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Weekly Weather Event -Week of December 13

December 17, 2021

The intense storm system on December 15th that resulted in high winds and tornadoes throughout the High Plains and Midwest has been classified as a derecho by the National Weather Service. Winds gusted above 80 mph in several states, and approximately 19 tornadoes were confirmed to have touched down in Iowa and Nebraska. This comes in on the heels of record shattering warmth, where December temperature records were set in Madison and Milwaukee. The straight-line winds resulted in widespread destruction, and hundreds of thousands were out of power throughout the Upper Midwest.

For a more in depth discussion of the science and climatic conditions of this historic event, AOS Professor Jonathan Martin spoke with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.