The first half of June has indeed been an interesting one in the weather department here at News 18.  Stormy weather for weeks at a time, below average temperatures, above average rainfall, record flooding and cold air funnels…who could ask for more?

Well, over the weekend some folks throughout the upper Midwest experienced an outbreak of what we call gustnadoes.  Saturday evening as strong storms rolled through central Minnesota, the National Weather Service in Chanhassen began receiving phone calls with reports of tornadoes in the area.

The meteorologists on duty were a bit surprised to hear this, as the radar data showed no signs of rotation within these storms…nothing, notta.  The environment just wasn’t right for tornado formation.  So what was going on?

As this strong line of storms moved through, cold air was being pushed down to the surface at the leading edge of the storm (we call this the gust front) and slicing under the warm air in front of it, which in return gets forced violently upward.  Now you have the winds going in two different directions near the ground and this friction creates a spinning column of air which can create a gustnado.

Gustnadoes are different from tornadoes in that they usually don’t extend all the way up to the base of the cloud.  They have more in common with a dust devil or whirlwind than a tornado (picture an area of leaves swirling on a windy day, only on a larger scale).  They typically only last a few seconds to a few minutes and have winds from 50-100 mph.  They rarely evolve into a full blown tornado, but it can happen and therefore should be taken seriously.

Thankfully we’ll see calmer conditions across the region this week and let’s hope for a little less variety the rest of the month!

Meteorologist LeAnn Lombardo

Posted under Hometown Weather

I was out last summer following an afternoon of heavy rainfall, riding with a friend through a parking lot.  It had rained hard enough that the water had ponded in the parking lot.  I told this friend to drive around the water, but she insisted on plowing through the enormous "puddle".  Needless to say, her car started acting funny for the next couple of days, threatening to even stall at times.

It is important to remember one basic saying when heavy rain leads to flash flooding:  turn around, don’t drown!  Elementary . . . maybe.  Silly . . . absolutely not!  We repeat this sentence to kids during our Weather Academy, and adults can do well to remember it too.  Flooding in southern Wisconsin and Iowa last weekend led to over half a dozen deaths, and the threat of torrential rainfall over the next 36 hours means we will have to keep a watchful eye on rivers, creeks, and lakes.  Flash flooding occurs very quickly and often takes people by surprise. If you’ve been down a waterslide, then you know how helpless you are once the ride begins.  Getting swept away by flood waters is an equally helpless feeling that can have devastating consequences.  Here are a couple of tips to remember if flooding occurs:

1. If you are driving and water is flooding the road in front of you, STOP AND TURN AROUND!  The most likely result will be your call stalling out with you in it.
2. If you live in a low-lying area or the lower floor of an apartment complex, keep a watchful eye on the situation and be prepared to immediately move to a higher location.
3. NEVER play or try to walk through flood waters. 

Shown below are forecast rainfall totals over the next couple of days.  The good news is that thunderstorm activity will become more scattered over the weekend, which means you’ll be able to get back out and enjoy some better early summer weather here in western Wisconsin!

Chief Meteorologist, Doug Michaels

Posted under Hometown Weather