Heading to St Paul,MN tomorrow.

I am heading to the City of St Paul,Minnesota tomorrow morning, I will be gone for 2 days. I am going to tour Downtown St Paul and go to the Minnesota State Fair, There will be no blog updates during this time.

Some Places Got First Frost of The Season

A Cool High pressure effected our weather for Saturday and Sunday. The Coldest night was Sunday Night across our local area. Some places were near or broke Record low temperatures. Patchy frost likely formed across Burnett County where low temps in the upper 30s were reported. But a report of Widespread frost would not surprise me coming in from Northern Washburn, or Northern Burnett counties because A low temperature of 33.F was reported on a weather station Northwest of Minong.

Warmer temperatures remained in the Southern areas and these areas remained Completely frost free. I woke up to check for frost, and There was No frost at my location, The low on my weather station was 43.F The Growing season has not ended across most sections of the area... But a few spots in Northern Washburn/Burnett counties, The growing season may have ended, I have no way of for surely knowing but I know it would be close.

Cool Weekend ahead Patchy Frost is Possible Sunday Night.

Weathermap for Saturday Sunday and Monday.

A Cool Weekend is ahead for us. Highs will only reach the low to mid 60s. Patchy Frost will be possible in some areas Sunday Night.

First, Saturday we will be deal with scattered showers and cloudy conditions behind a low pressure to the east. Highs will only be in the low 60s. Saturday Night we will have clouds for a part of the night with clearing skies late. Temps will still fall into the Low 40s south with Upper 30s possible in the north. Sunday a Cool High pressure will slide overhead this will give us Sunny skies and Cool, Very fall-like, high temperatures. Highs will only make it into the low to mid 60s even with the sun. Sunday Night is the we will have to worry about the most. With Clear Skies Patchy Frost is very possible in some areas, Lows Sunday Night will fall into the very low 40s south, to upper 30s, Even Mid 30s likely for areas north. I think everyone will stay above 32.F so it wont be a killing frost. The best chance of Frost will be Northern Barron/Polk and all of Washburn and Burnett counties But Cool spots like Valleys and low spots such as Osceola may also have that chance. Mainly the best chance of Frost Free areas for sure will be south of the Polk and Barron county lines. Monday will be Sunday with slightly warmer temps Highs will be in the low to mid 60s with some 70s for highs possible, Monday Nigh, it will be another cold one. Mid 40s South but Mid 30s will be again possible in the north This will bring another chance of Frost but it will be patchy. Detailed forecast Below.

Saturday A chance of Showers. Cloudy with highs in the low 60s Saturday Night Cloudy with clearing late, with lows in the low 40s south upper 30s north.

Sunday Cool and Sunny, highs in the low to mid 60s. Sunday Night, Clear, Patchy Frost in some spots especially in Northern Polk/Barron and Washburn and Burnett Counties along with areas that tend to be cooler. Lows in the very low 40s South, Mid to Upper 30s North;

Monday, Sunny a bit Warmer, Highs in the upper 60s with a few 70s. Monday Night a bit warmer, Lows in the low to mid 40s south, with mid 30s possible North Patchy Frost Possible north.

In you have Annuals or Houseplants outside you will want to bring them indoors for Sunday and Monday nights. Cover and tender plants cannot be brought in.

Looking ahead, Much warmer conditions will move in Highs will be back in to the mid to upper 70s for highs. Frost Chances will End Monday Night and lows will warm back in to the 50s.

Strong Thunderstroms with Very Heavy Rain and Dangerous lightning hit this morning.

Video of the gusty winds we got with the morning storms. Highest Gust I recorded was 29MPH

Early this morning, A piece of Energy actually made it all the way up up from Nebraska, and moved along a cold front, as it moved into the humid air mass in place at the time, Thunderstorms with very heavy rain developed. Storms also had Frequent cloud to ground lightning and some gusty winds to go with that. There were actually some pretty heavy rainfall totals across parts of the area, well over an inch in spots The heaviest rain totals fell in a thin line from River Falls, to Glenwood City up through Barron, Then back to the west Towards Turtle Lake, Clayton and Clear Lake.

