National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
250 PM CDT MON MAY 23 2011

...TORNADO TRACK CONFIRMED IN THE CITY OF LA CROSSE WISCONSIN...

ON MAY 22 2011...A TORNADO TRACKED THROUGH THE CITY OF LA CROSSE
WISCONSIN IN WESTERN LA CROSSE COUNTY. THE TORNADO MOVED NORTHEAST
OFF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER AT ABOUT 423 PM ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE
CITY NEAR GREEN ISLAND PARK AND THE SOUTHERN SIDE OF ISLE LA PLUME.
20-30 MATURE OAK AND SILVER MAPLE TRUNKS WERE SNAPPED OFF ABOUT 20-30
FEET FROM THE GROUND ALONG THE PATH INITIALLY. A RESIDENTIAL AREA WAS
THEN STRUCK...WITH DAMAGE TO HOUSING STRUCTURES INCLUDING PARTIAL
ROOF REMOVAL AND HEAVY GARAGE DAMAGE. A TWO-STORY APARTMENT BUILDING
ON COOK AND 7TH STREET HAD A PORTION OF ITS ROOF COMPLETELY REMOVED
WITH A SECOND STORY SIDE WALL MISSING. WINDS WERE ESTIMATED TO HAVE
BEEN ABOUT 115-120 MPH TO CAUSE THIS DAMAGE...OR LOWER-END EF-2 ON
THE ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE. SIGNIFICANT TREE AND POWER LINE DAMAGE WAS
ALSO SEEN IN THIS SUBDIVISION. THE GREEN ISLAND ICE ARENA SUSTAINED
SIDE WALL DAMAGE JUST SOUTH OF THE TORNADO PATH. THIS AREA SUSTAINED
THE HIGHEST END DAMAGE ON THE ENTIRE PATH AND THE TORNADO WIDTH WAS
APPROXIMATED AT 150 YARDS.

THE PATH CONTINUED NORTHEAST...WITH DAMAGE TO A SMALL INDUSTRIAL
AREA AT THE INTERSECTION OF WEST AVENUE AND GREEN BAY STREET.
ROOF COLLAPSE BECAUSE OF SIDE WALL COLLAPSE WAS NOTED AT TWO
BUSINESSES. ONE SMALL APARTMENT BUILDING HAD A ROOF CLEANLY
REMOVED. WOOD POWER POLES WERE LEANING OVER WITH ONE SNAPPED. THERE
WAS WIDESPREAD DAMAGE TO MATURE TREES IN THE AREA AS WELL. THIS
PORTION OF THE TRACK...THE WINDS WERE ESTIMATED AT ABOUT 100-110
MPH...OR EF-1. THE TORNADO WAS MORE NARROW IN THIS AREA...LESS
THAN 100 YARDS WIDE.

THE TORNADO CONTINUED NORTHEAST THROUGH THE CITY WITH MAINLY TREE
DAMAGE AND LIGHT ROOF DAMAGE TO SHINGLES AND TRIM. THE WIDTH WAS
LESS THAN 100 YARDS. THE TORNADO TURNED SLIGHTLY TOWARD THE EAST-
NORTHEAST NEAR EAST AVENUE...AND CONTINUED THROUGH THE LOSEY AVENUE
AND STATE ROAD INTERSECTION WHERE A KMART ROOF SUSTAINED DAMAGE AND
POWER LINES AND STREET LIGHTS WERE DOWNED. THE TORNADO CONTINUED
EAST-NORTHEAST INTO A RESIDENTIAL AREA...WHERE MAINLY TREE DAMAGE
AND STRUCTURAL DAMAGE FROM FALLEN TREES OCCURRED. THE TORNADO ENDED
NEAR THE LOWER PORTION OF THE BLUFF NEAR THE END OF FARNAM STREET.
THIS STRETCH OF DAMAGE WAS CAUSED BY WINDS ESTIMATED AT 80-105 MPH...
OR EF-0 TO EF-1.

TOTAL TRACK LENGTH...2.3 MILES
TIME ON GROUND...423 PM TO 427 PM...4 MINUTES
STRONGEST EF DAMAGE...LOWER-END EF-2...WINDS OF 115-120 MPH
NWS TORNADO WARNING ISSUED...416 PM

PREVIOUS TORNADOES IN THE CITY OF LA CROSSE...
1961...EF-2 TORNADO ON THE SOUTH SIDE.
1966...EF-1 TORNADO AT THE AIRPORT.

$$

BAUMGARDT/RIECK

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LA CROSSE WI
1110 AM CDT MON MAY 23 2011

...FIRST TORNADO TO HIT LA CROSSE SINCE THE 1960S...

PRELIMINARY SURVEY RESULTS INDICATE A TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN ON THE
SOUTH SIDE OF LA CROSSE SUNDAY EVENING. THE SURVEY CONTINUES AND
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION WILL BE PROVIDED LATER TODAY.

THIS IS THE FIRST TORNADO TO STRIKE THE LA CROSSE AREA SINCE THE
1960S. AN F1 TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN AT THE LA CROSSE AIRPORT ON JULY
10 1966 AT 10 PM CDT. THE TORNADO WAS ON THE GROUND FOR ONE MILE AND
WAS 10 YARDS WIDE...OVERTURNING TWO AIRPLANES AND INJURING ONE
PERSON.

ANOTHER TORNADO STRUCK THE LA CROSSE AREA ON MAY 14 1961 AT 250 PM
CDT AND WAS GIVEN AN F2 RATING. THIS TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN SEVERAL
TIMES AS IT MOVED NORTH NORTHEAST IN THE SOUTHEAST PART OF LA
CROSSE. THE TORNADO WRECKED SEVERAL GARAGES AND SHEDS AND ALSO
UPROOTED TREES.

THE FUJITA OR F SCALE HAS BEEN REVISED OVER THE YEARS WITH TORNADOES
NOW BEING ASSIGNED AN ENHANCED FUJITA OR EF SCALE RATING. THE EF
SCALE IS CONSISTENT WITH THE F SCALE BUT PROVIDES ENHANCED
DESCRIPTIONS OF DAMAGE TO MULTIPLE TYPES OF STRUCTURES AND
VEGETATION. THE NWS USES THIS INFORMATION IN DETERMINING AN
APPROPRIATE EF SCALE RATING.