Power Outage in Sparta, WI

Volunteer snow observers reported that 4 to 8 inches of snow fell across Monroe County. The highest reported total was 8.5 inches in Tomah. Numerous downed power lines were reported across Tomah by the fire department.

Numerous trees and power lines were blown down across mainly the northwest part of Monroe County.

Trees were blown down in and just north of Sparta, which caused some power outages.

An EF1 tornado caused an intermittent damage path along and south of State Highway 21 between Tomah and Wyeville. The damage was limited to trees and a few power poles.

An EF1 tornado caused an intermittent damage path along and south of State Highway 21 between Tomah and Wyeville. The damage was limited to trees and a few power poles.

Numerous trees were blown down in Sparta and several of these landed on houses. Part of a roof was blown off and several power lines were also blown down.

Trees and power lines were blown down north of Tomah.

A tree was blown down onto a powerline in Sparta.

Trees and a large business sign were blown down in Sparta. A business sustained roof damage when the winds blew the shingles off the building. Around 1,600 customers lost power from downed power lines.

The roof was lifted off and windows blown out of county office buildings just north of Sparta. Crops were also flattened in the same area and numerous trees and power lines were blown down on the north side of Sparta.

The roof was lifted off and windows blown out of county office buildings just north of Sparta. Crops were also flattened in the same area and numerous trees and power lines were blown down on the north side of Sparta.

One woman was killed and another seriously injured from vehicle accidents that occurred in thick smoke from a wildfire. In the first accident, one vehicle was rear ended by another. While the drivers where standing between the two vehicles inspecting the damage, a third vehicle slammed into the back of one of the vehicles from the first accident pushing it into the women. A 57 acre wildfire in the Necedah National Wildlife Refuge was responsible for the smoke that closed a 10 mile portion of State Highway 173 both Saturday Sept. 29 and Sunday Sept. 30th. The fire was started by a hawk that got tangled in power lines and was battled by crews from the Warrens Fire Department, Wisconsin DNR and U.S. Fish and Wildlife.

Trees and power lines were blown down in Wyeville. Also, flashing was blown off a building and another home sustained unspecified damage.

Power lines and tree limbs were blown down and the high winds created some roof damage to a few buildings in Sparta. Also, a tree was blown down on top of garage causing damage to the roof.

This tornado passed into Monroe county just east of Rockland (La Crosse County) and continued to the east-northeast before dissipating in the southeast portion of Sparta. Along its path, the tornado destroyed one home east of Rockland, demolished 4 mobile homes and created damage to at least 50 homes in Sparta. At a car dealership on the south side of Sparta, a car was tossed 40 feet and flipped upside down and a billboard sign was knocked over on to a truck. Total damages from this tornado are estimated to be around $900 thousand. An estimated 200 customers lost power in Sparta as a result of this tornado.

This tornado passed into Monroe county just east of Rockland (La Crosse County) and continued to the east-northeast before dissipating in the southeast portion of Sparta. Along its path, the tornado destroyed one home east of Rockland, demolished 4 mobile homes and created damage to at least 50 homes in Sparta. At a car dealership on the south side of Sparta, a car was tossed 40 feet and flipped upside down and a billboard sign was knocked over on to a truck. Total damages from this tornado are estimated to be around $900 thousand. An estimated 200 customers lost power in Sparta as a result of this tornado.

Many trees were blown down along with power lines across the county. Some trees blocked parts of roads as well. There were sporadic power outages in the cities of Oakdale and Sparta, with downed fences in the cities of Sparta and Cashton. The wind blew down a power line that ignited a hillside outside of Sparta. Firefighters were not able to fight the fire until the power was shut off to the line. Only a small amount of land was burned with the firefighters on the scene for about 2 hours.

Numerous trees were knocked down near Haven Avenue and County Road A and AA just south of Highway 16. Trees were knocked down on power lines and cars. Roofs were also blown off of mobile homes in that area.

Scattered thunderstorms moved slowly across portions of western Wisconsin during the late afternoon of July 5th. Some of these storms briefly became strong enough to produce damaging winds that blew down trees and power lines north of Tomah (Monroe County).

Two rounds of thunderstorms moved across western and central Wisconsin on July 7th. The first round developed in the afternoon as a warm front was moving across the region. The second round moved in from Minnesota during the evening and was associated with a cold front. Both rounds of storms primarily produced large hail, but some sporadic wind damage also occurred. The largest hail reported was golf ball sized in Modena (Buffalo County). Trees and power lines were blown down in Osseo (Trempealeau County), Hatfield (Jackson County) and across rural Juneau County.

One woman was killed and another seriously injured in two separate auto crashes. The accidents occurred in extreme northeast Monroe County along State Highway 173 near the intersection of County Road EW in low visibility due to smoke from a wildfire burning in the Necedah National Wildlife Refuge. The first accident occurred when one vehicle rear ended the other. The drivers were standing between the two vehicles when another crashed into the rear of one of the vehicles involved in the first accident pushing it into the women. It was the injuries from the second accident that caused the death and injuries. Officials closed a 10 mile stretch of State Highway 173 both Saturday September 29th and Sunday September 30th because of low visibility from the fire. Crews from the Warrens (Monroe County) Fire Department, Wisconsin DNR and U.S. Fish and Wildlife were able to contain the fire in less than 4 hours after it was first reported. The fire was not declared out until the middle of October. Almost 57 acres were burned by the fire that was started by a hawk that got tangled in power lines.

Small lines of severe thunderstorms formed along a fast moving cold front during the afternoon of May 24th. These thunderstorms caused sporadic wind damage starting near Arcadia (Trempealeau County) and continued toward Longwood and Dorchester (Clark County). Most of the damage was limited to trees and power poles blown down. Before the cold front moved through, a strong gradient was in place. This produced wind gusts of 40 to 45 mph that blew down a cluster of maple trees near Wilton (Monroe County).

A front remained nearly stationary from southern Wisconsin into central Minnesota during the evening and overnight hours of July 10 and 11. Severe thunderstorms developed along the front and produced hail up to one inch in diameter, as well as damaging winds, which blew down trees and power lines.

A line of fast-moving severe thunderstorms produced wind gusts of 60 to 80 mph, which knocked down numerous trees and power lines. Fire department personnel in Nelson (Buffalo County) measured a 78 mph wind gust, which blew over boats on Lake Pepin. A semi-trailer was blown over on Highway 29 near Thorp (Clark County). One person sustained a minor head injury when a tree fell on a car at a campsite just east of Merrillan in Clark County.

Storm spotters and law enforcement officials estimated winds as high as 65 mph, which blew down trees and power lines. In addition, a tractor trailer was damaged when it was flipped over by the strong winds in Tomah (Monroe County). A few trees and corn fields were also damaged along County Road B near Sparta (Monroe County).

Winds estimated at 60 to 65 mph knocked down several trees and power lines.

A tornado touched down at the intersection of County Road T and Levi Road about 2 miles southeast of Norwalk (Monroe County).A large machine shed was demolished on the south side of Levi Road, while the house on the north side was untouched. Some lawn furniture was pulled into the tornado, but a nearby camper was left untouched. At the next residence, a large barn and smaller shed were both demolished. Several windows on the west and south side of the house were broken and an air conditioner was blown into the house. The roof of the house was lifted along the west side approximately 3 inches, which allowed wind to enter the house and blow insulation out of the ceiling. Two adults sleeping upstairs were blown against the east wall, but were not injured. Elsewhere across west central Wisconsin, law enforcement officials reported dime to nickel hail as well as power lines and trees downed.