more information will be forthcoming. Both days also received a "high risk" forecast from the Storm Prediction Center, so more information about them will be available in my archive when that is next updated.

Thursday, April 06:
Little Rock, Arkansas
Topeka, Kansas
Wichita, Kansas
Omaha, Nebraksa
Tulsa, Oklahoma:

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
500 PM CDT FRI APR 7 2006

PRELIMINARY TORNADO INFORMATION FOR APRIL 6, 2006

TORNADO 1...

AT 349 PM...A TORNADO BRIEFLY TOUCHED DOWN ABOUT 12 MILES WEST NORTHWEST OF HOMINY IN OSAGE COUNTY. NO DAMAGE WAS REPORTED.

TORNADO 2...

AT 703 PM...A TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN APPROXIMATELY 6 MILES NORTHEAST OF HOLLOW IN CRAIG COUNTY. THIS IS ABOUT 3 1/2 MILES SOUTH OF THE KANSAS BORDER. NEAR THE INITIAL TOUCH DOWN...THE ROOF WAS BLOWN OFF OF A MOBILE HOME...THEN THE TORNADO MOVED NORTHEAST ACROSS FIELDS AND THROUGH TREES. NO INJURIES WERE REPORTED. THE OKLAHOMA PATH LENGTH WAS ABOUT 3 1/2 MILES WITH A WIDTH OF ONLY ABOUT 40 YARDS. THE TORNADO HAS BEEN RATED F-0. THE TORNADO CONTINUED INTO KANSAS. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE WICHITA NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE.

TORNADO 3...

AT 747 PM...A TORNADO WAS OBSERVED BRIEFLY TOUCHING DOWN ON LAKE EUFAULA JUST WEST OF THE DAM. THE LOCATION WAS APPROXIMATELY 4 MILES NORTH OF ENTERPRISE IN HASKELL COUNTY. NO DAMAGE WAS REPORTED WITH THE TORNADO.
Chase report by Mike Hollingshead
Chase report by Mikel Shively
SPC Storm Reports log

Friday, April 07:
Birminham, Alabama
Huntsville, Alabama
Peachtree City, Georgia
Syracuse, Indiana
Jackson, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Memphis, Tennessee
Morristown, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennsessee
SPC Storm Reports log
Yahoo News article
WTVF Ch. 5-Nashville, TN

Weather Event #8-Late March and Early April Severe Thunderstorms and Tornadoes

2006-03-31T19:08:00.000-08:00

Updated April 07, 2006

Two strong storm systems crossed the country in quick sucession from Thursday, March 30 through Monday, April 03. The most significant outbreak occurred on Sunday April 02 with preliminary reports at least 27 dead and extensive damage.

Thursday, March 30:
Little Rock, Arkansas
Wichita, Kansas
Kansas City, Missouri
Omaha, Nebraska
SPC Storm Reports log

Friday, March 31:
Indianapolis, Indiana
Syracuse, Indiana
SPC Storm Reports log

Saturday, April 01:
Wichita, Kansas
Chase report by Sam Barricklow
Chase report by Justin Walker
SPC Storm Reports log

Sunday, April 02:
Little Rock, Arkansas
Lincoln, Illinois
Indianapolis, Indiana
Davenport, Iowa
Louisville, Kentucky
Paducah, Kentucky
St. Louis, Missouri
Memphis, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennssee
Chase report by Karen Leszke
Chase report by Mikel Shively
SPC Storm Reports log
Yahoo News article
KAIT (Jonesboro, AR)

