EF3 tornado in Chippewa County, Wisconsin

This is the continuation track of the tornado in Dunn County that crossed 10th Street, south of 560th Avenue. As the tornado tracked northeast, the tornado intensified to an EF3 where considerable damage occurred near County Road X, or Highway 29, and 30th Street, or County Road M. The tornado crossed Highway 29, and move northeast until dissipating east of 50th Street, north of County Road X.

Based on the NWS Storm Survey, the most significant damage occurred in Wheaton Township, or east of Elk Mound around the intersection of County Road M, and Highway 29. This area saw entire groves of trees leveled, some stripping of bark, and the destruction of several structures. The destruction of a metal building and two nearby homes were consistent with expected damage from winds of EF3 in strength.

The path length in Chippewa County was 4.7 miles, with a maximum width of 725 yards, or nearly a half mile wide. The maximum wind speed was near 150 mph.

There were three injuries with this tornado, but no fatalities.

At the beginning of the storm evolution, a few discrete cells produced a tornado near Elk Mound. A very favorable environment capable of producing supercells and tornadoes was in place across west central Wisconsin. Gradual development of thunderstorms occurred during the early evening with widespread storms stretching from northwestern Iowa, southern Minnesota, into western and northern Wisconsin. A few became severe, but the number of storms probably limited most from becoming very strong. The supercell that produced the strong EF3 tornado was an exception. It rapidly intensified and went on to produce the first September EF3 tornado in Wisconsin since Ladysmith on 9/2/2002. Also, the last EF3 tornado this late in the season occurred on 9/28/1971.

As the storms evolved during the evening, a broken line developed, with some straight-line wind damage east of the tornado in Chippewa Falls.

The local emergency manager provided preliminary damage estimates. It includes the costs of repairing or replacing the 29 homes that were damaged or destroyed. The 22 single-family homes were valued at $2.68 million, and the seven manufactured homes were valued at $136,500, for a total housing cost of $2.7 million. With repairs to public utilities, the cost rose to $3.0 million in damages.