1996 Oakfield tornado

1996 Oakfield tornado

Chase photograph of the Oakfield tornado. (Courtesy Cailyn Lloyd)
Formed July 18, 1996, 6:05 pm
Tornadoes confirmed 12
Max rating1 F5 tornado
Casualties 1 fatality
1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale

The 1996 Oakfield Tornado is the name of an F5 tornado which severely damaged the village of Oakfield, Wisconsin on July 18, 1996.[1] In addition, strong thunderstorms brought heavy rains, lightning, and gusty winds to that region of Wisconsin. All of these elements resulted from the passage of a strong upper level disturbance over an extremely unstable airmass. The violent tornado developed outside of town and moved eastward across Fond du Lac County, directly through Oakfield. At 7:15 p.m. the large tornado struck the village (pop: 1,012), injuring 17 people but killing none. Damage estimates totaled over $40 million as 47 of 327 homes were destroyed. An additional 56 homes as well as numerous businesses and churches suffered heavy damage. A state of emergency was declared by Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson allowing National Guard soldiers to be called in to aid victims and clear debris.

Remains of a home that was swept completely away by the F5 tornado near Oakfield, with anchor bolts and rebar supports severely bent. (Courtesy of NWS Milwaukee, Wisconsin)

The tornado was strong enough to level the Friday Canning Company, sweeping up millions of empty cans and leaving them scattered over a 50-mile (80 km) radius. Besides structural damage to buildings the tornado was very costly to farmers; Crops, livestock, and farm equipment were also destroyed. The original National Weather Service report from Milwaukee/Sullivan categorized the tornado to be an F3 to F4 tornado on the Fujita scale. It was later upgraded to an F5, the most intense category tornado possible. It would be the only F5 tornado to hit the United States that year. The tornado width when it reached its maximum strength was about 100 yards (92m) wide, making it one of the narrowest F5's on record. The tornado was documented by at least three experienced storm chasers.

There were eleven other tornadoes in Wisconsin from this storm complex, with one death at Marytown, Wisconsin.[2]

Tornado table

Confirmed tornadoes by Fujita rating
F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5 Total
5 5 1 0 0 1 12
F# Location County Time (UTC) Path length Damage
Wisconsin
F1 SW of Tomahawk Lincoln 2220 3 miles
(4.8 km)		 Three cottages, one home and a tavern were damaged. A garage was removed from its foundation and two boats were flipped.
F1 SW of Berlin Green Lake 2315 2 miles
(3.2 km)		 Damage was limited to trees.
F2 Marytown area Calumet, Wisconsin 0005 6.4 miles
(10.2 km)		 1 death - North of Marytown, a couple of dozens of barns, sheds and homes were damaged or destroyed. In Marytown, a house trailer, three homes and a machine shed were destroyed. In Calumet County, two barns, trees, crops were damaged and calf houses were thrown 1,000 feet (300 m).
F5 Oakfield area (1st tornado) Fond du Lac 0005 13.3 miles
(21.3 km)		 4 homes were swept from their foundations, and automobiles were carried 400 feet (120 m) through the air and mangled beyond recognition. Some of the homes were anchor-bolted to their foundations, and rebar supports along the perimeter of one home were bent over at a 90-degree angle. 60 homes, 6 businesses, a canning company, two churches, 18 barns, several and several sheds were destroyed. 150 homes and businesses were also damaged. 500 acres (2.0 km2) of crops were also wiped away with only 1-inch stubble left, and total damage amounts was near $40 million. 12 to 17 people were injured. A second tornado also hit the area taking a similar path.[3]
F0 NW of Marytown Fond du Lac 0007 1.2 miles
(1.9 km)		 Damage to farm crops.
F0 S of Charlesburg Calumet 0010 0.1 miles
(0.16 km)		 Two wheat fields were flattened.
F0 Oakfield area (2nd tornado) Fond du Lac 0025 0.6 miles
(1 km)		 Second tornado moved through portions of the damage path of the initial tornado, picking up debris from the ground but did not cause any additional structural damage.
F0 NW of Fond du Lac Fond du Lac 0027 0.2 miles
(0.32 km)		 A barn, machinery and crops were damaged or destroyed.
F0 E of Brownsville Fond du Lac 0055 0.1 miles
(0.16 km)		 Portions of a corn field were flattened.
F1 SW of Beechwood Sheboygan 0110 0.9 miles
(1.4 km)		 Several homes and a few barns were damaged, along with crops.
F1 E of Fredonia Ozaukee 0118 7.6 miles
(12.2 km)		 4 barns, 3 machine sheds and a 1-car garage were destroyed while 6 homes, 1 barn, 3 machine sheds and 1 garage were damaged. Several vehicles were also damaged or destroyed, as well as 500 acres (2.0 km2) of crops.
F0 E of Knellsville Ozaukee 0128 0.8 miles
(1.3 km)		 Brief tornado with little or no damage.
Sources: Tornado History Project Storm Data - July 18, 1996

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Tornado: Oakfield, Wisconsin". Archived from the original on 2013-07-11. Retrieved 2013-07-04.
  2. ↑ Wisconsin Tornado Outbreak of July 18, 1996: Formation of Tornadic Supercells, WARNING: PDF file, Renee Geiser, Retrieved October 9, 2007. Archived 2013-07-11.
  3. ↑ http://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/oakfield/nwsoak.html

External links

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