Absolutepoker.net will never see my business again

2006-03-28T11:34:00.000-08:00

Stage #364142550 Tourney ID 891393 Holdem Single Tournament No Limit $10 - 2006-03-28 14:07:34 (ET)Table: 6555256 (Play Money) Seat #8 is the dealer
Seat 1 - LUVMYSAILOR ($1500 in chips)
Seat 2 - LUGHER ($1500 in chips)
Seat 3 - STEVE1313 ($1500 in chips)
Seat 4 - BURNER24 ($1500 in chips)
Seat 5 - ANDYRW ($1500 in chips)
Seat 6 - RORECHOF ($1500 in chips)
Seat 7 - TYLER SP1 ($1500 in chips)
Seat 8 - CHAS1949 ($1500 in chips)
Seat 9 - DUCKGUN ($1500 in chips)
DUCKGUN - Posts small blind $10
LUVMYSAILOR - Posts big blind $20
*** POCKET CARDS ***Dealt to ANDYRW [As Ad]
LUGHER - Raises $40 to $40
STEVE1313 - Folds
BURNER24 - Raises $80 to $80
ANDYRW - All-In(Raise) $1500 to $1500
RORECHOF - Folds
TYLER SP1 - Folds
CHAS1949 - Folds
DUCKGUN - Folds
LUVMYSAILOR - Folds
LUGHER - Folds
BURNER24 - All-In $1420
*** FLOP *** [8d 5d 2c]
*** TURN *** [8d 5d 2c] [4d]
*** RIVER *** [8d 5d 2c 4d] [7s]
*** SHOW DOWN ***BURNER24 - Shows [3s Ah] (Straight, ace to five)
ANDYRW - Shows [As Ad] (One pair, aces)
BURNER24 Collects $3070 from main pot
*** SUMMARY ***Total Pot($3070)Board [8d 5d 2c 4d 7s]
Seat 1: LUVMYSAILOR (big blind) Folded on the POCKET CARDS
Seat 2: LUGHER Folded on the POCKET CARDS
Seat 3: STEVE1313 Folded on the POCKET CARDS
Seat 4: BURNER24 won Total ($3070) All-In HI:($3070) with Straight, ace to five [3s Ah - B:5d,B:4d,P:3s,B:2c,P:Ah]
Seat 5: ANDYRW HI:lost with One pair, aces [As Ad - P:As,P:Ad,B:8d,B:7s,B:5d]
Seat 6: RORECHOF Folded on the POCKET CARDS
Seat 7: TYLER SP1 Folded on the POCKET CARDS
Seat 8: CHAS1949 (dealer) Folded on the POCKET CARDS
Seat 9: DUCKGUN (small blind) Folded on the POCKET CARDS

If this only happened every once in a great while, as the odds dictate it should, then I could shrug and say "that's poker", because it is. So why do hands like this seem to be the norm rather than the exception? I am consistently losing money going all-in with a dominating hand over my opponent(s). It was the same at pokerroom.com and pokerstars.net. Online poker can kiss my ass. See you in hell.

Weather Event #7-Early-Mid March Severe Weather

2006-03-26T21:34:00.000-08:00

A classic southwest-flow pattern conducive for severe thunderstorms was in place over the central United States from Thursday March 9 through Monday March 13. This resulted in several severe weather outbreaks including the largest March tornado outbreak since 1990, on Sunday March 12th across much of Missouri. Here are the reports from various National Weather Service offices around the country:

Thursday, March 9:
Birmingham, Alabama
Little Rock, Arkansas
Paducah, Kentucky
Memphis, Tennesee
Nashville, Tennessee (1)
Nashville, Tennesee (2)
SPC Storm Reports log

Friday, March 10:
SPC Storm Reports log

Saturday, March 11:
Thunderstorms affected the Green Bay area this evening with a nice lightning show:

Paducah, Kentucky
St. Louis, Missouri
SPC Storm Reports log

Sunday, March 12:
Little Rock, Arkansas (covers March 11, 12 and 13)
Chicago, Illinois
Lincoln, Illinois
Wichita, Kansas
Kansas City, Missouri
Springfield, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
Hastings, Nebraska
Tulsa, Oklahoma
SPC Storm Reports log

Monday, March 13:
Birmingham, Alabama
Huntsville, Alabama
SPC Storm Reports log

Monday, March 20:
A "cold-core low" system helped produce several weak tornadoes in Oklahoma, which marked the first sucessful chase of the year for several people. Other severe thunderstorms tracked across the southeastern United States.
Birmingham, Alabama
Chase report by Jeff Snyder
Chase report by Justin Walker
SPC Storm Reports log

"She don't want to hear no secrets/she would guarantee me that/she knows there ain't no words than can describe her..."

