A large cattle barn undergoing construction collapsed when strong thunderstorm winds hit during the afternoon of August 6. Four contruction workers where injured when the barn collapsed.
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Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
The episode as NWS ARX wrote it up.
A large cattle barn undergoing construction collapsed when strong thunderstorm winds hit during the afternoon of August 6. Four contruction workers where injured when the barn collapsed.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS La Crosse, WI wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 6, 2:27 PM CST, 6 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI 327 PM CDT WED AUG 6 2008 .SHORT TERM...TODAY THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT MAINLY DRY PERIOD WITH HIGH PRESSURE SETTLING OVER THE AREA INTO THE WEEKEND. CONCERNS LIE WITH FOG POTENTIAL FRIDAY MORNING...AND ALSO POSSIBLE WARM FRONT/RAIN CHANCES EDGING INTO THE AREA FRIDAY NIGHT. 18Z WATER VAPOR IMAGERY INDICATING SHORTWAVE TROUGH MOVING ACROSS SOUTHERN MINNESOTA AND WISCONSIN. ALSO...19Z RADAR SHOWING STORMS DEVELOPING IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE SHORTWAVE ACROSS EAST CENTRAL MINNESOTA AND NORTHWEST WISCONSIN. MEANWHILE...ANOTHER LINE OF SHOWERS AND STORMS HAD DEVELOPED ALONG A DEWPOINT DISCONTINUITY ACROSS CENTRAL WISCONSIN. FOR TONIGHT...MAIN ENERGY FROM THE SHORTWAVE WILL TRANSITION SOUTH AND EAST OF THE FORECAST AREA EARLY THIS EVENING...AND WITH DAYTIME HEATING ENDING...DON/T EXPECT ANY SHOWERS/STORMS TO LINGER FAR INTO THE EVENING HOURS. THEN HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN AND WILL SIT OVER THE REGION THROUGH SATURDAY. DEEP NORTHWEST FLOW WILL KEEP COOLER THAN NORMAL AIR ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA WITH HIGHS ONLY IN THE UPPER 70S AND LOW 80S THROUGH MUCH OF THE PERIOD. TEMPERATURES FROM PREVIOUS FORECASTS CONTINUE TO BE ON TRACK SO LITTLE CHANGES WERE MADE. ALTHOUGH FORECAST REMAINS DRY THROUGH THIS TIME-FRAME...06.12Z NAM AND 06.15Z SREF BRINGING A WARM FRONT FROM EASTERN SOUTH DAKOTA INTO EASTERN IOWA FRIDAY NIGHT. THESE MODELS DO SHOW SOME LIFT OVER THE BOUNDARY AND DO GENERATE QPF IN AREAS WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. 06.12Z GFS/06.12Z ECMWF DO HAVE A SIGNAL FOR THIS...BUT IT REMAINS WEST OF THE FORECAST AREA WITH THE HIGH HOLDING STRONG OVER THE FORECAST AREA. AS THIS WAS THE FIRST INDICATIONS OF THIS...DECIDED TO HOLD OFF ON INTRODUCING PRECIPITATION CHANCES FOR FRIDAY NIGHT. OTHER CONCERN IS FOG FRIDAY MORNING. THE HIGH SHOULD ALMOST BE DIRECTLY OVERHEAD FRIDAY MORNING...SO SURFACE WINDS WILL BE QUITE LIGHT. SOUNDINGS AND MODELS NOT SHOWING A GREAT ABUNDANCE OF MOISTURE IN THE BOUNDARY LAYER...BUT BELIEVE WITH CLEAR SKIES TEMPERATURES WILL DROP FAR ENOUGH THAT ALONG WITH SYNOPTIC SETUP...THERE WILL BE POTENTIAL FOR RIVER VALLEY FOG. .LONG TERM...SUNDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY MODEL DIFFERENCES...ALONG WITH TIMING OF SHORTWAVES MOVING THROUGH NORTHWEST FLOW LED TO LOWER CONFIDENCE IN PRECIPITATION CHANCES FOR THIS TIME PERIOD. AS FOR TEMPERATURES...COOLER LOOKS TO BE THE TREND WITH BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES. OPTED TO GO WITH THE MORE PROGRESSIVE ECMWF FOR THIS FORECAST PACKAGE...WHICH WILL SLIDE THE HIGH EAST OF THE FORECAST AREA BY SUNDAY. UPPER LEVEL LOW MOVES OVER HUDSON BAY NEAR THE END OF THE WEEKEND...AND LOOKS TO REMAIN THERE INTO THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK. 06.00Z ECMWF HAS A SFC LOW PRESSURE AREA/WEAK COLD FRONT MOVING EASTWARD ACROSS THE AREA SUNDAY. BEST 850-700MB QG FORCING IS IN THIS TIME PERIOD...WITH NOSE OF MOISTURE TRANSPORT POINTED INTO THE FORECAST AREA ON SUNDAY. THIS QUICKLY TRANSITIONS EASTWARD SUNDAY NIGHT. ALTHOUGH THIS PARTICULAR MODEL RUN WOULD INDICATE THE NEED FOR INCREASED POPS...DID NOT CHANGE MUCH TO PRECIPITATION CHANCES DUE TO LACK OF CONFIDENCE. IF THIS TREND WOULD CONTINUE...SUNDAY/SUNDAY NIGHT TIME-FRAME WILL NEED TO BE ADDRESSED FURTHER IN COMING SHIFTS. MULTIPLE SHORTWAVES WILL THEN BE PUSHED THROUGH THE FLOW ACROSS THE REGION FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE