Fire Weather Conditions in the Northwest U.S.; Heavy Rain in the West and South-central U.S.

Extreme heat is waning over the Pacific Northwest. Dry, gusty winds, and isolated dry thunderstorms will bring critical fire weather to the Pacific Northwest and Intermountain West. Heavy rain and thunderstorms continue across portions of the Great Basin, Rockies, and central/southern Plains into the Ozarks. An atmospheric river will bring heavy rain and strong winds to southwest Alaska. Read More >

Overview

On August 18, 2005, a low pressure system tracked across southern Wisconsin during the afternoon hours. Thunderstorms developed in the early afternoon over southeastern Minnesota and shifted into western Wisconsin by mid afternoon. At the same time, a warm front was shifting through southwest Wisconsin providing a favorable wind profile for thunderstorms with tornadoes.

At 2:45 p.m. CDT, the Storm Prediction Center (SPC) in Norman, OK issued a Tornado Watch for southwestern Wisconsin through 9 p.m.

Radar loop from 1:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.

Tornadoes
Environment

Tornadoes:

Tornado - 4 miles N of Dexter, MN
Mower County

Date	August 18, 2005
Time (Local)	12:50 p.m.
F Rating	F0
Est. Peak Winds
Path Length	300 yards
Max Width	20 yard
Injuries/Deaths	0 / 0
Summary: Damage included flattened corn and damage to a livestock building.

Track Map

Tornado - Centerville, WI
Trempealeau County

Date	August 18, 2005
Time (Local)	2:18 p.m.
F Rating	F0
Est. Peak Winds
Path Length	50 yards
Max Width	25 yards
Injuries/Deaths	0 / 0
Summary: This tornado knocked down trees west of Centerville, just north of Highway 35 along County Road G. The only damage was to a grove of trees.

Track Map


0.5 deg Reflectivity at 2:18 p.m.	0.5 deg Storm Relative Velocity at 2:18 p.m.

Tornado - 2-3 miles W of Esofea, WI
Vernon County

Date	August 18, 2005
Time (Local)	3:46 p.m.
F Rating	F1
Est. Peak Winds
Path Length	1.2 miles
Max Width	25 yards
Injuries/Deaths	2 / 0
Summary: This tornado (just north of County Road KK) mainly produced damage to trees, agricultural, and a few structures. A mobile home on blocks was completely destroyed and the resident was injured. Another residence suffered minor damage, blowing out windows, turning a car, and destroying an outbuilding. There were also power poles snapped, flattened corn, and other sporadic corn damage.

Track Map


0.5 deg Reflectivity at 3:44 p.m.	0.5 deg Storm Relative Velocity at 3:44 p.m.

Tornado - Viola, WI
Vernon & Richland Counties

Date	August 18, 2005
Time (Local)	4:05 - 4:40 p.m.
F Rating	F2
Est. Peak Winds	150 mph
Path Length	20 miles
Max Width	75 yards
Injuries/Deaths	0 / 0
Summary: Short summary of the tornado.

Track Map


0.5 deg Reflectivity at 4:10 p.m.	0.5 deg Storm Relative Velocity at 4:10 p.m.




	Photo by Civil Air Patrol

Tornado - Muscoda / Orion, WI
Grant & Richland Counties

Date	August 18, 2005
Time (Local)	4:40 - 4:55 p.m.
F Rating	F1
Est. Peak Winds
Path Length	4 miles
Max Width	40 yards
Injuries/Deaths	0 / 0
Summary: This tornado touched down west of Muscoda, just north of Highway 133 and south of West Pine Road. A broken path of downed trees was on the very northern end of Muscoda. Trees were downed in the park and boat launch area just east of Highway 80 on the Wisconsin River. Damage extended northeast across the Wisconsin River into Orion where it impacted about 10 homes and mobile homes. There were numerous trees and power lines also knocked down. Much of the damage to homes was actually caused from trees falling on them. Damage continued 2 miles northeast of Orion, ending just past County Road OO about 1 mile north of Highway 60. In the town of Orion, many residents heard the roaring sound and took shelter. They also referenced "white water" being seen, possibly water being picked up as the tornado crossed over the Wisconsin River.

Track Map


0.5 deg Reflectivity at 4:48 p.m.	0.5 deg Storm Relative Velocity at 4:48 p.m.

Tornado - 2 miles S of Shennington, WI
Monroe & Juneau Counties

Date	August 18, 2005
Time (Local)	4:54 - 5:15 p.m.
F Rating	F1
Est. Peak Winds
Path Length	10 miles
Max Width	25 yards
Injuries/Deaths	0 / 0
Summary: This tornado touched down just east of the Interstate 90/94 split east of Tomah (near County Road N) and produced intermittent damage all the way into the Necedah Wildlife Refuge. Damage was limited to trees, agriculture, and a few homes - one was completely that was being built.

Track Map


0.5 deg Reflectivity at 4:48 p.m.	0.5 deg Storm Relative Velocity at 4:48 p.m.	0.5 deg Reflectivity at 4:52 p.m.	0.5 deg Storm Relative Velocity at 4:52 p.m.

Tornado - LOCATION
Adams County

Date	August 18, 2005
Time (Local)	5:39 p.m.
F Rating	F1
Est. Peak Winds
Path Length	0.8 miles
Max Width	30 yards
Injuries/Deaths	0 / 0
Summary: A tornado touched down briefly about 3 miles northeast of the intersection of Highways 82 and 13 (in southwest Adams County). Mobile homes were damaged along with nearby trees.

Track Map


0.5 deg Reflectivity at 5:39 p.m.	0.5 deg Storm Relative Velocity at 5:39 p.m.

The Enhanced Fujita (EF) Scale classifies tornadoes into the following categories:

EF0 Weak 65-85 mph	EF1 Moderate 86-110 mph	EF2 Significant 111-135 mph	EF3 Severe 136-165 mph	EF4 Extreme 166-200 mph	EF5 Catastrophic 200+ mph

Environment


Map of tornadoes from August 18, 2005	Hodograph from Blue River, WI	Figure 3: Caption

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Fire Weather Conditions in the Northwest U.S.; Heavy Rain in the West and South-central U.S.

Tornado Outbreak of August 18, 2005