2006-03-04T19:57:00.000-08:00

Yesterday evening I was fortunate enough to hear Arlo Guthrie, son of the prolific folk singer/songwriter Woody Guthrie, as he stopped by UWGB on his "Alice's Restaurant 40th Anniversary Massacree" tour. Arlo's unique blend of folk and country blues is far from the heavy rock music I ordinarily listen to, but I've always had a special fondness for his work. Maybe it's his incredible, evocative voice, or his sense of humor ("I've always maintained that songwriting is a lot like fishing. You're just sitting there, and the songs are swimming by. If you've got a pen, you can catch 'em-unless you're unlucky enough to be sitting downstream from Bob Dylan").

Arlo played the aforementioned Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man", as well as crowd favorites "Coming into Los Angeles", "City of New Orleans", "The Motorcycle Song", and of course the (in)famous "Alice's Restaurant" ("This is a song about Alice, and the restaurant, but Alice's Restaurant is not the name of the restaurant it's just the name of the song, and that's why I call this song 'Alice's Restaurant'"). The title of this post is a line from the beautiful "In My Darkest Hour", a song Arlo says came to him in a dream ("Most of the songs I wrote, I wrote when I was awake, but not all of 'em. I had this dream and there was this guy singing this song in the dream. When I woke up I couldn't remember if it was me singing the song, so I didn't know if it was my song or what. But I figured, 'What the hell, my dream'").

Also included in the set were some of Woody Guthrie's material, the classic "This Land is Your Land" and "My Peace", which Arlo had just set to music for the first time for this tour ("My father wrote hundreds of songs that he never recorded, but he didn't know how to write music, so nobody knows how the songs go").

Winter's Last Hurrah (with any luck)

2006-03-03T14:04:00.000-08:00

This map shows a classic winter weather pattern, with the key feature highlighted with the red line. It is a strong trough parked over southeast Canada, trailing a cold front southward and westward across the northern Gulf of Mexico. In the wake of the front, a cold Arctic ridge has sunk southward across most of the central and eastern continental United States.

The computer models are forecasting a significant pattern change by mid-late next week. They all forecast the SE Canada trough to move away and be replaced by a ridge, with another strong trough digging into the western United States. The combination of the counterclockwise flow around the trough in the West and clockwise flow around the ridge in the east will draw moist, unstable air northward from the Gulf of Mexico (which is currently supressed to the south of the cold front) and possibly signal the start of the spring severe thunderstorm season.

New Stuff

2006-02-20T17:03:00.000-08:00

2005 SPHS Photo Gallery
August 18, 2005 Stoughton Tornado Story & Photo Gallery-finished

Weather Event #6-Upper Midwest snowstorm of Thursday, February 16

2006-02-20T15:50:00.000-08:00

So much for our record warm January. Whatever "genius" decided to schedule Groundhog Day on February 2nd ought to be punched in the mouth. Gets everybody thinking about spring, when the nastiest winter weather of the season likes to reserve itself for February. That sure proved the case in 2006, as an intense snowstorm with 1" per hour or greater snowfall rates and 40 mph wind gusts raked Wisconsin last Thursday, followed by a bitterly cold (wind chills to -35 Fahrenheit) Arctic air mass plunging south into much of the central continental United States.

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREEN BAY WI
100 AM CST SUN FEB 19 2006

...MINIMUM WIND CHILLS READINGS FROM FRIDAY EVENING FEBRUARY 17 2006 TO SATURDAY MORNING FEBRUARY 18 2006

...CITY WIND CHILL
EAGLE RIVER -40
LAND O LAKES -40
RHINELANDER -49
ANTIGO -45
MARINETTE -33
WAUSAU -39
MOSINEE -45
MARSHFIELD -42
WAUPACA -35
CLINTONVILLE -38
NWS GREEN BAY -41
APPLETON -41
OSHKOSH -39
STURGEON BAY -38
MANITOWOC -38

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT...UPDATE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREEN BAY WI
1115 AM CST FRI FEB 17 2006...

