La Crosse County, Wisconsin Tornadoes

Tornadoes in northeast Iowa, southeast Minnesota, and southwest and central Wisconsin
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Background Information

Statistics (1850-Present)

Records (1850-Present)

La Crosse County (WI) Tornadoes*
1850-2006

Date			Time	Location	Other Counties Affected	Length (miles)	Width (yards)	Deaths**	Injuries**	F-Scale
Month	Day	Year	Time	Location	Other Counties Affected	Length (miles)	Width (yards)	Deaths**	Injuries**	F-Scale
9	13	2005	1417-1422 CST	Homen 3N to Stevenstown 3SW	None	2	65	0	0	F1
			A tornado touched down near County Highway V between Holmen and Stevenstown (La Crosse County), knocking down several trees along Flatten and Mahlum Road. In fact, trees fell just ahead of and behind a school bus, which was stopped on Flatten Road. Other damage inlcuded a small boat being overturned and a fallen tree damaging a home on Mahlum Road.
5	15	1998	1840-1844 CST	West Salem 3W to West Salem 2NW	None	2	50	0	0	F0
			A tornado touched down near Tims Hill between Onalaska and West Salem on Highway 16 shearing the tops of trees. Further northeast, the tornado crossed a ridge and demolished a barn northwest of West Salem injuring a woman inside.
6	28	1995	1815 CST	Onalaska	None	0.3	50	0	0	F0
			A cold air funnel touched down and ripped off a swimming pool cover, tar paper, and blew twigs into the air some 200 feet. The tornado was said to have made a high pitch whistling noise and looked like a white pillar reaching about 300 feet into the air.
6	23	1981	1830 CST	Neshonoe Lake	None	2	?	0	0	F1
			A tornado developed over Neshonoe Lake and moved southeast across the lake. It hit the Lakeview Farm and then moved southeast to County Highway B.
6	5	1980	2010 CST	St. Joseph 2S to Coon Valley 1W	Vernon	3	70	0	0	F2
			Several barns and four homes were damaged. One home was unroofed. One barn was destroyed and nine cattle were killed.
7	16	1972	1450 CST	Galesville 2S to New Amsterdam 3N	Trempealeau	4.3	50	0	0	F1
			A tornado touched down 2 miles southwest of Galesville. At 1605 CST, the tornado was observed by State Patrol deputies moving southeast across open country.
6	15	1967	1700 CST	Mindoro 2E	None	1	50	0	0	F0
			A tornado moved east 2 miles east of Mindoro.
7	10	1966	2100 CST	Near La Crosse	None	1	?	0	1	F1
7	10	1966	2100 CST	Near Onalaska	None	1	?	0	0	F1
5	5	1965	2000-2020 CST	Money Creek 1NW to Mindoro 1W	Houston (MN) Winona (MN)	30	150	0	1	F3
			Moved east-northeast from northwest of Money Creek, crossing the Mississippi River near Dakota, MN, and passing between Mindoro and Stevenson, WI. Several barns and a brick school house were destroyed. A dozen Wisconsin farms lost buildings and 1 person (La Crosse County) was injured when a car was thrown 75 feet.
5	14	1961	1350 CST	La Crosse	None	?	?	0	0	F2
			The tornado touched down several times as it moved north-northeast in the southeast part of La Crosse. It wrecked several garages and sheds, and also uprooted trees.
4	19	1957	1430 CST	Holmen	None	2.5	150	0	0	F2
4	26	1954	1535 CST	Camp Decorah (between Holman and Galesville)	None	5.6	?	0	0	F1
7	29	1948	1830 CST	?	None	5	?	0	0	?
5	23	1933	1500 CST	Reno 5S to Sparta	Houston (MN) Monroe Vernon	35	100	0	3	F2
			A family of two or three small tornadoes moved northeast from the southeast corner of Houston County, passing 3 miles south of Coon Valley and ending near Sparta. Two tornadoes may have actually crossed the Mississippi River. A dozen barns and farm houses were unroofed, mostly near Coon Valley (Vernon Co.).
5	1	1930	1930 CST	Holmen 2S to Tomah	Monroe	33	100	0	15	F3
			This tornado skipped into Monroe County. Most of the damage was north of West Salem and the west and north edges of Sparta (Monroe County). Homes and barns were destroyed. Damage estimates were $150,000.
8	20	1928	1800 CST	New Amsterdam 3N to West Salem 2S	None	15	400	0	3	F3
