Power Outage in Racine, WI

Snow accumulation of 8-10 inches. Some branches and power lines down.

Freezing rain with ice accumulation of 0.40-0.75 inches. Tree branches and power lines down. Power outages for thousands of customers. Snow accumulation less than an inch.

Scattered trees and branches down, including power lines, from Burlington to Lake Michigan.

Scattered trees, branches, and power lines down.

Multiple trees and a power line downed.

Westerly wind gusts of 50 to 55 mph. Scattered tree limbs down and some power outages.

Up to one half inch of sleet accumulation and a tenth of an inch of ice accumulation occurred. Some power outages.

Scattered trees and power lines down across the county including the city of Racine.

The Fox River crested in Burlington at a record level of 16.15 feet on July 13th after 4-8 inches of rain in the Fox River Basin. The city of Burlington is divided in half at this river stage from east to west. Bridges and streets in downtown Burlington are blocked off and closed, including Bridge Street. Floodwaters affect homes on the following streets north of E. Jefferson St. in Burlington: North Spring St., North Main St., East Washington St., North Wisconsin St., and Capital Street. Riverside Park and Veterans Park is flooded. Floodwaters affect a portion of Brever Road 4 miles south of Burlington. Floodwaters also approach highway 83. Various road closures over the southwest half of Racine County continued due to flooding. The power was out for much of Burlington for a few days.

The Fox River crested in Burlington at a record level of 16.15 feet on July 13th after 4-8 inches of rain in the Fox River Basin. The city of Burlington is divided in half at this river stage from east to west. Bridges and streets in downtown Burlington are blocked off and closed, including Bridge Street. Floodwaters affect homes on the following streets north of E. Jefferson St. in Burlington: North Spring St., North Main St., East Washington St., North Wisconsin St., and Capital Street. Riverside Park and Veterans Park is flooded. Floodwaters affect a portion of Brever Road 4 miles south of Burlington. Floodwaters also approach highway 83. Various road closures over the southwest half of Racine County continued due to flooding. The power was out for much of Burlington for a few days.

Sporadic trees and branches down. Power lines down as well.

Sporadic trees and branches down. Power lines down as well.

Scattered downed trees and limbs across the county with some falling onto power lines.|WE Energies reported 2,500 customers without power.

Scattered downed trees and branches were reported with some falling onto power lines, homes, or parked vehicles. Scattered reports of shingles, siding, and aluminum fascia torn from homes and garages were received. A semi-truck was blown over by the strong westerly winds on I-94. The trucked was damaged and leaked diesel fuel. The interstate was closed for some time for removal and clean-up. The Racine Batten Airport measured a maximum wind gust of 60 mph.

Trees and power lines down.

The Racine County 911 Call Center reported trees and power lines blown down by damaging thunderstorm wind gusts estimated at 56 knots (65 mph) from Tichigan to Burlington.

A trained spotter reported trees and power lines blown down by damaging thunderstorm wind gusts estimated at 52 knots (60 mph) in Wind Lake.

Strong gradient winds downed tree branches and power lines, causing scattered power outages across Racine County. The ASOS at Racine Batten Airport recorded a 43 mph (37 knot) wind gust.

An amateur radio operator reported trees, tree limbs and power lines blown down west-northwest of downtown Racine by thunderstorm wind gusts estimated at 65 mph (56 knots). The downed trees and power lines blocked the roads near the intersection of Spring Street and Emmertsen Road.

Law enforcement officials reported numerous trees and power lines down across far eastern Racine County from severe thunderstorm winds that gusted up to 82 mph (71 knots) measured by the ASOS at Racine Batten Airport. A C-130 cargo airplane parked at the airport was spun 40-50 degrees and moved 31 feet by the severe wind gusts. Many large branches were also broken off by the powerful winds, which also blew shingles off of several homes. The thunderstorm outflow winds caused roof damage to a house and garage in the 4800 block of State Highway 31.