EXTENDED PERIOD. STEEP LAPSE RATES MOVING ACROSS THE AREA...WITH THE PASSAGE OF SHORTWAVES WILL CONTINUE THE NEED FOR PRECIPITATION CHANCES INTO THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK. && .AVIATION... SHORTWAVE TROUGH AND GOOD LOW LEVEL LAPSE RATES WILL RESULT IN SOME AFTERNOON/EARLY EVENING SHRA/TS ACROSS NORTHEAST MN/NORTHERN WI. BELIEVE THIS SCATTERED ACTIVITY SHOULD STAY NORTH AND EAST OF KRST/KLSE...ALTHOUGH SCT/BKN CU FIELD IS LIKELY. CLEAR SKIES SHOULD RETURN BY LATE EVENING...WITH A SFC HIGH GRADUALLY SINKING ACROSS THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI RIVER VALLEY BY 12Z FRI. VFR CONDITIONS SHOULD DOMINATE THROUGH FRI AS A RESULT. THAT SAID...STILL SOME CONCERNS FOR MORNING VALLEY FOG FOR KLSE OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS...ESPECIALLY WHEN THE HIGH SLIDES OVERHEAD. TONIGHT...THE NORTHWEST WINDS...WHILE LIGHT AT THE SFC...LOOK TO BE A BIT TOO HIGH JUST OFF THE SFC //PER BUFKIT SOUNDINGS// TO SUPPORT WIDESPREAD VALLEY FOG WHICH WOULD IMPACT KLSE. FEEL THE HIGHER THREAT WILL COME FRI MORNING WHEN A DEEPER/LIGHTER WIND REGIME IS ANTICIPATED. && .ARX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WI...NONE. MN...NONE. IA...NONE. && SHORT/LONG TERM...BROOKS AVIATION..........RIECK
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI 310 PM CDT WED AUG 6 2008 IAZ008>011-018-019-029-030-MNZ079-086>088-094>096-WIZ054-061-071000- ALLAMAKEE-CHICKASAW-CLAYTON-CRAWFORD-DODGE-FAYETTE-FILLMORE-FLOYD- GRANT-HOUSTON-HOWARD-MITCHELL-MOWER-OLMSTED-WABASHA-WINNESHIEK- WINONA- 310 PM CDT WED AUG 6 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PARTS OF NORTHEAST IOWA... SOUTHEAST MINNESOTA...AND SOUTHWEST INTO CENTRAL WISCONSIN. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT A DISTURBANCE ALOFT WILL TRACK SOUTHEAST ACROSS NORTHERN WISCONSIN THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...TRIGGERING A FEW THUNDERSTORMS. THERE IS A HIGHER RISK OF THIS EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. BESIDES AN OCCASIONAL LIGHTNING THREAT...SOME OF THE STRONGER STORMS MAY PRODUCE SMALL HAIL AND GUSTY WINDS. ANY SHOWER OR THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY SHOULD DISSIPATE EARLY THIS EVENING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS RETURNS SATURDAY NIGHT AND INTO NEXT WEEK. AT THIS TIME...NO SEVERE WEATHER IS EXPECTED. THERE COULD ALSO BE SOME DENSE VALLEY FOG OVER THE NEXT FEW MORNINGS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED. .EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COORDINATION... NO CALL IS SCHEDULED. WIZ017-029-032>034-041>044-053-055-071000- ADAMS-BUFFALO-CLARK-JACKSON-JUNEAU-LA CROSSE-MONROE-RICHLAND-TAYLOR- TREMPEALEAU-VERNON- 310 PM CDT WED AUG 6 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PARTS OF NORTH CENTRAL WISCONSIN. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT A DISTURBANCE ALOFT WILL TRIGGER THUNDERSTORMS AS IT MOVES SOUTHEAST ACROSS WISCONSIN LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THERE WILL BE ENOUGH INSTABILITY THAT A FEW OF THE STORMS COULD BECOME STRONG TO SEVERE...WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WIND GUSTS THE PRIMARY THREATS. THIS THREAT SHOULD DIMINISH AFTER 7 PM...AS THE STORMS WEAKEN AND EXIT THE AREA. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS RETURNS SATURDAY NIGHT AND INTO NEXT WEEK. AT THIS TIME...NO SEVERE WEATHER IS EXPECTED. THERE COULD ALSO BE SOME DENSE VALLEY FOG OVER THE NEXT FEW MORNINGS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... LOCAL SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED THROUGH EARLY THIS EVENING. .EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COORDINATION... NO CALL IS SCHEDULED. RIECK
The La Crosse radar (KARX), 54 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:33 UTC.
1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Thunderstorm winds caused a cattle barn undergoing construction to collapse near Arcadia. Four construction workers were injured.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Wisconsin in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in Wisconsin, August 2008
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 122947.