			Three farm homes and five barns were destroyed. Many cattle were killed. Damage was estimated at $60,000.
8	11	1907	0730 CST	La Crosse to Tomah	Monroe	30	?	0	2	?
			A tornado tracked from near La Crosse eastward along where Interstate 90 is currently toward Tomah. Property damage was estimated at $100,000.
6	6	1906	1745 CST	Caledonia 3SW to Coon Valley 10NE	Houston (MN) Vernon	33	300	4	26	F4
			A severe tornado occurred passing about 12 miles south of La Crosse. It was first observed in northeastern Iowa near Burr Oak. Passing east northeast near Reno, Minnesota and Stoddard, Wisconsin where it croseed the river, it was last observed in the town of Washington, La Crosse County, Wisconsin West of Portland about 2 miles. Its path curved slightly to the northeast as it progressed, and was about 55 miles long. It destroyed all buildings in its path, killed 4 persons and injured eighteen. The property loss was estimated at $70,000 exclusive of timber and crops, which latter were not damaged to any great extent, the season being early. The tornado was characterized by many people as a violent phenomena usual to these storms. There was comparatively little electrical violence, nor was the rainfall unusual. Its crossing the river near Stoddard was marked by a well defined waterspout formation and it destroyed a heavy wooden railway bridge across the Racoon Creek near Stoddard. Its action on the steep bluffs and the high ravines was peculiar in that the windward or southwest exposure suffered far less damage as shown by prostrated timber than the northeast slopes, where the full vortecular effect was very evident; where as the southwest slopes instead of showing trees thrown in all directions as is usual, the trees were with few exception were thrown to the left, from one side of the track to the other - about 400 yards wide - many of the trees on these slopes were broken off about 15 feet above ground. Another peculiar feature was the decreased violence on top of the bluffs, which are here about 400 feet above the vally, and the immediate resumption of full destruction not only in the deep ravines but in the valleys to the lee of the steep declivities as well as lee sides of the declivities themselves. The path of the storm averaged about 400 yards wide where its action could be determined in timbered portion. The vortex was very distinct and regular, and compared with the height of the bluffs seemed about 800 feet long, rapidly widening at the top. Hail fell on the northward side of the track. It took something less than two hours to travel its course -- it traveled at approximately 25 miles an hour. Moved east-northeast from 3 miles southwest of Caledonia (Houston), crossing the Mississippi River about 12 miles south of La Crosse, and ending 10 miles northeast of Coon Valley (Vernon Co.). A mother and two children were killed as their farm near Freeburg, MN was leveled. One child was carried about half a mile. Fifteen people were injured in rural Minnesota homes. Fourteen homes were damaged or destroyed in Wisconsin, with 1 death occurring 2 miles east of Stoddard.
8	8	1905	Unknown	La Crosse	None	?	?	0	0	F1
			This tornado touched down near La Crosse, crossing the Mississippi River, and just missed an excursion steamer with 500 people on board.
7	24	1875	2040 CST	La Crosse	None	?	?	?	10	F1
			A small tornado moved southeast across the city of La Crosse. Many homes had roof damage. A circus tent was torn apart with some injuries during the ensuing panic.
* The data in this table came from *Storm Data,* *Significant Tornadoes--1680-1991* by Thomas P. Grazulis, and *Wisconsin Tornado Database 1950-2000* Geographic Techniques Report No. ST-WTDB01. ** Injuries and Deaths are for the entire tornado track.

Last Updated Sunday, January 22, 2006 - Jeff Boyne

NOAA's National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office