I experienced Very Heavy rain, Very Close lightning, some gusty winds and even a short power outage. Full story below

I watching most the Radar the whole morning, I first noticed everything was east of me, Then we had a small wave of scattered storms develop over Osceola then moved as this moved east scattered thunderstorms started to form in between here and Osceola, The first cell passed with heavy rain and a few lightning strikes, Darning this cell we has a complete power failure for a short time which lasted about 4 seconds The power did come back on. There wasn't lightning bad enough to take the power so I believe a branch or something must have effected the lines.

Then more heavy thunderstorms started to develop right overhead my house These Cells brought Very heavy rain fairly Gusty South Winds and I have to saw the winds were pretty gusty at times. We also got a couple of close lightning strikes. One of the strikes I saw was Extremely close, I opened up the door just in time to see a lightning bolt hit I believe just behind my neighbors house, Which is less the a quarter mile away. In The video above you can hear the thunder that lightning produced. It was Very close.

After this the my area started to fill in completely with thunderstorms This produced a training effect with heavy rain and winds turned Westerly and became gusty winds once again before the storm moved northeast. We ended up getting 1.90" out of the entire morning, It appears we are now pretty well Above Normal for Rainfall for the month of August, but this is great news after a below average passed few months, We are starting to catch up rainfall totals it appears, but we are still a bit below normal.

Rainfall Reports

Clayton 1.90"

Amery 1.20"

Cumberland 0.57"

New Richmond 0.74"

Balsam Lake 0.56"

small chance of storms then more sunshine

Weathermap for Tuesday Wednesday and Thursday.

After a day of slightly warmer temps Monday, A cool front will pass through Tuesday Morning, This front will bring us a small chance of rain and Thunderstorms with it as it passed through, Because it is a cool front passing into slightly warm and slightly humid air, I will say a storm or 2 could be on the strong side, If they develop. I think out chance at rain will pretty much be over after the front passes, Skies may even clear out Tuesday afternoon, It will be kinda breezy Tuesday afternoon will cooler and drier Northwest winds. Wednesday and Thursday will be Getting More sunshine with a High pressure behind this small system But it will be cooler behind the front with highs in the low to mid 70s all 3 days with nights cooling into the lower 50s, likely even the upper 40s in northern areas. Detailed forecast below

Tuesday, A Small chance of Showers or Thunderstorms in the Morning then Cloudy with Clearing in the afternoon, A storm or 2 could be strong. Tuesday Night, Mostly Clear, lows falling into the mid 50s.

Wednesday, Partly Cloudy Highs in the low to mid 70s Wednesday Night Cool, Clear Lows in the low 50s upper 40s up north.

Thursday Partly Cloudy, Highs in the low to mid 70s Thursday Night Partly Cloud lows in the low 50s.

Looking Ahead a Weak system may produce clouds some Showers Friday and Saturday maybe even Sunday Temps will slowing fall off as we head into next weekend it will feel a cool, even fallish type weather.

Day 2-Strong low pressure, Widespead good rainfall totals across the area.

Rainy conditions August 20Th.

Moving on from yesterdays Severe Weather, I Think I need to talk more about the Great rainfall totals that we got over the passed 2 days with this system. A Strong low pressure system moving South out of Canada has brought widespread very helpful rainfall totals across the area. I picked up 1.80" from yesterdays storms and 0.90" from today's heavy showers, Then 0.15" from showers early morning hours of Friday! Making a total System event total 0f 3.05" over 3 inches! so far, This may not be enough to get us out of Severe Drought, but it was definitely a helpful rain, I believe Clayton area farmers are quite happy about this, But to get the best crop, we need some warmer temps after this rain. This system also brought Very cool well below average conditions for the past few days, but especially Thursday, When we barely even got into the low 60s. But the cool temperatures for a couple days is almost worth it because we got such good rain totals.

A couple Very interesting notes-

I was paging back though m precipitation book and Noticed something interesting, We have already surpassed last years Total Season rainfall of 20.46! So far this 2009 I have picked up 21.18" Which is great news because last year was well below normal. Hopefully this is a sign that This year we will be near normal with rainfall.

I have been recording precipitation totals for 2 years, and this system which brought 3.05" has brought the Most rainfall I've ever recorded for one weather system. Nothing even comes close to what we saw in this system. But I have not been recording for long.

Strong Low pressure, Several tornado warnings issued a few short lived tornados reported.

Video of a the Tornado Faint tornado Siren in the distance at my house in Clayton,WI

Today Was a Surprisingly and active day across the 6 county area, I will start of by Explaining what happened and why Severe weather turned out. A low pressure system really deepened and got very strong as it passed over eastern MN and Western WI, wind changes in the upper levels caused by this Low caused storms to develop circulations Some circulations developed into short lived tornadoes.

