MONROE - Severe weather knocked down tree branches and power lines across Green County Thursday night but lasting damage was largely avoided.
After a severe thunderstorm generated wind gusts exceeding 50 mph, Tanna McKeon, director of Green County Emergency Management, said "quite a few people" throughout Green County reported damage.
Most of the damage reported was of tree limbs falling onto property, although the roof of a shed on County B in the Town of Monroe was reportedly severely damaged by the winds, McKeon said.
Other tree branches caused power outages by falling onto power lines, McKeon said. Some power lines were felled in the 700 block of 14th Avenue in Monroe and a transformer was disabled in the 1600 block of 6th Street in South Wayne.
However, no flooding was reported and the winds caused "no major damage," McKeon said.
The storm, which produced almost 2 inches of rain in Monroe, arrived shortly after 8 p.m., while the Green County Fair was still in full swing.
Green County Fair board president John Dieckoff said damage to fair equipment was mainly limited to portable pop-up tents. One larger tent collapsed in the wind but it was quickly re-erected, Dieckoff said.
Otherwise, Dieckoff thought fair officials did a "decent" job of warning attendees of the storm: "The only people who were caught in the rain were board members directing traffic," Dieckoff said.
Attendees either fled to their vehicles or buildings on the fairgrounds. Events such as the Badger State Tractor Pull, which was in progress when the storm arrived, were canceled.
"I'm pretty sure the beer garden stayed open, because I could hear music coming from there throughout the storm," Dieckoff said.
After a severe thunderstorm generated wind gusts exceeding 50 mph, Tanna McKeon, director of Green County Emergency Management, said "quite a few people" throughout Green County reported damage.
Most of the damage reported was of tree limbs falling onto property, although the roof of a shed on County B in the Town of Monroe was reportedly severely damaged by the winds, McKeon said.
Other tree branches caused power outages by falling onto power lines, McKeon said. Some power lines were felled in the 700 block of 14th Avenue in Monroe and a transformer was disabled in the 1600 block of 6th Street in South Wayne.
However, no flooding was reported and the winds caused "no major damage," McKeon said.
The storm, which produced almost 2 inches of rain in Monroe, arrived shortly after 8 p.m., while the Green County Fair was still in full swing.
Green County Fair board president John Dieckoff said damage to fair equipment was mainly limited to portable pop-up tents. One larger tent collapsed in the wind but it was quickly re-erected, Dieckoff said.
Otherwise, Dieckoff thought fair officials did a "decent" job of warning attendees of the storm: "The only people who were caught in the rain were board members directing traffic," Dieckoff said.
Attendees either fled to their vehicles or buildings on the fairgrounds. Events such as the Badger State Tractor Pull, which was in progress when the storm arrived, were canceled.
"I'm pretty sure the beer garden stayed open, because I could hear music coming from there throughout the storm," Dieckoff said.