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On June 3–4, 1958, a destructive tornado outbreak affected the Upper Midwestern United States. It was the deadliest tornado outbreak in the U.S. state of Wisconsin since records began in 1950. The outbreak, which initiated in Central Minnesota, killed at least 28 people, all of whom perished in Northwestern Wisconsin. The outbreak generated a long-lived tornado family that produced four intense tornadoes across the Eau Claire–Chippewa Falls metropolitan area, primarily along and near the Chippewa and Eau Claire rivers. The deadliest tornado of the outbreak was a destructive F5 that killed 21 people and injured 110 others in and near Colfax, Wisconsin.

Background

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Confirmed tornadoes

June 3 event

June 4 event

Wildwood-Wilson-Knapp-Northern Menominee-Cedar Falls-Colfax, Wisconsin

The deadliest tornado of the outbreak was the first member in a family of four intense tornadoes that tracked approximately 90 miles (140 km) across four counties, its forward speed averaging 52 miles per hour (84 km/h). The first member of this family began approximately four miles (6.4 km) southwest of Woodville, Wisconsin, at 6:30 p.m. CDT (23:30 UTC). As it headed generally eastward or east-northeastward, the tornado claimed three lives: one near Wilson and two more just south of Knapp. Entering the northern outskirts of Menomonie, the tornado devastated the small settlement of Cedar Falls, destroying 24 of the 25 homes in that community. Four fatalities occurred in or near Cedar Falls, along with several injuries.

After striking Cedar Falls, the tornado turned more to the northeast, and struck the northwestern side of Colfax. Eyewitnesses reported two tornadoes: one in northern Colfax and another just south of downtown. The latter tornado reportedly hit the southeastern section of Colfax. Damage in Colfax alone was estimated at $2 million, and about half of the buildings in town were destroyed. "Dozens" of homes were leveled, several of which were swept away, leaving empty foundations behind. Farmhouses were leveled east of town as well. Cars were picked up and thrown up to 400 yards (370 m) from WIS 40, one of which was found wrapped around the side of a small steel-and-concrete bridge that collapsed during the tornado. Telephone poles were snapped and trees were debarked as well. About 432 farms were damaged or destroyed, along with another 1,032 structures. Debris was found as far as 75 mi (121 km) distant, in Sheldon. At least 12 people within Colfax, and as many as 15 if persons nearby are included, were killed.

The Colfax tornado was the first official F5 tornado to strike the state since records were made official in 1950, although the 1899 New Richmond tornado is unofficially considered to be F5 as well. The next F5 tornado to strike Wisconsin was on June 8, 1984, when an overnight tornado destroyed Barneveld, killing nine people. Tornado researcher Thomas P. Grazulis assigned an F4 rating to the Colfax tornado in his Significant Tornadoes, but subsequently listed the event as an F5 in his supplementary report F5–F6 Tornadoes.

Non-tornadic effects

On June 4, 3-to-4-inch-diameter (7.6 to 10.2 cm) hail left accumulations of 2 to 4 inches (51 to 102 mm) southwest of Goehner, Seward County, Nebraska.

Impact

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Aftermath and recovery

The storms, in addition to the fatalities and destruction, also cut utility and communication services through the region thus isolating many communities until help was provided from several areas including from the Twin Cities region about an hour west of the affected areas. Then-Governor of Wisconsin Vernon Thomson ordered three groups of National Guard troops in the affected area for rescue and rehabilitation duties.

See also

• List of tornadoes and tornado outbreaks
  • List of North American tornadoes and tornado outbreaks
• List of F5 and EF5 tornadoes
• 1899 New Richmond tornado – Deadliest tornado on record in Wisconsin
• 1984 Barneveld tornado outbreak – Produced a deadly F5 tornado overnight in Wisconsin