Law enforcement officials reported numerous trees and power lines down across far eastern Racine County from severe thunderstorm winds that gusted up to 82 mph (71 knots) measured by the ASOS at Racine Batten Airport. A C-130 cargo airplane parked at the airport was spun 40-50 degrees and moved 31 feet by the severe wind gusts. Many large branches were also broken off by the powerful winds, which also blew shingles off of several homes. The thunderstorm outflow winds caused roof damage to a house and garage in the 4800 block of State Highway 31.

An EF1 tornado that developed in far northern Kenosha County, northeast of Somers, entered Racine County near the intersection of County Highway KR (County Line Road) and 90th Street. After a path length of about 0.43 mile in Kenosha County, it crossed into Racine County where CTH EA (72nd Ave) intersects County Line Rd. The tornado moved northeast and dissipating in the northeast section of Graceland Cemetery on the west side of the City of Racine, about 500 feet west of Osborne Boulevard. In Racine County, the tornado blew a weakly anchored barn (built in the 1920s) off its foundation and damaged an industrial building south of STH 11. Later on, it tore off a 100'x200' roof section of the Case/New Holland building, damaged several HVAC units on the roof, and tore off some of the building's garage doors. The Case/New Holland plant was closed until Monday, November 1st while the roof was being repaired. Two workers in this plant were injured by the tornadoes effects. Additionally, a tractor and it's semi-trailer on the Case/New Holland site were blown over and damaged. wo other businesses on STH 11 reported roof damage. At least 3 homes sustained damage. State Highway 11 was closed for a time in eastern Racine County due to debris and fallen power lines, closing or disrupting business at stores along Highway 11, especially in the 7000 and 7100 blocks. At a church 2 miles northeast of the intersection of STH 11 and Oakes Rd., damage was inflicted to its roof, siding windows and a brick sign. Numerous trees and a few power lines were blown down or broken along the path of the tornado. At one point, about 2700 customers lost electrical power. There were reports of a couple vehicle accidents as drivers tried to avoid the tornado. The tornado path averaged 50 yards in width, with a maximum width of 100 yards. The EF-rating was based on DI 23 DOD 4 EXP103 with estimated wind speeds up to 105 mph. The exact start location in Racine County is Lat 42.66901 Lon -87.89515. The exact end location is Lat 42.72845 Lon -87.82596. The path of the tornado was not a straight line, rather, a rough curved line with an actual path length of 5.92 miles within Racine County. After crossing STH 11 about 1/10 of a mile east of North Branch Pike River, the tornado path bearing changed from NNE to NE. Property damage values are estimated.

A thunderstorm developed southeast of Burlington and rapidly strengthened as it moved east-northeast across the city of Racine. Numerous trees and power lines were blown down by the thunderstorm wind gusts, mainly on the west side of the city. About 1,000 WE electric customers were without power at the height of the storm. A spectator at the Racine Triathlon at the lakefront sustained a minor injury when struck by a tent that blew over in the winds.

A thunderstorm developed southeast of Burlington and rapidly strengthened as it moved east-northeast across the city of Racine. Numerous trees and power lines were blown down by the thunderstorm wind gusts, mainly on the west side of the city. About 1,000 WE electric customers were without power at the height of the storm. A spectator at the Racine Triathlon at the lakefront sustained a minor injury when struck by a tent that blew over in the winds.

Police officials reported many trees and power lines down in Wind Lake.

Numerous trees and power lines were blown down in a 10-mile damage swath from just west of Waterford to the city of Racine. The FAA Terminal Doppler radar located in north-central Racine County about 5 miles east of the village of Wind Lake showed 85 knot winds at 250 feet above ground level. In Waterford a large tree fell on and damaged a business building. On the north side of Racine two power-poles came down. Several homes in the swath lost varying amounts of roof shingles. There were several reports of tree debris damaging home siding or portions of a roof. Piers and docks were lifted and twisted and damaged on Wind Lake. About 3.5 miles southwest of the City of Racine a camper was lifted by the wind gusts and slammed into a car. A large section of a corn field near Caledonia was flattned by the winds.

Powerful thunderstorm wind gusts toppled several large trees and broke branches that brought down some power-lines.

Powerful thunderstorm winds knocked large tree branches out of trees and uprooted a couple trees.