Multiple tornado warnings were issued, I'm guessing more then 8 warnings were issued today and Tornado Sirens sounded across 75% of the communities in the 6 county area but especially the western counties. There were 4 Different storms that crossed parts of St Croix, Polk, Burnett and Barron counties which were issued multiple tornado warnings. Some places as well as here in Clayton actually had 2 warnings issued in the same afternoon for 2 separate storms. A few short lived tornados were reported in some of the storms today.

The first cell effected Southwest St Croix County, and Western Polk County There were several reports of wind damage in and around Hudson and an EF0 tornado was confirmed in this area. The second storm effected Eastern St Croix and Polk Counties, A tornado was reported on the ground in 2 locations near Forest with this storm, The 3rd storm effected the same areas, Eastern St Croix and Polk Counties no damage was reported with this one, The 4th storm effected Burnett County also No damage reported from this storm. It was interesting to see this but, At one point today, There were about 5 Tornado Warnings in effect across St Croix, Polk Burnett and Barron counties at one time.

Effects in Clayton and at my house.

GRL3 Radar Image. This if the first cell to effect me, just west of Clayton in this shot.

The first storm to effect my location, tracked across eastern St Croix County. After passing through the Hammond/Baldwin and Cylon areas, The storm continued north, a report of a Tornado on the ground came in from Forest area, Then a second report of a tornado came in 2 miles north of Forest, Shortly after this, the Tornado Sirens were sounded here in Clayton for a Tornado Warning which was issued from the NWS. This storm did hit, but the area of circulation went just barely to the west of Clayton and my place, The circulation area went 1-2 miles west of town, over the Joel area. From my house I did not see a Tornado or Funnel, I just saw a lot of low hanging clouds northwest of town as it passed but I think this was the area to watch,

Video I shot of strong inflow winds.

One thing I thought was interesting was the increased strong inflow southeast winds as the circulation area passed to the west/northwest One short gust was noticeably strong to me, it was strong enough to make trees blow back in a quick motion, and my brother saw some branches fly out from a Weeping Willow in the yard as he was walking down stairs. this storm definitely had power to it. As you can see in the Video above The trees were blowing around pretty good at it passed.

Image from GRL3 Second Storm to effect me.

The Second storm that brought a tornado threat to Clayton tracked across the same area but slightly more east, This line of storms formed south of St Croix County, and moved crossed southern and Eastern St Croix county and Polk Counties from Balwind to Glenwood City before reaching Clayton. rotation was detected on radar over Forest once again, in Northeast St Croix County. Shortly after this the tornado siren in Clayton was sounded for a second time of the day for a tornado warning. There was no official reports of damage or tornado's reported in this storm and I myself did not see a tornado or funnel. only thing I saw was lots of low hanging dark clouds, but This storm did bring again, noticeably strong winds but this time the winds were from the southwest. We also got Very heavy rain, The strongest rotation in this storm I believe went just east of Clayton.

I will start off by saying, There was No Severe damage in Clayton from both storms. So Clayton was spared of any major damage. It definitely could have been much worse as I believe we came real close today. I will talk about the damage we did get for my records. Minor tree branch damage like the one you see in the photo above, and some flooded yards/ditches, is all that can be found around my local, I saw many scattered small branches down in yards from the winds across town, and some minor small branches at my house, But that's it.

Rainfall totals

We got Torrential rain from both storms. Our driveway was turned into a river as they passed, I also saw lots of standing water in yards and in ditches after the storm passed. also our driveway was slightly washed out from the heavy rain. I got 1.80" in total from the storms in a short time. This rain has proved to be useful for the drought.

Damage reports across the area

St Croix County 1 mile north of Hudson,WI EF0 Tornado Confirmed "power lines leaning onto road"

St Croix County 1 mile East of Hudson,WI EF0 tornado confirmed "4 inch branches on road, and whole trees down"

St Croix County Forest,WI "Tornado Reported on the ground at Highway 64/65 intersection"

St Croix County 2 Miles north of Forest,WI "tornado still on the ground 2 miles north of Forest"

System coming in, A good chance of widespead rains and cool weather.

Weathermap for Wednesday Thursday and Friday.

