April 26, 2017
Weathering the elements
County’s had its share of severe weather
By STU MERRY
What will the coming summer’s weather bring?
How many 60-plus mph wind events will there be? How much rain will fall? Will there be a tornado? The last reported was in 2007.
The National Weather Service is observing Severe Summer Weather Awareness Week in North Dakota. Emergency services in the county are taking part, with many communities testing sirens on Wednesday at about 11:15 a.m.
McLean County’s had its share of “weather events.” In 2006, what NWS officials called a microburst struck the city of Coleharbor. Many area residents think it was a tornado.
The storm struck at about 7:30 p.m., July 12. Winds, the highest now on record for McLean County, reached 125 mph.
Damage was extensive and severe. Nearly every building in the town of about 80 people was damaged. The degree of damage varied with heavier damage to structures and trees on the west side of town, including to a school built in 1916 and used until the mid 1960s.
Just across Highway 83, on the west side of town, an empty railroad coal car was off the tracks and on its side.
How many 60-plus mph wind events will there be? How much rain will fall? Will there be a tornado? The last reported was in 2007.
The National Weather Service is observing Severe Summer Weather Awareness Week in North Dakota. Emergency services in the county are taking part, with many communities testing sirens on Wednesday at about 11:15 a.m.
McLean County’s had its share of “weather events.” In 2006, what NWS officials called a microburst struck the city of Coleharbor. Many area residents think it was a tornado.
The storm struck at about 7:30 p.m., July 12. Winds, the highest now on record for McLean County, reached 125 mph.
Damage was extensive and severe. Nearly every building in the town of about 80 people was damaged. The degree of damage varied with heavier damage to structures and trees on the west side of town, including to a school built in 1916 and used until the mid 1960s.
Just across Highway 83, on the west side of town, an empty railroad coal car was off the tracks and on its side.
