Tornadoes

6/6/2019 (Permalink)

Did you know that we are currently in the heart of tornado season?  Tornadoes can occur anytime of the year but are most common between the months of March and September, peaking in May, June and July.  This is because tornadoes form in particularly violent thunderstorms with sufficient instability and wind shear present in the lower atmosphere.     

The Fujita Scale is a scale for rating tornado intensity. 

Fujita scale

F0

40–72 mph

Light damage

F1

73–112 mph

Moderate damage

F2

113–157 mph

Considerable damage

F3

158–206 mph

Severe damage

F4

207–260 mph

Devastating damage

F5

261–318 mph

Incredible damage

While EF5 tornadoes are somewhat rare in Wisconsin, they have occurred at least 6 times.  In recent history there was one in Oakfield in 1996 and Barneveld in 1984.  But as you can see, with wind speeds between 72 & 260 miles per hour, even a lesser tornado can do significant damage.  Always be aware of changing weather conditions and know the safest place to go should a tornado warning be issued.   

And know that storms strong enough to produce tornadoes often knock out power to thousands of homes in an area.  For many homeowners, no power means no running sump pump.  And no running sump pump can mean a lot of water in your basement.  Consider a battery back-up for our sump pump and talk to your insurance agent to make sure you have coverage should your sump pump fail.