After a couple of nice dry days, Were about to get some much need rainfall. A fairly strong low pressure system will move in from the Northwest, This system will bring with it chances for widespread rains, And Cool conditions possible only highs in the mid 60s! Due to the nature of this system I do think there will be the chance for a couple storms to be on the low end of the strong side Wednesday, but Nothing widespread And Severe weather is Un likely. Just Cool Stormy conditions with Heavy rain will be possible mainly on Wednesday and Wednesday night. Wednesday, The system will effect the area, We will have the chance for off and on showers or storms all day, But the best chances will be in the morning, and again in the late afternoon/evening and overnight. Some could bring heavy rain, and Wednesday is now our best day with heaviest rain. Thursday, We will have off and on Scattered showers all day as rain , We will be Locked under low clouds and wet weather all day, This will keep our temps quite cool only in the 60s for highs. Friday, The system will pull out, showers will linger on most of the morning. I also think it will be breezy and cool and cloudy all day.

This cool weather and rain should bring some help in our areas of Extreme drought. Detailed forecast below.

Wednesday, Off and on Showers and Thunderstorms through out the day, Best chance in the morning and again in the late afternoon and overnight, Some could bring heavy rain, A couple storms could be strong, but nothing severe. Highs in the Upper 60s to low 70s Upper 60s best bet. Wednesday Night a good chance of Showers and Thunderstorms, lows in the upper 50s.

Thursday, Cool A good chance of Showers and maybe a Thunderstorm ff and on through out the day. ighs in the mid to upper 60s. Thursday Night, Showers, Then mainly Showers, lows in the mid 50s.

Friday Cool, Lingering Showers possible, Then cloudy Highs in the Mid upper 60s. Friday Night, Clearing lows in the low to mid 50s.

Looking ahead behind this system I see sunny weather will have a comeback, Also it could get on the warm side once again into next week, 80s look like a good bet.

Rain and Storms likely, Possible even heavy.

Weather map for Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.

A cold front will put an end to the warm humid air mass we have been in for the past week. It will start to get close on Sunday, Scattered showers and Thunderstorms will form along it, The Severe Weather chances are not high, But I still believe there will be a few Strong thunderstorms, A severe storm can not be ruled out. With this front We actually have the chance to see some heavy rain over part of the 6 county area, Which is great news for the drought conditions, Not so good news for Southern Dunn County where they have already had heavy rain, Some places could pick up over and inch of rain. Sunday I expect humid conditions to last, though the day, With off and on Shower & Thunderstorms though most of the day. Monday and Tuesday is when we will get the real effects of the cold front. Monday And Tuesday will be Sunny with highs in the middle to upper 70s. Detailed forecast below.

Sunday, Scattered Showers and Thunderstorms, Some could be strong, Rain chances will start in the early morning hours and last though most of the day. heavy rain is possible. Highs in the upper 70s. Sunday Night, A chance of lingering showers, Then clearing lows in the upper 50s.

Monday, Cooler Partly Cloudy to Sunny, highs in the mid to upper 70s. Monday Night, Clear lows in the middle 50s.

Tuesday, Partly Cloudy to Sunny, highs in the mid 70s, Tuesday Night, Clear, lows in the middle 50s.

Looking ahead, a bit warmer weather and chances for Showers and Thunderstorms will be possible from the middle to end of next week.

Hot Temperature reports

Photo snapped during the Hot & Humid weather Saturday.



The past week, We have been in a Hot and Humid weather pattern which started as a Warm Strong front which past though on Saturday, The warm front raised the temperatures 20 from Saturdays high of just 64.F to Sundays high of 84.F At my station, This warm front set up a pattern for a Hot and Humid Week, Some places topped 90.F Which was the hottest we have been since June. And everyone else got very close to 90. Temperature Report Below.

Highest temperatures reported this week.

In My weather Station Records, This heat waved brought the second warmest day of 2009 so far. My station hit 89.F We were just shy of reaching 90.F So this leaves the total days in 2009 at or above 90.F at 1 day.

Although the chance is less then it was today, We have another chance to reach 90s tomorrow, If needed I will update the chart above.

Flip/Flop Weather. Extream Drought while some areas expereince Flooding.

Map made by me to illustrate area conditions.

Well you don't hear of such a contrast of conditions in such a local area but, Parts of the area last night were dealing with Flooding conditions, While other parts are continuing to suffer with Extreme Drought.

