CHICAGO – Unusual weather patterns swept through Chicago and
Milwaukee this February, resembling more of a springtime scenario than typical
winter conditions. Severe weather warnings were issued on Thursday, accompanied
by hail and, surprisingly, a few reported tornadoes – an unprecedented event
for February in Wisconsin.
Storm chaser Corey Gerken observed a tornado just outside
Henry, Illinois, late on Thursday afternoon as severe storms traversed the
northern and central regions of the state. Although the rotation was weak, a
significant portion of the funnel touched the ground, meeting the criteria to
be classified as a tornado.
Brandon Copic, another storm chaser, captured video footage of the aftermath of the storm, including a flipped-over semi-truck and a demolished barn. The National Weather Service based in the Quad Cities, Iowa, noted that this was only the second February tornado in their area since 1950.
Despite being over 100 miles away from Chicago, the region
was also on alert for strong to severe storms, with NOAA's Storm Prediction
Center issuing a Level 1 severe weather risk advisory for the area, citing the
potential for hail, gusty winds, and tornadoes.
Numerous reports of hail, ranging from the size of a penny
to a quarter, flooded in from northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin. The
line of thunderstorms crossed Lake Michigan, bringing more hail and wind gusts
of 40-50 mph to western Michigan.
Image source: https://www.accuweather.com/
The unseasonably warm weather the Midwest has been
experiencing, with temperatures 10 to 20 degrees above average, laid the
groundwork for this spring-like weather. Record heat was recorded in
Minneapolis, Des Moines, Iowa, and Wausau, Wisconsin, on Wednesday.
"We're seeing record high temperatures across the
Midwest this afternoon, but this is followed by the potential for severe
weather into this evening," remarked FOX Weather Meteorologist Ian Oliver.
"The warmth and moisture provide fuel for some of these threats."
By sunset, the SPC had already received around a dozen
reports of severe weather, including two tornadoes.
In Wisconsin, severe storms triggered at least one tornado
near Evansville, marking several firsts for the region, including the
first-ever February Tornado Warnings in Wisconsin.
Residents were taken aback by the unusual weather
phenomenon. Patty Pumfrey, a local resident, described the eerie atmosphere
preceding the tornado: "I had gone out on our back deck, and it was like,
it was really weird, it was like a dark fog... And I’ve never quite seen that
before and the tornado sirens were going off and on."
Video footage from Evansville showed a rope-like twister
with frequent lightning activity.
Tom Purdy, a storm chaser, expressed his astonishment at the
event: "I'm still kind of a little bit in shock that it happened, it's
exciting... storms need to be taken very seriously. Even if it is February,
even if there is still snow on the ground, they still happen."
PowerOutage.us reported fewer than 10,000 electric outages
between Wisconsin and Illinois, including areas around Evansville.
The local National Weather Service office plans to send a
storm survey team to the area on Friday to assess the tornado's duration and
strength on the Enhanced Fujita Scale. If confirmed, it will be the first
tornado on record for Wisconsin in February.
Image Source: https://www.wtok.com/
Sure, here are some tags related to the states of Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin, along with severe weather conditions commonly experienced in the Midwest:
1. INDIANA
2. ILLINOIS
3. IOWA
4. WISCONSIN
5. SEVERE WEATHER
6. WIND
7. THUNDERSTORMS
8. HAIL
9. MIDWEST
10. TORNADOES
