A small wildfire occurred May 6th east of Cottonville (Adams County) in the Town of Richfield. The burned remains of a person was found with the cause of death determined to be cardiac related because of extreme stress and exertion related to the fire.
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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 small wildfire occurred May 6th east of Cottonville (Adams County) in the Town of Richfield. The burned remains of a person was found with the cause of death determined to be cardiac related because of extreme stress and exertion related to the fire. The fire consumed about 3 acres and was started by burning debris.
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 May 6, 11:10 AM CST, 1 hour 10 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service La Crosse WI 1210 PM CDT Wed May 6 2020 .SHORT TERM...(Today and tonight) Issued at 352 AM CDT Wed May 6 2020 At 3 AM, some patchy dense fog had developed in Grant County in southwest Wisconsin. The visibility at Platteville is a quarter mile and it is a half mile at Boscobel. Skies were partly to mostly cloudy across the area. Temperatures were in the lower and mid-30s in central and north-central Wisconsin, and ranged from the upper 30s to mid-40s elsewhere in the Upper Mississippi River Valley. For this afternoon, the BUFKIT soundings continue to show very steep 1000 to 700 mb lapse rates and surface based CAPES up to 500 J/kg. This will result in the possibility of scattered showers. With an inverted V sounding in the sub cloud layer, winds may gust up to 20 mph at times. High temperatures will be in the lower and mid- 60s. For tonight, it continues to look like it will be a good radiational cooling night in central and north-central Wisconsin. Low temperatures will likely fall into the lower 30s. There appears to be just enough low moisture for some frost to develop. Was very tempted at issuing a Frost Advisory for the Wisconsin counties along and north of Interstate 94. .LONG TERM...(Thursday through Tuesday) Issued at 352 AM CDT Wed May 6 2020 On Thursday afternoon, the surface dew points looked too high along and north of the Interstate 90 corridor. As a result, used the dew point mixed down tool to lower them into the teens and lower 20s. This lowered the afternoon relative humidities into the lower and mid-20s. The combination of these low relative humidities and winds gusting to around 20 mph will result in elevated fire weather conditions. It continues to look like Thursday night will be a good night for frost and freezes. Frost Advisories and Freeze Warnings will likely be needed. There may be even some record cold low temperatures in central and north-central Wisconsin. See the climate section below for more on these records. On Friday and Friday night, even colder air spills southward into the region. 850 mb temperatures in ECMWF ESAT will range from -6 to -9C which is 2 to 3 standard deviations below normal. With the NBM temperatures being at over above the 75th percentile, lowered the high temperatures down 3 to 5F. In addition, the dew points were too high based on the dew point mixed down tool, so lowered them too. This lowered the relative humidity into the lower and mid-20s. The combination of these low relative humidities and winds gusting into the 20 to 30 mph could result in elevated to critical fire weather conditions. From Saturday afternoon through Sunday night, the 06.00z models are beginning to diverge. The GFS has shifted the low pressure area far enough that the area would remain dry. Meanwhile, the ECMWF continues to bring rain to the area. There maybe even a light wintry mix north of Interstate 94 on Saturday night. The Canadian track is in between these two solutions. Due to these difference, just stayed with the NBM. As high pressure builds into the area on Monday night, skies will clear and the northwest and west winds will subside to less than 5 mph. This will result in a good radiational cooling night. Temperatures will likely cool into the mid to upper 20s north of Interstate 94 and into the lower and mid 30s elsewhere. This will result in another night where frosts and freezes look likely. && .AVIATION...(For the 18Z TAFS through 18Z Thursday afternoon) Issued at 1210 PM CDT Wed May 6 2020 Scattered to broken VFR cumulus/altocumulus field across the area this afternoon should dissipate the evening by sunset. VFR conditions to prevail tonight into Thursday as well. Northwest winds gusting into the 15 to 20kt range will also dissipate by evening. && .FIRE WEATHER...Wednesday through Friday Afternoons Issued at 352 AM CDT Wed May 6 2020 Elevated to near critical fire weather conditions are expected during the afternoons of Wednesday through Friday. Relative humidities will fall into the lower to mid 20s in central Wisconsin this afternoon, along and north of Interstate 90 on Thursday afternoon, and across much of the area on Friday afternoon. The winds will be out of the northwest at 10 to 15 mph with gusts to 20 mph this afternoon and Thursday afternoon. The northwest winds will then increase into the 10 to 20 mph range with gusts to 30 mph on Friday afternoon. && .CLIMATE...Friday and Saturday Issued at 352 AM CDT Wed May 6 2020 Record lows possible in central and north-central Wisconsin on Friday, May 8... Mather 3NW 25F in 1947 Mauston 1SE, WI 26F in 1976 Medford, WI 21F in 1901 Mondovi, WI 23F in 1948 Neillsville 3ESE, WI 23F in 1976 Owen 1E, WI 23F in 1948 Sparta, WI 25F in 1976 More record lows possible in central and north-central Wisconsin on Saturday, May 9... Mather 3NW, WI 22F in 1947 Mauston 1SE, WI 23F in 1977 Medford, WI 17F in 1966 Mondovi, WI 20F in 1947 Neillsville 3ESE, WI 20F in 1966 Owen 1E, WI 13F in 1966 Sparta, WI 25F in 1947 && .ARX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WI...None. MN...None. IA...None. && SHORT TERM...Boyne LONG TERM...Boyne AVIATION...DAS FIRE WEATHER...Boyne CLIMATE...Boyne
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service La Crosse WI 324 AM CDT Wed May 6 2020 WIZ017-029-034-042>044-071200- Taylor-Clark-Jackson-Monroe-Juneau-Adams- 324 AM CDT Wed May 6 2020 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of central Wisconsin...north central Wisconsin and west central Wisconsin. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight There is an elevated fire risk this afternoon. Frost will be possible tonight. Unprotected tender vegetation could be damaged or killed. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Thursday through Tuesday There is an elevated fire risk on Thursday and Friday afternoons. Freezing temperatures are likely on Thursday and Friday nights. Unprotected tender vegetation will be damaged or killed. Frost is possible again on Monday night. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... No action needed. .EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COORDINATION... No webinar is scheduled. IAZ008>011-018-019-029-030-MNZ079-086>088-094>096-WIZ032-033-041- 053>055-061-071200- Mitchell-Howard-Winneshiek-Allamakee-Floyd-Chickasaw-Fayette- Clayton-Wabasha-Dodge-Olmsted-Winona-Mower-Fillmore-Houston- Buffalo-Trempealeau-La Crosse-Vernon-Crawford-Richland-Grant- 324 AM CDT Wed May 6 2020 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of north central Iowa...northeast Iowa...southeast Minnesota...and southwest Wisconsin and west central Wisconsin. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight There is an elevated fire risk this afternoon. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Thursday through Tuesday There is an elevated fire risk on Thursday and Friday afternoons. Frost and freezing temperatures will be possible Thursday and Friday nights. Unprotected tender vegetation could be damaged or killed. Frost is possible again on Monday night. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... No action needed. .EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COORDINATION... No webinar is scheduled. Boyne
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.
One person died as a result of a small wildfire east of Cottonville. The cause of death was cardiac arrest related to extreme stress or exertion from the fire. The fire only burned about 3 acres and started as a result of burning debris.
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wildfire, Adams | 2020-05-06 | 73 | Male | Outside/Open Areas | Indirect |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Wisconsin in 2020Every state in 2020This day in weather historyWarnings in Wisconsin, May 2020
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: 892202.