Flooding in parts of Southern Dunn County last night

Yesterday Evening, A complex of Thunderstorms formed right along the MN/WI boarder, then storms moved east and also kept forming and training over the same areas. This resulted in some areas getting near 5 to 6 inches of Rain in a short period of time, This caused the NWS to issued a Flash Flood Warning for Southern Dunn County last night. Radar estimates that southern Dunn county could have received as much as 5- 7 inches pf rain in parts of the county, but Especially the Downsville an Eau Galle areas

Extreme Drought

A old Pond bed near my house Completely dried up and filled with grass.

I don't really like to talk about Drought conditions much, But the Drought conditions are continuing to worsen across the Central parts of the area, The drought is extreme enough that a State of Emergency has been issued for parts of Wisconsin by the Governor of the state. The long term effects, is what effects are most extreme Area lakes, ponds and streams are Very low Some ponds near my house are not even there anymore. The Pond bed in the photo above is where a pond used to be, This pond never used to dry up completely over summer but in the past 2 years, It has never really came back. and now Grass is taking over. You can also tell area lakes are my local area, as well as the rest of the Extreme drought area are low. Short terms effects are not too bad at this point Corn is holding on fairly well, But It is Dry. Flower gardens are starting to show stress of the dry conditions, unless they have been watered.

Hopefully we get some Rain next week.

Slight risk Thursday

Image from SPC

The SPC has issued a slight risk of Severe Weather for parts of our 6 county area today, Scatter storms may form across the area this afternoon. A few may be Strong to possible Severe. this afternoon, That main threats will be Hail and wind and maybe Heavy rain.

Keep an eye on the weather this afternoon especially if you live in St Croix or Dunne counties.

Interesting Story, Souvenir from Burkhardt area Tornado

White Pine stick pulled Debris of the Burkhardt tornado.

Here is an interesting story. While Dirk and I were looking at the damage from the Burkhardt area tornado, I found a stick that I decided to take home for memory. As soon as we believed that it very well could have been a tornado which struck that area, I wanted a souvenir. After it was confirmed it was an actual tornado, I looked at the stick with different feelings, I thought about what this stick went though and had respect for what mother nature can really do in just seconds of time.

A Closer Look

Photo showing how the ends appears to have been sand blasted which dulled and smoothed it down.

Since I know quite a bit about plants and trees, I already knew that this stick is from a White Pine Tree. This stick is from the area where the actual tornado went though. and as soon as I found out it was a confirmed tornado which caused the damage, I started looking closer at it for signs.

I know that this definitely was a still living branch at the time it was broken off, The stick still smells and is sticky from pine sap, and you can tell it is freshly broken. The branch looked just as you see it here when I found it. It's broken in too places and the bark is stripped off all of the stick expect one small piece remaining on one side which I believe was the most protected from the most violent winds, on the opposite side of the branch, I can see indents in the stick where it looks like something like dirt and rocks impacted the one side, This is the side I believe got the brunt of the wind. Another thing me and my dad noticed is the ends of the branches have been dulled down, (photo above ) We believe that this stick was sand blasted which is why the ends have been dulled

So this is my best speculation on what happened to this tree branch it may have not been what happened, but this is what I believe what happened, But one thing is for sure, This branch went though a lot. thankfully no injuries were reported in this tornado.

Forecast, finally A bit of Summer. Turning Hot this week.

Forecast for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Well, finally, It will really begin to feel like the summer weather we all remember, starting this week. A high pressure is expected to move in starting Tuesday This will bring with it Hot weather and Sunshine into the area We have the chance to reach the low 90s in some spots. It will also bring us Dry weather, Tuesday will be the start of our very warm tend. I expect highs to hit the mid 80s, Wednesday Thursday will be our warmest days, Upper 80s are likely, With the chance of reaching the low 90s. More humid conditions will start to move in by Wednesday and Thursday. people should take it easy while outside over the next couple of days. Detailed forecast below.

Tuesday, Very Warm, Sunny Highs in the mid 80s Tuesday Night. Clear lows in the 60s.

Wednesday Hot, Highs in the mid to upper 80s. Highs near 90 possible. Wednesday Night Clear lows in the 60s.

Thursday, Hot, Sunny and Turning a bit more humid, Highs in the upper 80s lows 90s possible. Thursday Night, Mild, lows in the mid to upper 60s.

