Tornado outbreak of June 18, 2001

Tornado outbreak of June 18, 2001

Radar image of the Siren Supercell (bottom left) at 8:30 CST.
Type Tornado outbreak
Duration June 18, 2001
Tornadoes confirmed 5
Max rating1 F3 tornado
Duration of tornado outbreak2 ~2 hours, 3 minutes
Damage ~$22.6 million[1]

1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale

2Time from first tornado to last tornado

The tornado outbreak of June 18, 2001, was a small, but fatal outbreak that occurred across the upper Midwest on June 18, 2001. The outbreak spawned a long-tracked F3 tornado that killed three people, and caused approximately $10 million USD in damage. The tornado struck Siren, Wisconsin, a small village whose only siren was malfunctioning when the tornado moved through. Other less damaging tornadoes were confirmed in Iowa, Minnesota and Nebraska. Following the outbreak, areas affected by the Wisconsin tornado received financial assistance from local and federal authorities.

Meteorological synopsis

Meteorological conditions during the evening hours of June 18, 2001 rapidly began to deteriorate across the Upper Midwest. At 7 PM CDT (0000 UTC) an occluding cyclone was present over Northeast Minnesota, while a secondary front was located to its south.[2] A zonally oriented warm front extended from the southern low, while a north-south cold front was located near the low pressure.[2] Cape values in Iowa were between the 3000 to 4500 J/kg range, and conditions were starting to deteriorate there as well.[3] By early evening a line of thunderstorms began to develop along the cold front across Eastern Nebraska and Iowa, and extended up into Minnesota.[3] The first tornado of the outbreak happened at 7:22 PM CDT (0022) near the town of Day, Minnesota. The tornado was rated an F1, and cut a path 8 miles (12.9 km) long through mostly rural areas.[4] At 7:36 PM CDT (0036 UTC) the second tornado of the outbreak, an F0, made a brief touchdown near Tekamah, Nebraska.[5] Some of the Iowa storms also rapidly developed into severe thunderstorms. At 7:59 PM CDT (0059 UTC) Harrison County fire and rescue reported that a tornado had touchdown near Modale.[6] The F0 was on the ground only briefly before lifting.[6] In Wisconsin, convection with was firing up near the Minnesota state border, and an "Enhanced-V" signature became evident on one cell.[7] At 8:06 PM CDT (0106 UTC) an F3 touched down East-Northeast of Grantsburg.[8] The tornado continued in an eastward direction moving through the towns of Alpha, Falun and Siren.[7][8] The tornado moved into Washburn County, where it eventually dissipated near Spooner.[9] The last tornado of the outbreak occurred near Glidden, Iowa. It was rated an F0.[3] Many other storms also caused hail and wind reports across the Midwest, in association with this outbreak.[1]

Confirmed tornadoes

Confirmed tornadoes by Fujita rating
FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5 Total
0 3 1 0 1 0 0 5

Tornado table

List of confirmed tornadoes – June 18, 2001
F#
Location
County
Coord.
Time (UTC)
Path length
Damage
Iowa
F0 N of Modale Harrison 41°23′N 96°01′W / 41.39°N 96.01°W / 41.39; -96.01 0059 .20 miles (0.3 km) Brief touchdown in open country, no damage caused.[6]
F0 S of Glidden Carroll 42°02′N 94°26′W / 42.03°N 94.44°W / 42.03; -94.44 0225 .20 miles (0.3 km) Brief touchdown in open country, $1000 USD in crop damage caused.[3]
Minnesota
F1 E of Day Isanti, Kanabec 45°26′N 93°13′W / 45.43°N 93.21°W / 45.43; -93.21 0022 8 miles (12.9 km) Tornado touchdown confirmed, two barns destroyed, a dozen outbuildings damaged. $200,000 USD in damage caused.[4]
Nebraska
F0 W of Tekamah Burt 41°28′N 96°11′W / 41.47°N 96.19°W / 41.47; -96.19 0036 .10 miles (0.2 km) Brief touchdown in open country, no damage caused.[5]
Wisconsin
F3 E of Grantsburg Burnett, Washburn 45°28′N 92°23′W / 45.47°N 92.39°W / 45.47; -92.39 0106 30 miles (48.3 km) 3 deaths - see section on this tornado.
Sources: NCDC Storm Events Database tornado list June 18, 2001.[1]

Siren tornado

FEMA image of tornado damage in Siren.

The Siren tornado was the outbreak's only fatal storm, killing three people and injuring another 16.[10][11][12][13] Damages from the tornado were estimated at approximately $10 million USD.[10] The tornado caused the most damage in the village of Siren, where most structures were completely destroyed.[11] 240 buildings were damaged or destroyed by the tornado, and over 100 firefighters helped rescue people trapped in buildings and clean up.[14] Residents reported cows and other livestock flying through the air during the tornado.[11] Despite a tornado warning being issued, Siren's only civil defense siren failed as a result of a lightning strike in April or May.[13] Police took to the streets, sounding their horns and shouting warnings to local residents.[12] The siren system had been scheduled to be repaired the following week.[12]

Aftermath

Following the Siren tornado, Wisconsin Governor Scott McCallum declared a state of emergency.[14] Milwaukee's American Signal Corporation donated a T-121 siren to the village.[15] The village of Siren received a state grant of $500,000 USD; Burnett and Washburn counties received $250,000 USD from the United States Department of Labor to help rebuild.[16]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Storm Events". National Climatic Data Center (NCDC). Retrieved 2 March 2010.
  2. 1 2 Zachar, Nick. "Siren, WI Tornado on June 18, 2001" (PDF). University of Wisconsin-Madison. Retrieved 2 March 2010.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Event Record Details". National Climatic Data Center (NCDC). Retrieved 1 March 2010.
  4. 1 2 "Event Record Details". National Climatic data Center (NCDC). Retrieved 1 March 2010.
  5. 1 2 "Event Record Details". National Climatic Data Center (NCDC). Retrieved 1 March 2010.
  6. 1 2 3 "Event Record Details". National Climatic Data Center (NCDC). Retrieved 1 March 2010.
  7. 1 2 "18–19 June 2001 - Siren, Wisconsin Tornado". University of Wisconsin-Madison. Retrieved 2 March 2010.
  8. 1 2 "Siren Tornado". NWS Duluth. Retrieved 2 March 2010.
  9. ↑ "Event Record Details". National Climatic Data Center (NCDC). Retrieved 2 March 2010.
  10. 1 2 "Event Record Details". National Climatic Data Center (NCDC). Retrieved 2 March 2010.
  11. 1 2 3 "Cleanup In No-Siren Siren, Wis.". CBS News. June 19, 2001. Retrieved 2 March 2010.
  12. 1 2 3 "Lethal tornado could have killed more". TV New Zealand. June 20, 2001. Archived from the original on 13 June 2011. Retrieved 2 March 2010.
  13. 1 2 "Tornado kills 3 in Wisconsin, siren silent". Reading Eagle. The Associated Press. June 19, 2001. Retrieved 2 March 2010.
  14. 1 2 "Tornado kills 3, devastates village". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. June 19, 2001. Retrieved 2 March 2010.
  15. ↑ Sweeny, Nicole (June 22, 2001). "Siren for Siren: Company Replacing Signal". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved 3 March 2010.
  16. ↑ Toosi, Nahal (July 3, 2001). "State gives Siren $500,000 to rebuild rom tornado". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved 3 March 2010.
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