FEBRUARY 15-16TH STORM TOTALS ACROSS THE REGION

...CITY COUNTY SNOWFALL(IN)
POY SIPPI 2SW WAUSHARA 14.5
GREEN BAY(NWS) BROWN 13.7
EPHRAIM 5SE DOOR 13.0
STURGEON BAY DOOR 13.0
SHIOCTON OUTAGAMIE 13.0
GREEN BAY 3W BROWN 12.5
NEW FRANKEN 2N BROWN 12.3
MANITOWOC MANITOWOC 12.1
TWO RIVERS MANITOWOC 11.5
WAUTOMA 4N WAUSHARA 11.4
VALDERS DOOR 10.9
PLOVER PORTAGE 10.8
OCONTO OCONTO 10.0
TOWNSEND OCONTO 10.0
DARBOY OUTAGAMIE 9.7
WAUPACA WAUPACA 9.6
ATHELSTANE 2E MARINETTE 9.0
NEW LONDON WAUPACA 9.0
ROSHOLT MARATHON 8.5
MOUNTAIN 1SW OCONTO 8.4
FRANCIS CREEK MANITOWOC 8.2
APPLETON NW OUTAGAMIE 8.0
WAUTOMA WAUSHARA 8.0
GREEN BAY 9NW BROWN 8.0
HANCOCK WAUSHARA 8.0
STEVENS POINT PORTAGE 8.0
FISH CREEK DOOR 8.0
CARLSVILLE 2NW DOOR 7.8
KIMBERLY OUTAGAMIE 7.6
ALMOND 5NE PORTAGE 7.6
WISCONSIN RAPIDS SE WOOD 7.5
NAVARINO 5SW SHAWANO 7.5
CRIVITZ MARINETTE 7.1
WILD ROSE 5NE WAUSHARA 7.0
CHILTON CALUMET 6.7
ALGOMA KEWAUNEE 6.5
WEYAUWEGA WAUPACA 6.3
SHAWANO SHAWANO 6.3
AMBERG 9E MARINETTE 6.2
PESHTIGO MARINETTE 6.0
CRIVITZ MARINETTE 6.0
BRILLION CALUMET 6.0
MCALLISTER MARINETTE 6.0
FORESTVILLE 4NE DOOR 6.0
LAKEWOOD 3NE OCONTO 6.0
AMHERST 3SE PORTAGE 5.8
OCONTO FALLS OCONTO 5.6
WASHINGTON ISLAND DOOR 5.5
SURING OCONTO 5.4
MERRILL 8W LINCOLN 5.3
AURORA FLORENCE 5.2
WAUSAU(TV-7) MARATHON 5.1
OSHKOSH WINNEBAGO 4.8
MARINETTE MARINETTE 4.8
LILY 2NE LANGLADE 4.5
CLINTONVILLE WAUPACA 4.0
ELCHO LANGLADE 3.7
COLBY 5NE MARATHON 3.4
LAONA 6SW FOREST 3.4
LONG LAKE FLORENCE 3.0
PELLA 3SE SHAWANO 3.0
CRANDON FOREST 3.0
HILES FOREST 3.0
RHINELANDER ONEIDA 2.8
TOMAHAWK LINCOLN 2.7
EAGLE RIVER VILAS 2.7
PHELPS VILAS 2.5
CONOVER 2SE VILAS 2.4
ALVIN FOREST 2.4
FLORENCE FLORENCE 2.2
PRESQUE ISLE 4SW VILAS 1.8
BOULDER JUNCTION VILAS 1.2
LAND O`LAKES VILAS 1.2
MINOCQUA ONEIDA 1.0

February 16th Midwest Storm Summary (NWS-Des Moines, Iowa)
February 16th Snowfall (NWS-Milwaukee, Wisconsin)

Also see the NWS-Paducah damage survey, NWS-Indianapolis damage survey, and Sam Sagnella's excellent Confirmed Tornadoes of 2006 page for information about the tornadoes that occurred in the system's warm sector.