Looking ahead, Hot summer-like weather will continue though Saturday, Highs in the mid to upper 80s will continue though the weekend. Our first chance for rain will come in Late Saturday. This day will have to be watched for severe weather chances.

Storm Report- Parts of St Croix County Severe Damage- Tornado Confirmed

Trees completely snapped off and flattened Near Burkhardt in St Croix County. Once Again, a Big Thanks to Dirk for taking me along to see the storm damage.

Parts of St Croix County spent Saturday cleaning up after a Severe Storm which produced a tornado in the Burkhardt-Hammond area Yesterday Evening. First I will talk about how it formed. This storm started forming just west of Minneapolis, Where this storm reported a tornado in the western Suburbs. The storm continued east, and Effected all of St Croix County, and Southern Polk County, The storm produced a tornado in St Croix County and caused severe damage in areas north of Hudson, and the Burkhardt and Boardman areas. The Damage in the Burkhardt-Boardman area was confirmed to have been caused by an high end of a EF 1 Tornado with winds of 100mph.

Another quick message. Early Saturday Morning There was a Severe storm which caused wind damage to parts of Polk County near Osceola, before quickly fading out east of Clear Lake and Clayton. Trees were reported down across a highway in East Farmington Township.

Burkhardt Area EF-1 Tornado Damage

Parts of a Cottonwood tree snapped off 2 miles north of Burkhardt. you can tell this tree was hit by strong winds, This tree would have been on the edge of where the tornado went.

This morning I got a message from Dirk, He asked me if I wanted to go with him to Look at the damage in St Croix County, and I jumped at the opportunity. The damage we saw was mainly isolated to areas north of the Burkhardt area, It was so isolated that we drove down one block with no damage at all then suddenly we ran into, severe tree damage, The damage was 2 miles north of Burkhardt in St Joseph Township, The damage was caused by an EF1 Tornado. The good news is the Tornado did missed the community of Burkhardt. But once you got north of the community, you can see Severe tree and crop damage, Corn was completely flat, and Many trees snapped, and ripped apart, We also ran into some damaged homes. One home had singles missing and the garage doors were completely blown out with some Siding missing, Installation and plastic were blown across the yard into the field behind the home. There were also trees and tree branches thrown across yards

Corn completely flattened near Burkhardt. This photo was snapped right where the tornado went though.

Noticed how it's bent in two different directions, I'm sure it happened in a quick time period, but, This must mean that the wind first blew in one direction then stitched directions and blew very hard, This damage was confirmed to be caused by a Tornado

The corn was bent in different directions, and there was some odd things we saw that made us believe it was a possible tornado. which has now been confirmed that it was. I noticed that there were tree branches of a certain kind blown across the opposite side of the road, where there wasn't no trees nearby. The branches must have been blown against the wind in the opposite direction of the storm for that too happen. I even found a small cotton wood tree branch in the middle of an open field. and Dirk and I noticed the Tree damage pointing in different directions, Some trees fell east to west, some more northeast, and some pointed southeast Which signified to us that it was a Tornado

Clayton/Polk County isolated Outflow wind damage

Isolated Tree snapped by strong outflow winds in the storm near my house in Clayton,WI Story Below.

The weaker northern edge of the Severe Storm effect my local area, and Southern Polk County This storm produce strong outflow push of winds across southern Polk County, Which was strong enough to produce isolated spotty tree damage across this area, as well as my local area. Here at my house, I remember strong winds gusts from the south-southeast, The storm started out with no wind then we got short strong gusts, Especially as the back edge of the storm. There was also a lot of cloud to cloud lightning which was very Bright and frequent The lightning never slowed, and Thunder continued for over and hour long.

Read Here About the isolated tree down tree down near my house.

My house we also experienced the gusty outflow wind gusts. I did noticed scattered small branches around our yard from the storm, but I mainly thought hardly anything of it, but when I found a 8 inch diameter tree down not too far from my yard, days later, literally, just north and west of my house. I could not believe it, because The storm didn't seem strong enough to take trees down. My friend also reported/found isolated trees down north of Clayton. The only thing I can think of is my house was protected from the strongest winds by a thick woods south-southeast of my house, Which was the direction of the strongest winds. My wind gauge reported a gust of just 29MPH from this storm. But it must have been much stronger in isolated areas, The wind did sound pretty strong out there, I would really like to know how strong they were where that the tree was downed, Which is in a viewable distance from our yard. This is not the only tree I found down in the area, I also saw a large tree arm down from a tree down by Clear Lake. The tree I found was healthy so, My best guess is that there were isolated areas where winds gusted to at least 45- to 50MPH.

