Mr. m and I were on our way to see a play at an outdoor theater 45 minutes from Madison. We stopped at a farmer’s market on the way, and just as we got inside, it started raining–hard. They had a TV on inside, and we noticed that there were reports of funnel clouds coming from the next town over, which was only a few miles up the road.
About then, the rain slowed to almost nothing, the wind stopped, and the first funnel cloud put in an appearance across the highway. It didn’t touch down. It was long and ropy, and swirled around for a minute or so before dissipating. Another one showed up right across from the market, but it only lasted a few seconds. I started getting worried when the very dark clouds directly overhead started swirling, and was just suggesting that we should get into the shelter when those clouds started breaking up too. Everything happened quickly, and within a few minutes we were back on the road–clear skies and sunshine.
I feel very lucky today since several communities were hit hard by these storms. One person died, there were many injuries, and quite a few people lost their homes. When we got home last night, we didn’t even have any downed tree limbs.
Anyway, a cool experience seeing the funnels, but I think it’s one I’ll be happy to not repeat soon.
In Milwaukee, we got almost nothing. I was painting but my wife tells me it rained for about 3 minutes and that was it. We did get the eerie ‘something bad’s gonna happen’ glow around dusk, but that was it. I don’t know if you heard about it in Madison, but people in all different parts of Milwaukee country are finding roof shingles, pictures, letters from signs, bank statements, insulation… that blew over from your area.
It’s been on the news here in Chicago. I’ve learned that the newscasters down here don’t know how to pronounce “Stoughton” correctly, even after hearing numerous Wisconsinites say it to them.
I’ve had the disturbing yet fascinating experience of standing underneath a forming funnel cloud. I stood with my kids’ hands in each of mine, in the middle of a grocery store parking lot and watched as a great big low black cloud began to spin over out heads and a funnel formed directly over out heads. The air around us became momentarily still and then, within minutes the rotation above stopped and the funnel discipated. Later, I questioned the wisdom of standing there like an idiot with my kids at my side and not getting into the car and driving the hell away from there.
I live in Lake Mills but I work for the Stoughton Courier Hub, the local newspaper.
This morning I had heard that the town was almost inmpossible to get into. I didn’t have to much of a problem, but I will remember what I saw for the rest of my life. As I drove down a quiet country road getting closer to town I found myself thinking that things were not as bad as everyone thought. Then I saw it. It was the path, as clear cut into the landscape as it could be. I know that corn laying down in the fields is a sign of strong wind, corn is pretty tough stuff. As I came around the corner of the road I saw the cornfield, the corn was not laying down, it couldn’t because it was gone. In the alien landscape all that was left was a few stubborn stalks, no leaves, no ears, just stalks, sticking out of the ground. I looked down the road that the tornado chose to follow and I thought to myself where are the little ponies that they kept here?
There was a chicken coop there, where is that? Where are the ducks that always are on the road when I come thru in the morning? What happened to them?
I had to take a diffrent route in, the normal way was blocked by a state trooper who was talking to some gawker, I couldn’t see the house that I had decided was my dream home. I don’t know if it wasn’t there or if everything was just in the way. The trees are still there, but all they are is barren fingers reaching out of the ground. Broken, but still there like they have been for 100+ years.
I have been to work here since 8. The phone has finally calmed down. It is good to see the town pull together like they are. I remember in school up in Madison we always kind of looked down on Stoughton, backwards Norweigians and all. Today I am proud of this little community.
There was also a touchdown in my Dad’s town, Ft. Atkinson. He and his girlfriend don’t have any trees left in the yard. But they are ok.
Stoughton has had a very bad week, we lost one of the Luthern churches to a fire Wednesday night, they have the school there and it was a total loss, but no one was hurt.
I guess it all biols down to things are just things but people are everything.
Can we use you as a cite next time someone mentions how improbable it is in movies like “War of the Worlds” that everyone stands around the monsters mouths agape?
They had pictures of where the tornado hit on the front page of cnn.com this morning. I don’t know if they are still there. Being from Madison, I saw the funnel cloud also.