Powerful thunderstorms winds knocked down large trees and power-lines.

Powerful thunderstorms winds knocked down large trees.

Powerful thunderstorm winds knocked down a few large trees.

Powerful thunderstorm winds knocked down numerous large trees and powerlines.

Strong southeast wake-low winds gusting to 39 knots (45 mph) resulted in scattered reports of broken tree branches damaging power-lines.

A powerful macroburst moved northeast through the eastern half of Racine county and tore up hundreds of trees, blew over several semi-tractor trailers on Interstate-94 between STH 11 and 20, leveled a barn, detroyed another pole shed, riped the roof off a home, and toppled about 30 power-poles and 59 spans of wire. Additionally, there was wind damage to the Ives Grove Golf Course, the County Board chambers, a Sheriff's Department storage building, and a Public Works Department garage. About a half-dozen campers were overturned by the powerful winds. Several homes sustained tree debris damage. At least six other cars were significantly damaged by flying debris or fallen trees. Monetary damage to the power-poles and power-lines was on the order of $90,000 alone. Newspaper reports mentioned that the damaged swath looked like a war-zone. The width of the damage swath was on the order of 3 to 5 miles. Based on the structural damage it is that estimated peak wind gusts were probably on the order of 87 knots (100 mph). Eyewitness accounts indicated that visibility was less than 10 yards due to the winds and rains.

Lightning struke a pole-jumper, resulting in a power outage that affected 2000 customers in the city.

A surface low pressure and associated cold front moved across southern Wisconsin triggering isolated thunderstorms during the morning and afternoon on July 18th. There was sufficient wind shear for one of the storms to produce a tornado in Sheboygan County...with a severe thunderstorm in Racine County producing 60 mph wind gusts that damaged trees and dropped power lines in the city of Racine. Ten trees were felled in Holy Cross cemetary that damaged many headstones.

In the wake of a departing deep low pressure, west-southwest winds raked south-central and southeast Wisconsin on December 23rd with peak sustained speeds of 26 to 33 knots (30 to 38 mph), and/or peak gusts to 39 to 44 knots (45 to 51 mph). The media reported that wind-broken tree branches fell on power-lines, resulting in scattered power outages. At least 3000 customers were without power for a few hours across south-central and southeast Wisconsin. Specific peak sustained winds include 33 knots (38 mph) at Racine, 30 knots (35 mph) at Burlington, 29 knots (33 mph) at Fond du Lac, and 26 knots (30 mph) at all other locations. Specific peak wind gusts include 44 knots (51 mph) at Waukesha, 43 knots (49 mph) at Racine, 42 knots (48 mph) at Germantown, 40 knots (46 mph) at Burlington, and 39 knots (45 mph) at all other locations. Synoptically, low pressure deepened rapidly as it moved northeast through southeast Wisconsin on its way to the Upper Penesula of Michigan.

Scattered thunderstorms, some pulsing to severe limits, generated large hail or powerful winds. Some large trees were uprooted in the Burlington area (Racine Co.) as winds gusted to 50 kts (58 mph). Heavy rains of 2 inches in 1 to 2 hours in the Caledonia area (Racine Co.) resulted in urban-type flooding. Water depths on some roads briefly reached 6 to 8 inches.