NWS Storm Damage reports from all of Saturday including the morning storms.

St Croix County: Penny Sized Hail 5 Miles North of New Richmond

St Croix County: Nickel Sized Hail Cylon area "hailed for about 5 minutes"

Polk County: 4 Miles E of East Farminton

St Croix County: Confirmed Tornado- Burkhardt area "numerous power lines and tree toppled, Garage ripped apart"

St Croix County Confirmed Tornado- 2 Miles NW of Hammond, "garage doors blown in, corn blown down"

Personal Report. Polk County: half mile SSE Clayton,WI 8 inch diameter tree downed, Also isolated spotty tree damage around Clayton.

For more photos and story, please Visit Dirks Forecasting Center

Moderate risk for Saturday Updated

Image from SPC

The Storm Prediction center Has upgraded, To a Moderate Risk for severe thunderstorms for parts the area Saturday afternoon. and evening. Morning Thunderstorms along a warm front have passed and skies have cleared allowing for heat and humidity to build, Thunderstorms could from this afternoon and evening and become severe. The main threats will be, Large Hail, Tornado's, and very heavy rain.

Keep an eye on the weather Saturday Evening, Especially if you live south of a line from Rice Lake to Balsam Lake, This is one of the higher risks for severe weather be have been in all summer. if storms develop they have a chance of becoming severe.

Slight Risk Friday

Image from SPC

There is a slight Risk of severe weather for Friday, A strong warm from will be nearby today, Thunderstorms may form along this front, and some could be strong to severe, Especially in the southern counties, The main threats will be large hail, and maybe strong winds, there is also a threat for tornadoes,

Keep and eye on the weather Friday, Especially Friday afternoon and evening

Getting Active Severe Weather Possible over the next few days.

Weathermap for Friday Saturday and Sunday. Warm front added to show effects. Warm from may not actually end our in location on the map.

We actually will have a couple of active days ahead. A strong warm front will start pull in and it will bring with it, a chances of thunderstorms. it will also bring in Warmer Humid conditions. The front will start to move in Friday, it will bring a chance of storms, Some of these storms could be Severe. temps on this day will depend how far north the warm front goes. right now Friday I think temps will be held down in the upper 60s here, with some 70s possible south. It will also bring humid conditions . Saturday it will be warmer, The front will still be in the area, so expect a chance for thunderstorms some could be Severe. Highs will be in the mid 80s Saturday. Sunday the warm from should be north of here and we will rise to our warmest temps in awhile. upper 80s if what I have for my guess, but a few 90s would not surprise me. Also I am looking at again a chance for Thunderstorms Sunday, some could again be severe. So quite a active time ahead you will want to pay close attention to the weather. Detailed forecast below.

Friday, Humid, Thunderstorms, Some could be Severe, Highs in the upper 60s. Friday Night Thunderstorms. humid, Lows in the mid 60s.

Saturday,Warmer, Humid, Thunderstorms Possible, Some could be Severe. Highs in the mid 80s
Saturday Night, a chance of Thunderstorms Mild, Humid, lows near 70.


Sunday, Warm, Humid, a chance of Thunderstorms, There is a chance that some could be Severe. Highs in the upper 80s. Sunday Night, a chances of Thunderstorms. lows in the 60

Looking Ahead, it looks like it ill quiet down and get cooler for Monday and Tuesday, then it appears we will begin to warm up again Wednesday.

More rain! Strong storm yesterday evening.

Here is a video I shot of last nights storm.

Parts of the area had a Strong storm yesterday evening, This storm moved across Burnett, Polk and Barron counties, This the strongest segment hitting the Osceola area, Thunderstorms developed in Central MN and moved east. from Osceola to east of Clayton, had a strong storm. At my location this storm came with heavy rain, and gusty winds, rain was coming off in sheets on roofs and cars. But there was no damage reported from this storm, and this storm was not severe when it came though. another thing I would like to mention is the frequent lightning we got, a couple were close, like the one in the video above. The bolt in that one struck just east of my house. This storm brought more good rains to parts of the area. In total, I picked up 0.50" inch of rain last night.

