9/5/12 – A tornado touched down last night in far southwest Wisconsin, as severe thunderstorms rumbled through the southern part of the state. Grant County authorities said the twister landed near Patch Grove around 7:40 p-m. There were no immediate reports of damage. Numerous trees and power lines fell in much of the southwest quarter of Wisconsin. Eighty-mile-an-hour winds were reported at Red Mound in Vernon County. Some parts of the region had golf-ball-sized hail.
In our area several bands of severe thunderstorms rolled through knocking out power to thousands and leaving trees and powerlines down throughout the region. At the height of the storm more than 1,500 people in Dodge County were without power, mainly in the Columbus and Watertown areas. Power has since been restored. Wind speeds were recorded in excess of 50-miles-per-hour with the National Weather Service receiving a report of a wind gust of 65-miles-per-hour near Lowell. Authorities in Columbia County said the storm knocked down trees and powerlines throughout the county. Rain totals weren’t overly impressive in our area with Beaver Dam picked up seven-tenths of an inch (.7-in) while Watertown got a little more than an inch. We’re expecting some rain this morning and this afternoon. But things are expected to clear out tomorrow with highs in the mid-to-upper 70’s.