During the mid-morning hours of October 4, 2002, a line of convective showers, orientated north to south moved east through south-central and southeast Wisconsin, and produced strong, gusty west winds generally in the 35 to 48 kt (40 to 55 mph) range with scattered reports of 52 to 61 kts (60 to 70 mph), an isolated "gustnado", and heavy rains. There were several reports of uprooted trees, etc. Interestingly, no thunder or lightning was reported by spotters or the general public, nor did any cloud-to-ground lightning strikes register on the national lightning detection network. However, off-duty National Weather Service (NWS) employees in Oconomowoc (Waukesha Co.) observed some cloud-to-cloud lightning. The line of convective showers was moving through an atmosphere that already had winds of 35 to 61 kts (40 to 70 mph) between 2 and 10 thousand feet above the ground. Mixing of air inside and near the downdraft/rain showers allowed for the transfer of these stronger winds down to the surface.As the line of showers moved through the remainder of southeast Wisconsin, it briefly intensified in scattered locations such that winds gusts over 48 kts (55 mph) were noted. A wind gust of 56 kts (65 mph) occurred at an Oconomowoc about 0900CST, a wind gust of 54 kts (62 mph) was measured in Germantown (Washington Co.) by a storm spotter about 0925CST, a 74 mph gust from the west-southwest was measured at the home of an Amateur Radio operator about 1 mile south of Hartland (Waukesha Co.) at about 0920CST, and a 58 kt (67 mph) gust was reported from a Sheboygan (Sheboygan Co.) school/TV network site. The 74 mph wind gust was associated with a "gustnado" that tore the roof off a home just two doors away on Manchester Lane. Across the street an apartment building sustained roof damage, and two support columns for the front door overhang were toppled. A sliding glass door on the 2nd floor of the apartment building was sucked out of the wall. In addition, a large 60-foot tree on an adjacent street was pushed over onto the roof a home, resulting in damage. Several other large trees were uprooted, and roof shingles were lifted off on a couple homes. Another apartment building sustained damage to a wooden deck. Just west of Hartland, the high winds knocked over a flat-bed farm trailer. On the west side of Eagle Springs Lake (Waukesha Co.) the powerful winds uprooted large trees, which damaged the roof of one residence, damaged a boat house, and two boats on trailers. In addition, the winds destroyed another boat house.Elsewhere in southeast Wisconsin, the Oconomowoc area had uprooted trees and toppled power lines, with one home sustaining damage due to a toppled tree. In Racine County the powerful winds uprooted trees and knocked tree branches loose which hit some power lines. Small tree branches were also knocked loose in all of the other southeastern Wisconsin counties. At least 8000 customers in southeast Wisconsin lost electrical power. Total rainfall associated with the showers ranged from 0.50 to 1.00 inches. Monetary damage amounts listed above are rough estimates.

Lightning struck near an unoccupied home in the central part of the city of Racine and traveled through power lines into the home. The homes siding and electrical wiring were damaged.

Scattered, short lines or clusters of severe thunderstorms moved through southeast Wisconsin during the afternoon hours. Powerful straight-line downburst winds toppled many large trees near Palmyra (Jefferson Co.), across southern Waukesha County from Dousman to Big Bend to Muskego, in Wind Lake (Racine Co.), and from Linton to Genoa City in Walworth County. Nickle-size hail was also noted southeast of Waterloo (Jefferson Co.). Law enforcement officials and trained spotters estimated wind gusts to be in the 50 to 56 knot range (58 to 65 mph). Synoptically, the severe storms developed ahead of a cold front pushing east across Wisconsin, along a cloud/no cloud line. Surface dewpoints around 70 with maximum air temperatures in the 84 to 88 degree range produced Lifted Indices of -4 to -6.

Severe thunderstorms affected parts of southeast Wisconsin with large hail and damaging, straight-line, down-burst winds. In addition, a brief waterspout was noted near Wind Point (Racine Co.). Large trees were toppled by powerful thunderstorm winds in Cedar Grove (Sheboygan Co.), and near Johnson Creek in Jefferson County. Synoptically, thunderstorms fired up along a cold front and pre-frontal trough punching southeast through Wisconsin. Surface dewpoints ahead of the front were in the lower 70s. Maximum daytime temperatures were in the mid to upper 80s. Cell movement was to the east/southeast.

Lightning struck a power substation in Burlington (Racine Co.), and Racine (Racine Co.), resulting in power outages from Burlington east to Racine, as well as across the western one-third of Kenosha County. About 2350 customers lost power for about 5.5 hours.Synoptically, a strong low pressure moved from the southern Rockies through the southern plains and then through Minnesota on Feb 9th. Ahead of the low, southerly winds pulled warm, moist air into southern Wisconsin, as temperatures maxed out in the 35 to 48 degree range. Thunderstorms and cloud-to-ground lightning were reported across southeastern Wisconsin.