Local News
Waucosta Tornado Came Without Warning
There were 23 tornadoes in the State of Wisconsin last year; one of them was in Fond du Lac County. That tornado was in Waucosta and it was an EF Zero, which is on the smaller end of the scale for a tornado. County Communications and Emergency Management Director Bobbi Hicken says the important thing to note is that it occurred without any warning. She says, “We did not have a tornado warning that day and it wasn’t reported until after the fact when we went and surveyed the damage, started talking to witnesses then we had the National Weather Service come and look at the damage and did establish that in fact there was a tornado that day.” Hicken points out the storm that accompanied that tornado did a lot of damage because of the 70 mile-an-hour straight line winds in it. She says, “Straight line winds can be just as destructive as a lower tornado. So it is important for people to understand what watches and warnings are. What that means.” This week is Tornado and Severe Weather Awareness Week in Wisconsin.