Notes

1. All losses are in 1958 USD unless otherwise noted.
2. An outbreak is generally defined as a group of at least six tornadoes (the number sometimes varies slightly according to local climatology) with no more than a six-hour gap between individual tornadoes. An outbreak sequence, prior to (after) the start of modern records in 1950, is defined as a period of no more than two (one) consecutive days without at least one significant (F2 or stronger) tornado.
3. The Fujita scale was devised under the aegis of scientist T. Theodore Fujita in the early 1970s. Prior to the advent of the scale in 1971, tornadoes in the United States were officially unrated. While the Fujita scale has been superseded by the Enhanced Fujita scale in the U.S. since February 1, 2007, Canada utilized the old scale until April 1, 2013; nations elsewhere, like the United Kingdom, apply other classifications such as the TORRO scale.
4. Historically, the number of tornadoes globally and in the United States was and is likely underrepresented: research by Grazulis on annual tornado activity suggests that, as of 2001, only 53% of yearly U.S. tornadoes were officially recorded. Documentation of tornadoes outside the United States was historically less exhaustive, owing to the lack of monitors in many nations and, in some cases, to internal political controls on public information. Most countries only recorded tornadoes that produced severe damage or loss of life. Significant low biases in U.S. tornado counts likely occurred through the early 1990s, when advanced NEXRAD was first installed and the National Weather Service began comprehensively verifying tornado occurrences.
5. ^ All dates are based on the local time zone where the tornado touched down; however, all times are in Coordinated Universal Time and dates are split at midnight CST/CDT for consistency.
6. ^ Prior to 1994, only the average widths of tornado paths were officially listed.

References

1. Storm Data Publication 1958, Event Reports
2. Schneider, Russell S.; Brooks, Harold E.; Schaefer, Joseph T. (2004). Tornado Outbreak Day Sequences: Historic Events and Climatology (1875-2003) (PDF). 22nd Conf. Severe Local Storms. Hyannis, Massachusetts: American Meteorological Society. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
3. Grazulis 1993, p. 141.
4. Grazulis 2001a, p. 131.
5. Edwards, Roger (5 March 2015). "Enhanced F Scale for Tornado Damage". The Online Tornado FAQ (by Roger Edwards, SPC). Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
6. "Enhanced Fujita Scale (EF-Scale)". Environment and Climate Change Canada. 6 June 2013. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
7. "The International Tornado Intensity Scale". Tornado and Storm Research Organisation. 2016. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
8. Grazulis 2001a, pp. 251–4.
9. Edwards, Roger (5 March 2015). "The Online Tornado FAQ (by Roger Edwards, SPC)". Storm Prediction Center: Frequently Asked Questions about Tornadoes. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
10. Cook & Schaefer 2008, p. 3135.
11. Multiple sources:
    • Storm Data Publication 1958, Events Reported
    • Storm Data 1958, p. 209
    • Grazulis 1993, p. 1015
12. Multiple sources:
    • Storm Data Publication 1958, Events Reported
    • Storm Data 1958, p. 209
13. Multiple sources:
    • Storm Data Publication 1958, Events Reported
14. Multiple sources:
    • Storm Data Publication 1958, Events Reported
    • Storm Data 1958, p. 209
    • Grazulis 1993, p. 1015
15. Multiple sources:
    • Storm Data Publication 1958, Events Reported
    • Storm Data 1958, p. 208
16. Multiple sources:
    • Storm Data Publication 1958, Events Reported
    • Storm Data 1958
    • Grazulis 1993, p. 1015
17. Finch, Jonathan D. "Historical Tornado Cases for North America 1950-1959". Bangladesh Tornadoes. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
18. Brooks 2004, p. 310.
19. Storm Data Publication 1958, #10159229
20. ^ Storm Data 1958, p. 208.
21. ^ Grazulis 1993, p. 1015.
22. Storm Data Publication 1958, #10159230
23. Storm Data Publication 1958, #10159231
24. Storm Data Publication 1958, #10054342
25. ^ Storm Data 1958, p. 209.
26. Storm Data Publication 1958, #10054344
27. Storm Data Publication 1958, #10054343
28. ^ "Storm Prediction Center WCM Page". www.spc.noaa.gov. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
29. Storm Data Publication 1958, #10069983
30. Storm Data Publication 1958, #10149030
31. Storm Data Publication 1958, #10149031
32. Storm Data Publication 1958, #10149032
33. "F5 and EF5 Tornadoes of the United States". Storm Prediction Center. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 2013. Retrieved June 25, 2013.
34. ^ "Tornado Season" (PDF). Currents. Eau Claire, Wisconsin: Chippewa Valley Museum. Summer 2002. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 May 2008. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
35. Blakely, Ron. "Colfax Tornado (1958)". Tornado. Colfax, Wisconsin: Colfax Public Library. Archived from the original on 15 May 2008. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
36. ^ Beitler, Stu, ed. (March 21, 2008) . Written at Menomonie, Wisconsin. "Tornado Kills 28 in West Wisconsin". Oshkosh Daily Northwestern. Oshkosh, Wisconsin: GenDisasters.com. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 11 July 2011. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
37. Fanning, Susan (May 15, 2000). "Colfax tornado cuts deadly swath". American Local History Network. Eau Claire County, Wisconsin: The United States Genealogy Network, Inc. Archived from the original on 22 June 2001. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
38. Storm Data Publication 1958, #10149033
39. Storm Data Publication 1958, #10149034
40. Storm Data Publication 1958, #10071629
41. Storm Data Publication 1958, #10149037
42. Storm Data Publication 1958, #10149035
43. Storm Data Publication 1958, #10149036
44. Multiple sources:
    • "F5 and EF5 Tornadoes of the United States". Storm Prediction Center. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 2013. Retrieved June 25, 2013.
    • "Tornado Season" (PDF). Currents. Eau Claire, Wisconsin: Chippewa Valley Museum. Summer 2002. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 May 2008. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
    • Blakely, Ron. "Colfax Tornado (1958)". Tornado. Colfax, Wisconsin: Colfax Public Library. Archived from the original on 15 May 2008. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
    • Beitler, Stu, ed. (March 21, 2008) . Written at Menomonie, Wisconsin. "Tornado Kills 28 in West Wisconsin". Oshkosh Daily Northwestern. Oshkosh, Wisconsin: GenDisasters.com. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 11 July 2011. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
    • Fanning, Susan (May 15, 2000). "Colfax tornado cuts deadly swath". American Local History Network. Eau Claire County, Wisconsin: The United States Genealogy Network, Inc. Archived from the original on 22 June 2001. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
    • Grazulis 1993, p. 1015
    • Grazulis 2001b, p. 22
45. Multiple sources:
    • Storm Data Publication 1958, #10071632
    • Storm Data Publication 1958, #10071633
    • Storm Data 1958, p. 209

