EF0 Tornado Near Richfield, Wisconsin (Updated 4 PM 5/10)

EF0 Tornado Southwest of Richfield, Wisconsin (far southern Washington County) on Wednesday, May 9, 2018

A thunderstorm moved through far southern Washington County during the middle afternoon hours on Wednesday, May 9, 2018. The storm developed strong low level rotation, which prompted a Tornado Warning for southeastern Washington County at 4:54 PM CDT. Reports of a tornado were received at 4:58 PM CDT 3 miles southwest of Richfield in far southern Washington County.

Below is more information on the EF0 damage rating for this tornado:

Public Information Statement
National Weather Service Milwaukee/Sullivan WI
349 PM CDT Thu May 10 2018

...NWS DAMAGE SURVEY FOR 05/09/2018 TORNADO EVENT...

OVERVIEW...A tornado devleoped near Richfield Wisconsin on
Wednesday evening. It tracked from west to east across southern
Washington County. The tornado primarily caused tree damage. There
was minimal structural damage observed.

.Richfield Tornado...

Rating:                 EF-0
Estimated peak wind:    80 mph
Path length /Statute/:  5.27 miles
Path width /Maximum/:   50 yards
Fatalities:             0
Injuries:               0

Start date:             May 9 2018
Start time:             450 PM CDT
Start location:         5 NNW Merton
Start Lat/Lon:          43.2091 / -88.3449

End date:               May 9 2018
End time:               501 PM CDT
End location:           1 S Richfield
End_lat/lon:            43.2217 / -88.2427

NOTE:
The information in this statement is PRELIMINARY and subject to
change pending final review of the event and publication in
NWS Storm Data.

$$

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Tornadoes:

Tornado - Merton to Richfield, WI
Washington County

Date	Wednesday, May 9, 2018
Time (Local)	4:50pm-5:01pm
EF Rating	EF0
Est. Peak Winds	80 mph
Path Length	5.27 miles
Max Width	50 yards
Injuries/Deaths	0/0
Summary: Damage rating of EF0 with peak winds estimated at 80 mph.

Track Map


Tree Damage 4 WSW Richfield Via NWS Storm Survey	Tree Damage 4 WSW Richfield Via NWS Storm Survey	Tree Damage 3 SW Richfield Via NWS Storm Survey	Tree Damage 3 SW Richfield Via NWS Storm Survey

Tree Damage 3 SW Richfield Via NWS Storm Survey	Tree Damage 3 SW Richfield Via NWS Storm Survey	Tree Damage 3 SW Richfield Via NWS Storm Survey	Tree Damage 3 SW Richfield Via NWS Storm Survey

Siding Damage Via NWS Storm Survey	Tree Damage Elmwood Road Via social media	Tree Damage Elmwood Road Via social media	Tree Damage Town of Erin Via social media

Tree Damage Town of Erin Via social media	Playset Damage Town of Richfield Via social media	Tree Damage Town of Richfield Via social media	Debris In Field Via NWS Storm Survey

Shingle Damage 1 S Richfield Via NWS Storm Survey	Hand Rail Damage 1 SW Richfield Via NWS Storm Survey	Tree Damage Via NWS Storm Survey	Tree Damage 1 S Richfield Via NWS Storm Survey

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

Radar:

Here is an animated 4 panel radar image, and a still image at 4:53 PM CDT, for the tornado in far southern Washington County from Wednesday, May 9, 2018:

Here is an animated 4 panel radar image, between 4:45 PM CDT and 5:13 PM CDT, of the storm that produced the tornado in far southern Washington County on Wednesday afternoon, May 9, 2018. The top left image is base velocity, the top right image is storm relative velocity, the bottom left image is base reflectivity, and the bottom right image is correlation coefficient.

Note the circled areas at 4:55 PM CDT in each image. The top two images show the rotation in the storm that produced the tornado. Note the brighter greens and reds next to each other in those images, indicating the rotation. The bottom left image shows the small "hook" in the base reflectivity, indicating possible rotation.

The bottom right image shows that there is debris being lofted by the tornado, as shown by the blues and yellows in the circle. This is called a Tornado Debris Signature, or TDS, and is confirmation that a tornado producing damage is occurring! This is a great tool for meteorologists to confirm that tornado damage is occurring, as the event unfolds.

This image at 4:53 PM CDT shows base reflectivity on the left, and storm relative velocity on the right. Note the small "hook" on the reflectivity image, indicating possible rotation. In the same area, note the brighter greens and reds next to each other in the storm relative velocity image (circled). This indicates the rotation within the storm. This circulation was about 1,300 feet above ground level, in far southern Washington County. The Tornado Warning was issued at 4:54 PM CDT.

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EF0 Tornado Near Richfield, Wisconsin (Updated 4 PM 5/10)