This was the scene at UW-Green Bay on Thursday:

Weather Event #5-Record-Setting Northeast Snowstorm

2006-02-14T23:12:00.000-08:00

Blizzard of 2006

A significant (although probably not record-setting) winter storm is expected for the upper Midwest on Thursday. Stay tuned.

Weather Event #4-February 2nd New Orleans tornadoes

2006-02-11T11:28:00.000-08:00

In the early morning hours of February 2nd, at least two tornadoes including 1 of F2 intensity tore through metropolitan New Orleans, LA producing wind damage that exceeded that seen in the area during Hurricane Katrina.

MSNBC
LSR from COD Weather
SPC Storm Reports

February 3rd Mississippi Hailstorms (NWS JAN)
SPC Storm Reports

Update...

2006-01-29T15:34:00.000-08:00

Well...I am back at school. Have been for two weeks now. It's been a weird start to the semester. My roommate up and moved out (quit school for the semester) just a day after moving back in, so I have this room to myself, although I still share this apartment with one other person. I experienced extreme deja vu during the introduction of one of my new classes because the professor wants us to do two group projects during the semester that involve an oral presentation and a written report in almost exactly the same format as I did in a class I took last semester. You know those professors have been comparing notes.

I've made some long-overdue updates to the Stoughton Piston Head Society website, including starting work on my account of the Stoughton tornado of August 18, 2005. I've also made some additions to the SPC high risk archive and put together a page of random links to bands/musicians I like.

Sure feels like March out there...

2006-01-27T12:50:00.000-08:00

Record January Warmth in Wisconsin

Weather Event #3-January 12-13 Severe Storms & Tornadoes

2006-01-13T18:15:00.000-08:00

Reports on today's severe thunderstorm outbreak with tornadoes across Alabama, Georgia, North/South Carolina, Virginia, and Florida:

NWS Birmingham-Barbour County Alabama tornado
WKRG Ch. 5
WSFA Ch. 12
WJHG Ch. 7
USA Today

SPC Storm Reports

Tragically we have our first tornado death of 2006...only took until January 13th to happen. In 2005 there were tornado fatalities on consecutive days-January 12th and 13th. The first deadly tornado in 2004 wasn't until April 20th.

The deadliest tornado in 2005 hit Evansville, Indiana on November 6th, killing 22 people because it struck the worst possible place at the worst possible time-a trailer park, in the middle of the night, when people are asleep and don't get the warnings.

By comparison, the tornado that hit Stoughton on August 18, 2005 was of similar size (1/4-1/2 mile wide) and intensity (high F3) hit during daylight, was slow-moving, hit frame houses, and caused one death.

More info

Friday's storms evolved from a squall line that formed in eastern Oklahoma, eastern Texas and western Arkansas on the evening of Thursday, January 12. A supercell embedded in that line produced an F2 tornado in Pope and Yell Counties, Arkansas.

NWS Little Rock
SPC Storm Reports

Weather Event #2

2006-01-12T13:03:00.000-08:00

Wednesday, January 11, 2006: "Surprise" tornado near Jamestown, Virginia:

This F1 tornado caused 2 minor injuries and destroyed several trailer homes. Wind shear profiles were extremely favorable for tornadoes, but atmospheric instability was virtually nonexistent, so the probabilities of a tornado developing were thought to be too low to mention tornadoes in a forecast (convective outlook, mesoscale discussion, or tornado watch). Anything can happen as long as the probability is non-zero, though.

WAVY-TV-Tornado Injures Two in James City County
SPC Storm Reports

000
WFUS51 KAKQ 112319
TORAKQ
VAC095-199-830-112345-
/O.NEW.KAKQ.TO.W.0003.060111T2319Z-060111T2345Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WAKEFIELD VA
619 PM EST WED JAN 11 2006

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WAKEFIELD HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
CITY OF WILLIAMSBURG IN SOUTHEAST VIRGINIA
JAMES CITY COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST VIRGINIA
YORK COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST VIRGINIA

* UNTIL 645 PM EST*

AT 615 PM EST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO NEAR GOVERNORS LAND...OR ABOUT 6 MILES NORTH OF SURRY...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.*

THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR...
WILLIAMSBURG AND KINGS POINT BY 625 PM EST...
OAKTREE...EWELL AND LIGHTFOOT BY 630 PM EST...
CAMP PEARY...SKIMINO...BARLOWS CORNER AND CHRISTENSONS CORNER BY 635 PM EST...