Sources

• Brooks, Harold E. (April 2004). "On the Relationship of Tornado Path Length and Width to Intensity". Weather and Forecasting. 19 (2): 310–19. Bibcode:2004WtFor..19..310B. doi:10.1175/1520-0434(2004)019<0310:OTROTP>2.0.CO;2.
• Cook, A. R.; Schaefer, J. T. (August 2008). "The Relation of El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) to Winter Tornado Outbreaks". Monthly Weather Review. 136 (8): 3135. Bibcode:2008MWRv..136.3121C. doi:10.1175/2007MWR2171.1.
• Grazulis, Thomas P. (July 1993). Significant Tornadoes 1680–1991: A Chronology and Analysis of Events. St. Johnsbury, Vermont: The Tornado Project of Environmental Films. ISBN 1-879362-03-1.
• Grazulis, Thomas P. (2001a). The Tornado: Nature's Ultimate Windstorm. Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press. ISBN 978-0-8061-3538-0.
• Grazulis, Thomas P. (2001b). F5-F6 Tornadoes. St. Johnsbury, Vermont: The Tornado Project of Environmental Films.
• National Weather Service (June 1958). "Storm Data and Unusual Weather Phenomena". Climatological Data National Summary. 9 (6). Asheville, North Carolina: National Climatic Data Center.
• National Weather Service (June 1958). Storm Data Publication (Report). National Centers for Environmental Information – via Storm Events Database.
• Neal, Lott; Sam McCown; Tom Ross (August 2000) . 1998-1999 Tornadoes and a Long-Term U.S. Tornado Climatology (PDF) (Technical report). National Climatic Data Center Technical Report. Asheville, North Carolina: National Climatic Data Center. 99-02.

• F5 tornadoes
• Tornadoes of 1958
• Tornadoes in Wisconsin
• 1958 natural disasters in the United States
• June 1958 events in the United States