On July 5th, a weak tornado occurred with weak showers and storms in an meteorological setup that was favorable for landspout tornadoes. The tornado path was confirmed with both video evidence and drone footage.
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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.
On July 5th, a weak tornado occurred with weak showers and storms in an meteorological setup that was favorable for landspout tornadoes. The tornado path was confirmed with both video evidence and drone footage.
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 Jul 5, 1:32 PM CST, 8 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service La Crosse WI 232 PM CDT Fri Jul 5 2024 .KEY MESSAGES... - Scattered Showers w/ Isolated Embedded Storms, Waning This Evening - Perpetual Precipitation Chances This Weekend Through Wednesday. - Slightly Below Normal Temperatures Through Wednesday. && .DISCUSSION... Issued at 215 PM CDT Fri Jul 5 2024 Scattered Showers & Isolated Storms Today: Scattered showers and isolated storms have frequented the forecast area early this afternoon as an area of lower heights exits east over the Great Lakes. In its wake, cold air advection has been sufficiently steepening low level lapse rates, tapping into more unstable mid level lapse rates. Steepest off deck lapse rates remain off to the northeast, tied to the mid to upper level cyclone, providing more widespread shower and storm coverage accordingly. As diurnal heating decreases this evening and the upper level low shifts farther east, expect these scattered showers to wane from west to east. Shower & Storm Potential Saturday Night Through Sunday: While CAA weakens Saturday, a tight, well-wrapped upper level cyclone, seen on upper level GOES 16 Water Vapor imagery early this afternoon, continues a southeasterly trajectory into the Upper Mississippi River Valley. As a result, precipitation chances initially lift from southwest to northeast as the low phases from central Iowa through central Minnesota. Resultant, initial precipitation potential grazes our western counties in northeast Iowa and southeast Minnesota before spreading farther east over the forecast area into Saturday night and Sunday. In detail, persistent dry air shunts a narrow filament of increased low level theta e away until Saturday night. A meager lobe of increased moisture is then expected to overcome the lingering dry air Saturday evening, pushing a narrow quasi- meridional filament of increased precipitation potential. Eventually, concurrent with the low level trough passage, the nocturnal low level jet advects the higher moisture filament towards the forecast area into the early morning hours on Sunday. The highest moisture remains shunted to the southwest through the entire event, limiting overall widespread rain potential to near 0.1" with 0.25" to 0.5" possible along our southern periphery and in spots where storms frequent. Periodic Precipitation & Storm Chances Through Wednesday: Periods of precipitation potential fall primarily on Monday, Tuesday, & Wednesday as a quasi-omega block results in perturbations along southwest to northeast flow. As the trough exits to the northeast through Monday, west-northwest flow converges along the moisture boundary through Tuesday before high pressure shifts east along the International border, perpetuating northerly flow towards this boundary. Eventually this boundary is overcome with southeasterly flow through Wednesday night as the high sags over the Great Lakes. Precipitation chances hinge on location of a wavering surface frontal boundary and the exit of the low level trough from Sunday night through Monday. Current confidence places this narrow corridor of increased moisture, oriented southwest to northeast, bifurcating the forecast area from southwest to central Wisconsin. Periodic Precipitation Impacts Through Wednesday: With relative weak forcing and an overall lack of moisture as we remain on the periphery of a meager, narrow moisture filament overall impacts appear limited at this time. Increased lapse rates remain northwest of the moisture boundary while saturation lies to the southeast. In summary, there is meager instability, highest to the northwest, albeit unsaturated. Farther southeast, long, skinny CAPE profiles limit any storm confidence with coincidental saturation. Therefore, storms are possible, primarily within a narrow corridor along the weak boundary that may shift southeast and northwest with diurnal heating and precipitation. Long term global ensemble confidence (30-80%) suggests 1" to 2" of total rainfall from Saturday through Wednesday. Within a 24 hours, confidence (50-75%) for near 0.25" Sunday and near an additional 0.1" Monday and Tuesday. && .AVIATION /18Z TAFS THROUGH 18Z SATURDAY/... Issued at 1155 AM CDT Fri Jul 5 2024 CIGS: BKN MVFR looks to hang around for the early part of the afternoon with the RAP/HRRR soundings suggesting a gradual lift into VFR as the afternoon wears on. Should see an exit southeast with a scattering into the evening. WX/vsby: scattered -shra will persist through the rest of the afternoon as weak instability works with an upper level