DO NOT USE YOUR CAR TO TRY TO OUTRUN A TORNADO. CARS ARE EASILY TOSSED AROUND BY TORNADO WINDS. IF YOU ARE CAUGHT IN THE PATH OF ATORNADO...LEAVE THE CAR AND GO TO A STRONG BUILDING. IF NO SAFESTRUCTURE IS NEARBY...SEEK SHELTER IN A DITCH OR LOW SPOT AND COVERYOUR HEAD.

THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS IN A BASEMENT. GET UNDER A
WORKBENCH OR OTHER PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. IF NO BASEMENT ISAVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF THE BUILDING IN ANINTERIOR HALLWAY OR ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET. USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TOCOVER YOUR BODY AND ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

IF IN MOBILE HOMES OR VEHICLES...EVACUATE THEM AND GET INSIDE ASUBSTANTIAL SHELTER. IF NO SHELTER IS AVAILABLE...LIE FLAT IN THENEAREST DITCH OR OTHER LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

LAT...LON 3724 7688 3718 7675 3732 7664 3741 7673

Stirring up a Hornet's Nest is OK When They're All Dead or Hibernating

2006-01-03T20:52:00.000-08:00

As promised, here are some photos of the hornet nests I collected last week. The milk jug is for scale.

Some deceased residents I found inside one of the nests:

Weather Event #1

2006-01-02T21:12:00.000-08:00

Reports on today's severe thunderstorm outbreak in the Ohio Valley and Southeast:

Georgia:
http://www.11alive.com/news/usnews_article.aspx?storyid=74023
January's Springlike Outbreak of Severe Thunderstorms

Kentucky:
FINAL REPORT: Storms of January 02, 2006
Elizabethtown tornado picture
Lexington Herald-Leader Article

All:
http://www.spc.noaa.gov/climo/reports/060102_rpts.html

Tornado count as of 6:50 PM CST 1/07/2006:

6 tornadoes in Louisville County Warning Area (north-central and central KY)
3 F2
3 F1

6 tornadoes in Peachtree City County Warning Area (northwestern and central GA)
1 F3
1 F2
3 F1
1 F0

1 tornado in Charleston County Warning Area (southern SC and northeast GA)
1 F0

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC
847 PM EST TUE JAN 3 2005

...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONFIRMS A TORNADO SOUTH OF MILLEN GEORGIA...

A DAMAGE ASSESSMENT TEAM FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST OFFICE IN CHARLESTON SOUTH CAROLINA SURVEYED DAMAGE THAT OCCURRED FROM A SEVERE SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORM THAT MOVED THROUGH MUCH OF CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN JENKINS COUNTY GEORGIA BETWEEN 9 PM AND 930 PM MONDAY EVENING. DAMAGE OCCURRED IN SEVERAL COMMUNITIES THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY WITH THE MOST SEVERE DAMAGE BEING OBSERVED ABOUT 10 MILES
SOUTH OF MILLEN

....TRACK REVIEW...
A LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS MOVED RAPIDLY EAST OUT OF BURKE AND EMMANUEL COUNTIES MONDAY EVENING. A LARGE AND DANGEROUS LONG TRACK SUPERCELL ON THE TAIL END OF THE LINE MOVED INTO THE SOUTHWESTERN PORTION OF JENKINS COUNTY...ABOUT 8 MILES SOUTH OF HERNDON...SHORTLY BEFORE 9 PM. THE STORM MOVED INTO THE COMMUNITY OF BUTTS AROUND 910 PM WHERE SCATTERED TREES WERE BLOWN DOWN. THE DAMAGE TEAM FOUND NO EVIDENCE OF A TORNADO...BUT HAS DETERMINED THE TREES WHERE BLOWN DOWN BY STRAIGHT LINE WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH.