Some areas got very benifical rains, and one area reported large hail.

Corn looking real nice August 3rd. Read below the second picutre for a bit of info about how corn is doing in my area.

Many areas got quite beneficial rains last night in the form of Thunderstorms, Some areas possible picking up 3 inches of rain. A warm front is what brought these rains, The first wave of Thunderstorms developed in Burnett and Washburn counties A couple did get strong and a Severe Thunderstorm Warning was issued for a time, but No severe reports came from the storm, so it was manly just heavy rain and some continuous lightning.

The second line developed in Minnesota, and pushed across St Croix and Dunn counties, This storm looked very impressive of radar, and was Severe Warned in St Croix County. There was only one report large hail from the area and it came from St Croix County, Where Roberts reported quarter sized hail from the storms. These storms brought really vivid continuous lightning, which never seemed to slow down, You could easily see this lighting from my location. This storm brought some good rains to places like Baldwin and Menomonie

Some raindrops on my Bald Cypress in the front lawn, August 3rd.

The last wave of storms, and the one that effected me formed right along the northern edge of the line that effect St Croix and Dunn counties, These storms did not have nearly as much lightning as the first and second waves of Storms. Storms developed and has a slightly training motion when the came though, They moved southeast right over parts of Central and Southeast Polk County, and parts of Western and southwestern Barron County.

One storm that went over my location develop and trained for a bit right over my actually, Which helped to bring some good rainfall. I picked up nearly an inch of rain, 0.90" was my total Which is really helping with the short term drought conditions, Corn, I must say, this rain really helped area corn crops, The cornfield by my house (photo above ) looks great, I also went and checked up on that corn that was curling a few weeks ago, and it is no longer curling and is looking much better!! This rain came just in time.

Morning Fog August 3rd.

After last nights rain, Dense fog formed in areas that got rain. It was actually pretty dense this morning, I could not see anything beyond our yard. The fog formed because the rain cooled the ground and plants but air was still warm and moist so dense fog developed.

Slight chance of severe weather Sunday evening.

Image from SPC

The Storm prediction center has extended the Slight risk of severe weather east, and it now includes all of the 6 county area. Storms may develop in Minnesota this evening and move east-southeast, Some could be severe with hail, Strong gusty winds, and there is also a chance for tornado's. Be sure to watch the weather close this evening, and possible into the night.

Sunset photo/ Pansies came back second year?

Sunset August 1st

Here is a photo of a the sunset we had this evening, The dry air we had today really made for a clear shot of the sun, Orange colors seemed to really stand out!

Pansies which have sprouted from seed below the pot from last year. Aug 1st.

This cooler then normal summer has really helped the Pansies, since they are cool weather loving plants. They have been blooming like crazy all summer. But here is something I never had happen Pansies have sprouted from seed that must have fallen out of the pot from last years plants, and not there blooming along with the others. Pansies don't normally come back in Wisconsin, There an annual, and this is the first time I've had them come back.

A couple nice days ahead.

Weathermap for Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.

Welcome to August!

Besides the chance of rain late Sunday, We have a couple good looking days. Sunday There will be a chance of showers and thunderstorms, but most of the day should be partly cloudy, with some clouds starting to move in late in the day. Late Sunday night and early Monday morning is when I expect some showers and thunderstorms to move in. It does not look like much rain, but chances are there. Monday things will start off partly sunny, but I believe the clouds will break up in the afternoon, If we get into the sun, we will have highs near 80. Tuesday looks Nice weather wise, Sunshine and highs in the upper 70s. Drier air will move in which may make for a cooler night Tuesday Night. Detailed forecast below.

Sunday, Partly Cloudy most of the day with clouds moving in late, Highs in the low 80s, With upper 70s north. Sunday Night a chance of showers and thunderstorms late, Lows around 60.

Monday, Skies will start off partly sunny, Then skies will clear, Highs should top our neat 80, if we get more sun. Monday Night, Clear to partly cloudy, with lows in the upper 50s.

Tuesday, Nice! Sunny, Highs in the upper 70s a few low 80s would not surprise me. Tuesday Night, partly cloudy, Cool with drier air, Temps may fall to the low to middle 50s.

Looking ahead Temp wise, We look to have it pretty steady with the temperatures. It looks like some rain chances will start to come in late this week, Then after that it looks like we get into a more drier pattern, With temps getting warmer.