shortwave. Isolated thunder possible. -SHRA or VCSH could cover the likelihood/coverage with most vsby impacts holding at P6sm. However, could see a dip to 3SM with any moderate shower. Showers will shift southeast through the afternoon with decrease in areal coverage with loss of daytime heating. With clearing skies and saturated grounds/near sfc layer - some concerns for fog. Not a lot of consensus for where or how widespread the potential would be in the short term guidance, so opting to not add to forecast yet. Will keep a close eye though and adjust as needed. WINDS: north/northwest becoming light for the night time hours. Expecting a shift to the southwest moving into Sat afternoon. && .HYDROLOGY... Issued at 300 AM CDT Fri Jul 5 2024 Rainfall amounts were generally less than an inch across the bulk of the forecast area, however some pockets of 1 to 2"+ did occur. Some of these localized amounts fell over the Whitewater, Root River, Kickapoo, Pine River, and Wisconsin River Basins, and the Mississippi River mainstem. As a result, we are seeing some river rises and some minor flooding on the Kickapoo and Pine River. In addition, this widespread rain will prolong the flooding along the Mississippi River mainstem. Although rainfall is generally forecast to be a quarter of an inch or less for most locations today. Some isolated locations could pick up more. Some of our hi-res guidance shows some low to medium probabilities of 1" in spots along and east of I94. Locally higher amounts can occur with any storms. Through the weekend, the additional rainfall is not expected to increase flooding concerns. && .ARX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WI...None. MN...None. IA...None. && DISCUSSION...JAR AVIATION...Rieck HYDROLOGY...Zapotocny
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service La Crosse WI 426 AM CDT Fri Jul 5 2024 IAZ008>011-018-019-029-030-MNZ079-086>088-094>096-WIZ017-029- 032>034-041>044-053>055-061-061400- Mitchell-Howard-Winneshiek-Allamakee-Floyd-Chickasaw-Fayette- Clayton-Wabasha-Dodge-Olmsted-Winona-Mower-Fillmore-Houston- Taylor-Clark-Buffalo-Trempealeau-Jackson-La Crosse-Monroe-Juneau- Adams-Vernon-Crawford-Richland-Grant- 426 AM CDT Fri Jul 5 2024 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of southeast Minnesota...northeast Iowa and southwest into central Wisconsin. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight There is a chance for non-severe thunderstorms today. Flooding will continue along some area rivers. Please see the latest flood statements for additional details. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Saturday through Thursday Storm chances continue this weekend into early next week. At this time, confidence in severe thunderstorms remains low. Flooding will continue along some area rivers. Please see the latest flood statements for additional details. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... No action needed. .EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COORDINATION... No webinar is scheduled. Zapotocny
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service La Crosse WI
925 AM CDT Fri Jul 5 2024
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0753 AM Rain 2 ESE Seneca 43.25N 90.92W
07/05/2024 M2.42 Inch Crawford WI Public
&&
JSBPreliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service La Crosse WI
926 AM CDT Fri Jul 5 2024
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0705 AM Rain 1 N Bangor 43.91N 90.99W
07/05/2024 M1.12 Inch La Crosse WI Public
&&
JSBPreliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service La Crosse WI
927 AM CDT Fri Jul 5 2024
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0926 AM Rain Cazenovia 43.53N 90.20W
07/05/2024 M2.70 Inch Richland WI Public
&&
JSBPreliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service La Crosse WI
928 AM CDT Fri Jul 5 2024
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0614 AM Rain Union Center 43.68N 90.26W
07/05/2024 M1.00 Inch Juneau WI Public
&&
JSBPreliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service La Crosse WI
929 AM CDT Fri Jul 5 2024
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1209 AM Rain 5 N Fennimore 43.06N 90.66W
07/05/2024 M0.50 Inch Grant WI Public
&&
JSBPreliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service La Crosse WI
950 AM CDT Fri Jul 5 2024
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0936 AM Rain 5 SW Austin 43.64N 93.05W
07/05/2024 M0.39 Inch Mower MN Public
&&
JSBThe La Crosse radar (KARX), 163 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:40 UTC.
1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
This weak EF-0 started northwest of Medford, mainly producing tree damage along a 1 mile long path before lifting 2 minutes later. The damage path was identified with video footage of the tornado and drone footage provided by Taylor County Emergency Management.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Wisconsin in 2024Every state in 2024This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Wisconsin, 2024Warnings in Wisconsin, July 2024
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: 1199865.