THE SUPERCELL CONTINUED TO MOVE RAPIDLY EAST AROUND 50 MPH INTO AN AREA BETWEEN MILLEN AND FOUR POINTS. AROUND 915 PM...HIGH WINDS OVERTURNED AND SEVERELY DAMAGED AN UNSECURED MOBILE HOME OFF U.S. HIGHWAY 25 AND DAMAGED OTHER NEARBY STRUCTURES. A SECOND MOBILE HOME HAD ITS PORCH BLOWN OFF AND ROOF PEELED BACK. TWELVE TREES NEAR BOTH HOMES WERE ALSO BLOWN DOWN. THE DAMAGE TEAM HAS DETERMINED THAT A TORNADO OF F0 INTENSITY MOVED THROUGH THIS AREA WITH ESTIMATED WINDS OF 60-70 MPH. THE TORNADO WAS 25 YARDS WIDE AND WAS ON THE GROUND FOR 75 YARDS BEFORE LIFTING.

THE STORM MOVED INTO THE COMMUNITY OF SCARBORO IN THE SOUTHEAST PORTION OF JENKINS COUNTY BY 925 PM. HERE HIGH WINDS BLEW DOWN TREES OFF OLD SAVANNAH ROAD. THE TEAM HAS DETERMINED THAT THE TREE DAMAGE WAS CAUSED BY STRAIGHT LINE WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH AND NOT BY A TORNADO. THE SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORM EXITED JENKINS COUNTY SHORTLY BEFORE 930 PM.

...TORNADO STATISTICS...
LOCATION... 10 MILES SOUTH OF MILLEN GA
TIME OF OCCURRENCE... 915 PM
F-SCALE RATING... F0
ESTIMATED WINDS... 60-70 MPH
TORNADO WIDTH... 25 YARDS
TORNADO TRACK LENGTH... 75 YARDS

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CHARLESTON WISHES TO THANK THE CITIZENS OF JENKINS COUNTY...THE SAVANNAH AND AUGUSTA BROADCAST MEDIA AND LOCAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS FOR THEIR HELPYESTERDAY EVENING AND TODAY.

Two tornadoes also developed during the early morning hours of January 2nd, 2006 over eastern Missouri (LSX CWA):

St. Charles County
St. Louis County

Glad to see only a few minor injuries out of this. There were some very impressive supercells producing strong (F2-F3) and potentially highly destructive tornadoes. With the often poor visibility and density of mobile homes in the Southeast, tornadoes there are often deadlier than in other parts of the country.

Why this blog exists...

2006-01-01T23:21:00.000-08:00

I guess I wanted to start a blog because it just makes it a heck of a lot easier to keep up a running commentary on the Internet. I like to be able to post regular observations about certain things; such as my two favorite hobbies, wasp watching and storm chasing. Last year I tried to maintain a webpage with comments and information about each new storm event, and having to go in and edit HTML for each new event got old real fast.

Of course...it is January so both of those activities are kind of in the off season, but that doesn't mean interesting stuff can't happen.

Last Thursday, I spotted two bald-faced hornet (Dolichovespula maculata) nests within a block of each other, up in trees in people's front yards in Stoughton. Using a long-handled clippers and a box to catch them I cut them down and added them to my collection. One is pretty much fully intact, and has branches woven into it in such a way that they make a nice built-in tripod to stand it up. The other has a big hole in it, so the cells inside are easily visible. I'll add some photos later.

Meanwhile, the 2006 severe weather season isn't wasting any time. After a very convoluted 2005 (the most active months were August and November, instead of April and May) one tornado has already touched down in Mississippi.

A widespread outbreak of severe thunderstorms may be in store for the southeastern United States tomorrow.

A New Blog for a New Year

2006-01-01T00:25:00.000-08:00

My family and I finished up our traditional New Year's Eve Scrabble game at about 12:30, and I was still pretty wired from the two RC Colas I drank. I went online to check up on a few things and the thought occurred to me that now (2:25 AM CST on January 01, 2006) was as good a time as any to set up a blog, which was something I had had in mind for awhile.

So here it is...random happenings at random times and places.

Happy 2006!