National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office

At 806 pm on June 18th, 2001, an F3 tornado touched down 2 miles East-Northeast of Grantsburg, Wisconsin. The tornado continued east through the towns of Alpha, Falun, and eventually Siren around 820 pm . The tornado continued to travel east to 14 miles east of Siren. The most extensive damage was in a 6 block wide area in Siren, where numerous homes were leveled. There was also extensive structural damage to many buildings. The average width of the tornado was 1/8 to 1/4 mile, with the widest width being about a half mile. Preliminary indications are that the path length of the tornado was about 27 miles. Two people died as a direct result of the tornado, with another person killed indirectly after the tornado. In all, there were 16 injuries as a result of the tornado. 

An F3 tornado (on a scale from F0 to F6) is a severe tornado, with wind speeds in the 158-206 mph range. F3 tornadoes produce extensive damage, with roofs and some walls torn off WELL CONSTRUCTED houses. Trains can be overturned, and most trees in fores are uprooted.