National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce

Winter Storm and Cold for the Weekend

Light to moderate snow continues across the region this afternoon into tonight. Blowing snow and near blizzard conditions may develop west of the Mississippi River tonight as wind gusts to 35 mph develop. Colder air arrives for Sunday through Tuesday with overnight wind chills in the single digits to teens below zero. Read More >

Overview

A rare December severe weather event impacted our area during the evening of December 15th.  Not only was this one of the highest threats for severe weather so late in the year (December) but shattered records for number of warnings so late in the season. In addition, several all-time December temperature records were set.

The storm posed 2 threats.  A line of severe thunderstorms brought pockets of wind damage (60-90 mph) along with nearly 30 tornadoes.  Some of the stronger tornadoes occurred in north central Wisconsin (Clark Co., WI) where a few homes were destroyed or heavily damaged. The storms were moving very rapidly.

After the storms passed, strong winds buffeted the region with fairly widespread 60-80 mph wind gusts.  This led to even more damage, especially to trees and farm buildings.

All in all, numerous communities suffered structure damage, power outages, and sporadic tree/branch damage.

To view the story map for this event, refer to this link.

 

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Severe Thunderstorm and Tornado Warnings Issued on Dec.15th
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