Adams County WI Tornado
AKA - Cottonville Tornado, Big Flats & Arkdale
Tornado - Video, Photos & Information
by Billy Tyrcha
STORM & WEATHER FORUM - Adams County, Wisconsin Goverment Website List
Please email Videos, Photos & information to
On Sunday April 10th around 6:50 pm a Tornado formed just southwest of Arkdale, WI. which is close to the western edge of Adams Cty by both Castle Rock Lake & Lake Petenwell. There was up rooted trees, turned over irrigators and removed roofs from homes & vacation cabins what looked to be about 1/2 of city block wide. The twister was running on a mostly east path by a little bit northerly along the north side of Arkdale Lake which is in Strongs Prairie Township of Adams County, Wisconsin.
The Tornado was reported moving about 75 miles per hour which makes it a F1 moving on a more eastern pattern heading a little north just south of Big Roche-A-Cri Lake in Preston Township of Adams County, Wisconsin. This area is know as Cottonville which has a lot of full time and vacation homes around the water. As of noon on April 11th 2011 most of the area was block of by local and state patrol as clean up efforts were underway. It looked like there was down power lines, some missing roofs but most of the damage look like trees on top of house as most of this area was wooded.
Form Cottonville to around Chicago Ave & 4th Ave there is mostly swamp & wetland used mostly for hunting and recreation. As it crossed Chicago Ave to tornado seemed to weaken quiet a bit as you can see via the tree damaged which look to be only about a 100+ feet wide at this point.
The Tornado crossed Cty Rd G. just south of Buttercup as it knocked down some trees around small home business. This eastern edge of Adams County is primarily a farming community with the homes spread out in between the farm field which leads into Waushara County.
Adams Cty also had another bad disaster on May 5th 2005; Cottonville Fire one of Wisconsin Worse fires in the past 30 years. This is the same place the Arkdale tornado ripped through on Sunday April 10th 2011.
Adams County Emergency Management held a meeting about Cottonville / Arkdale tornado at the Adams County, WI Courthouse at 3:00 p.m. (April 11th 2011)
Official Tornado information - Adams County Emergency Operation Center at (608) 339-4526 & http://www.co.adams.wi.gov/
Special Thanks to Tanya Rothe, Carol Olson for researching the several of the links in this article also Mark Schaetzka, Devin Renner and Chris Tannis.
Cottonville Tornado UPDATES:
There was another tornado just north of Petenwell County Park.
Volunteers are finally allow into the damage are after days of waiting due to government bureaucracy.
Reports of upset residents of not being allowed in the area.
Clean-up is more than origanially expected.
Reports of several Liquid Propane (LP) tanks leaking after being it with debris and trees
Adams County Emergancy Managment will NOT confirm if there was more that one Tornado in Adams County as of April 11th 2010 a call from www.Adams-WI.com was placed around 2:00 pm today. (608) 339-4526
Landowners will not be allow back to there properties without a wristband according to Adams County Emergency Management wristbands can be found at Adams County Community Center. Properties will need proof of owenership such as a tax bill or electric bill. An upset local resident made a comment "those are in my home back in Illinois, this is rediculous"... during a conversation with a state patrol unit in the Cottonville Area.
Adams County Tornado PHOTOS
http://www.photo-wi.com/gallery2/v/Wisconsin_Weather/ Special thanks to Mark Schaetzka and Devin Renner of Adams County, Wisconsin.
http://www.facebook.com/#!/album.php?id=159671337396032&aid=39043 Link provided by Chris Tannis.
Google Images for Adams County, WI Tornado on April 10th 2011
Arkdale Tornado Maps
http://www.crh.noaa.gov/arx/?n=apr1011 - Tornado Path and Tornado Radar on the right handside.
Adams County Tornado Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiNTlWZX7Iw - Storm chasers Scott Peake, Kevin Rolfs and Colt Forney, video shows multible vortices.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuKy8u-hlHA - Storm Supercell just outside of Tomah.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qBJ2Blbs64 - Cottonville / Big Flats / Arkdale Tornado Damage April 2011
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xiabj5_adams-co-tornado-clean-up_news - Adams County Tornado Clean-up Video
Cottonville / Arkdale Wisconsin Tornado NEWS LINKS
http://www.channel3000.com/news/27656175/detail.html - 2.5 million in damages doesn't qualify for Federal Aid from the Adams County Tornados.
http://www.piercecountyherald.com/event/article/id/34843/
http://www.wkow.com/Global/story.asp?S=14414990 the first video shows footage of hwy 13 damage in big flats
http://www.waow.com/Global/story.asp?S=14423966
http://weather.dfw.cbslocal.com/auto/cbs11tvV3/WI/044.html
http://www.nbc15.com/home/headlines/119574589.html - Adams County Emergency Management held a meeting about Cottonville / Arkdale tornado at the Adams County, WI Courthouse at 3:00 p.m.
Wisconsin Tornado History
http://www.crh.noaa.gov/arx/?n=adams
http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent~storms
Tornado Safety Tips
