Great Lakes tornadoes of September 26, 1951

Three deadly tornadoes impacted Wisconsin and Michigan on September 26, 1951. Both tornadoes in Wisconsin were violent while the one in Michigan was also significant. Eight people were killed, 15 others were injured, and damages were estimated at $750,000.

Great Lakes tornadoes of September 26, 1951
TypeTornado outbreak
DurationSeptember 26, 1951
Tornadoes confirmed3[1]
Max. rating1F4 tornado
Duration of tornado outbreak26 hours, 15 minutes
Damage$750,000[2]
Casualties8 fatalities, 15 injuries
Areas affectedWisconsin, Michigan

1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale
2Time from first tornado to last tornado

Meteorological synopsis

On September 23, a low-pressure area formed in the Southern Alaska panhandle. This low tracked southeastward for just over a day before turning and accelerating eastward, moving through British Columbia and crossing the international border into Montana, where another low was forming. These lows moved in tandem and deepened rapidly as the moved into Minnesota on September 26. The northern low then rapidly weakened and dissipated as the southern one occluded and became dominant as it moved into Northwestern Wisconsin that afternoon. An occluded front came off the low pressure area and split into cold and warm fronts with the former stretching southwestward into Kansas while the later moved into Southern Lower Michigan. With temperatures ranging from the lower 60s to the upper 70s, dewpoint temperatures ranging from the mid 50s to upper 60s, and upper-level wind shear of up to 65 knots, the environment was favorable for the development of thunderstorms sparking a severe weather outbreak.[3][4]

Confirmed tornadoes
Confirmed tornadoes by Fujita rating
FU F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5 Total
0 0 0 1 0 2 0 3

September 26 event
List of confirmed tornadoes – Wednesday, September 26, 1951[nb 1][nb 2]
F# Location County / Parish State Start
coord.		 Time (UTC) Path length Max. width Summary Refs.
F4 NE of Blaine to Cobb Town to E of Manawa Portage, Waupaca WI 44.33°N 89.3°W / 44.33; -89.3 (Blaine (September 26, F4)) 15:45–? 26.4 miles (42.5 km) 100 yards (91 m) 6 deaths – Several farm buildings were heavily damaged or destroyed with the greatest damage occurring just past Cobb Town about 3 miles (4.8 km) north of Waupaca. There, three farms were obliterated and swept away at near-F5 intensity. Five of the six people killed came from one family who were killed as the they cleaning chickens on the opposite side of the house from the approaching tornado. The other fatality occurred in the Lebanon Township near Sugar Bush. Three people were injured and losses totaled $500,000 in damage. [3][4][6]
[7][8]
F4 N of Rio to SE of Cambria Columbia WI 43.47°N 89.25°W / 43.47; -89.25 (Rio (September 26, F4)) 16:30–? 9 miles (14 km) 100 yards (91 m) 1 death – A violent tornado struck a farm. There, a large house and every farm building was obliterated, including the house of the hired hand who was killed with debris from the home being left in a pile 300 feet (91 m) from the foundation. Hundreds of trees were stripped and/or uprooted, including some that were 18 inches (46 cm) in diameter, and chickens were defeathered. Nine people were injured and losses total $250,000. The CDNS report list 10 injuries. [3][4][9]
[10]
F2 Lilley Newaygo MI 43.78°N 85.87°W / 43.78; -85.87 (Lilley (September 26, F2)) 21:00–? 2.3 miles (3.7 km) 440 yards (400 m) 1 death – A strong tornado blew down the west and south concrete walls of a tavern before ripping off its roof. An I-beam was thrown 100 yards (91 m) while steel beams were thrown 70 yards (64 m). Three people were injured, although losses are unknown. [3][4][11]
[12]

Non-tornadic impacts

In the early morning hours of September 26, lightning heavily damaged three homes and destroyed two barns in Bettendorf, Iowa and Northern Illinois with one barn in the latter state completely burning. Most of Northern Illinois also saw considerable damage due to heavy rainfall. In Wisconsin, high winds of over 50 miles per hour (80 km/h) blew down trees and damaged power lines and buildings. Piers and docks on Lake Michigan, which was higher than normal for that time of year, were damaged by waves. Similar damage was seen in Michigan, where the apple harvest suffered thousands of dollars in losses. Lake shore properties along Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, which was also higher than normal, were damaged by high waves with Frankfort, DeTour, Escanaba, and the Western Lake Huron shores being particularly hard hit.[3]

See also

Notes
  1. 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.
  2. Prior to 1994, only the average widths of tornado paths were officially listed.[5]

References
  1. "September 26, 1951 Tornadoes". Tornado History Project. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
  2. "Tornado Summaries". National Weather Service. National Centers for Environmental Information. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
  3. "Climatological Data National Summary Publication | IPS | National Climatic Data Center (NCDC)". www.ncdc.noaa.gov. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
  4. "North America Tornado Cases 1950 to 1959". bangladeshtornadoes.org. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  5. Brooks, Harold E. (April 2004). "On the Relationship of Tornado Path Length and Width to Intensity". Weather and Forecasting. Boston: American Meteorological Society. 19 (2): 310. doi:10.1175/1520-0434(2004)019<0310:OTROTP>2.0.CO;2. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
  6. "Wisconsin F4". Tornado History Project. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  7. Wisconsin Event Report: F4 Tornado. National Weather Service (Report). National Center for Environmental Information. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  8. Wisconsin Event Report: F4 Tornado. National Weather Service (Report). National Center for Environmental Information. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  9. "Wisconsin F4". Tornado History Project. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  10. Wisconsin Event Report: F4 Tornado. National Weather Service (Report). National Center for Environmental Information. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  11. "Michigan F2". Tornado History Project. Storm Prediction Center. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  12. Michigan Event Report: F2 Tornado. National Weather Service (Report). National Center for Environmental Information. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
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