MONROE - A powerful, fast-moving storm hammered southern Wisconsin Monday morning, leaving severe property damage in its wake.
There were no immediate reports of storm-related injuries, but damage ranged from torn roofs to downed tree limbs, flattened fields and an overturned semi truck.
Tanna McKeon, Green County's Emergency Management Project manager, said damage divided the county in half - with Monticello and areas to the south receiving the worst of it.
Corn-crop damage was sporadic, according to agriculture agents for Green and Lafayette counties.
But such damage was heavier in Green and Rock counties than in Lafayette, said Mark Mayer, Green County UW-Extension agent.
Straight-line winds
Straight-line winds caused significant damage at the MERIT Center, Monroe's Ludlow bar, and according to Fire Chief Daryl Rausch, to the Monroe Fire Department's training facility at the north industrial park.
A major portion of a large storage shed was ripped off and tossed across the yard, but training props were not damaged.
Rausch said the storage shed roof will need to be replaced, although he added that the building is insured.
Minor damage to schools
Parkside Elementary School also was damaged when a soffit blew off of the building, according to Tom Rufenacht, director of buildings, grounds, safety and security.
Several trees also tipped over; a chain link fence was dented; and debris that may have been from Ludlow Bar was scattered around the property, Rufenacht said.
Monroe High School's baseball field also sustained minor, storm-related damage to the baseball field's outfield fence.
Green County Sheriff Jeff Skatrud said he received at least 24 reports of trees and power lines down, as of mid-morning, but no significant reports of structural damage later in the day.
The home of Tim and Joann Rucker is just one in Monroe damaged during Monday's storm. A hole was somehow drilled into the side of their home in the 900 block of 3rd Street.
Still, the family was grateful it wasn't any worse.
"We didn't actually have too much damage," Joann Rucker said. "We were very fortunate."
Power outages
About 1,300 Monroe citizens had power outages still at 3:45 p.m. Monday, said Steve Schultz, spokesperson for Alliant Energy.
The Monroe area was hardest hit by power outages among area communities impacted by the storm, he added.
Schultz did not know late Monday when power would be completely restored in Monroe. Power outages may stretch into the evening or early morning hours, he said.
All available Alliant Energy workers, as well as additional workers from outside areas, were working to fix problems.
Lafayette County had fewer than 20 customers without power Monday.
Power was expected to be restored by early evening in the county, Schultz said.
Crop damage
Corn fields are "not as bad as they appear," in terms of storm-related damage, according to Mark Mayer, Green County's UW-Extension agriculture agent.
But he cautioned farmers not to cut or chop corn now, which could result in an up to 50 percent yield loss.
The bent corn could do fine as it continues to grow, but farmers may see the plants growing in a "goose neck" shape, Mayer said.
The corn may be "harder to harvest, and the rows will appear messy," but the yield will not be as bad as if it was kinked or broken, he added.
Most of the corn is in a rapid growth stage and have not developed their thick brace roots, which allowed the wind and hard rain to bend or push over the stocks rather than to kink or break them.
If the storm had come 10 to 14 days later when brace roots were formed, the corn may have held up against the winds.
Mayer estimated yield loss in damaged fields at about 5 to 10 percent.
"Green snap," or broken corn stalks, lose about 1.5 bushels an acre per 1 percent of broken plants, or around 30 to 50 percent.
Crop damage was sporadic across Green County; all corn varieties were affected; and younger, shorter corn stalks were lest affected.
Damage was heavier in Green and Rock counties than in Lafayette, said Mayer.
Ted Bay, Grant County Crops and Farm Management agent, said corn damage in Lafayette County ranges from bowed stalks to corn lying so flat in the field "you can walk across it without stumbling." Lafayette County contracts with Grant county for its agriculture agency services.
Bay agreed with Mayer's assessment of the seasonal timing of the storm - if tasseling and with brace roots, corn would have withstood the winds, or the stalks would have broken off completely.
"The damage is wide spread, and varied from field to field," Bay said.
- Times reporters Tere Dunlap and Holly Ann Garey contributed to this report.
There were no immediate reports of storm-related injuries, but damage ranged from torn roofs to downed tree limbs, flattened fields and an overturned semi truck.
Tanna McKeon, Green County's Emergency Management Project manager, said damage divided the county in half - with Monticello and areas to the south receiving the worst of it.
Corn-crop damage was sporadic, according to agriculture agents for Green and Lafayette counties.
But such damage was heavier in Green and Rock counties than in Lafayette, said Mark Mayer, Green County UW-Extension agent.
Straight-line winds
Straight-line winds caused significant damage at the MERIT Center, Monroe's Ludlow bar, and according to Fire Chief Daryl Rausch, to the Monroe Fire Department's training facility at the north industrial park.
A major portion of a large storage shed was ripped off and tossed across the yard, but training props were not damaged.
Rausch said the storage shed roof will need to be replaced, although he added that the building is insured.
Minor damage to schools
Parkside Elementary School also was damaged when a soffit blew off of the building, according to Tom Rufenacht, director of buildings, grounds, safety and security.
Several trees also tipped over; a chain link fence was dented; and debris that may have been from Ludlow Bar was scattered around the property, Rufenacht said.
Monroe High School's baseball field also sustained minor, storm-related damage to the baseball field's outfield fence.
Green County Sheriff Jeff Skatrud said he received at least 24 reports of trees and power lines down, as of mid-morning, but no significant reports of structural damage later in the day.
The home of Tim and Joann Rucker is just one in Monroe damaged during Monday's storm. A hole was somehow drilled into the side of their home in the 900 block of 3rd Street.
Still, the family was grateful it wasn't any worse.
"We didn't actually have too much damage," Joann Rucker said. "We were very fortunate."
Power outages
About 1,300 Monroe citizens had power outages still at 3:45 p.m. Monday, said Steve Schultz, spokesperson for Alliant Energy.
The Monroe area was hardest hit by power outages among area communities impacted by the storm, he added.
Schultz did not know late Monday when power would be completely restored in Monroe. Power outages may stretch into the evening or early morning hours, he said.
All available Alliant Energy workers, as well as additional workers from outside areas, were working to fix problems.
Lafayette County had fewer than 20 customers without power Monday.
Power was expected to be restored by early evening in the county, Schultz said.
Crop damage
Corn fields are "not as bad as they appear," in terms of storm-related damage, according to Mark Mayer, Green County's UW-Extension agriculture agent.
But he cautioned farmers not to cut or chop corn now, which could result in an up to 50 percent yield loss.
The bent corn could do fine as it continues to grow, but farmers may see the plants growing in a "goose neck" shape, Mayer said.
The corn may be "harder to harvest, and the rows will appear messy," but the yield will not be as bad as if it was kinked or broken, he added.
Most of the corn is in a rapid growth stage and have not developed their thick brace roots, which allowed the wind and hard rain to bend or push over the stocks rather than to kink or break them.
If the storm had come 10 to 14 days later when brace roots were formed, the corn may have held up against the winds.
Mayer estimated yield loss in damaged fields at about 5 to 10 percent.
"Green snap," or broken corn stalks, lose about 1.5 bushels an acre per 1 percent of broken plants, or around 30 to 50 percent.
Crop damage was sporadic across Green County; all corn varieties were affected; and younger, shorter corn stalks were lest affected.
Damage was heavier in Green and Rock counties than in Lafayette, said Mayer.
Ted Bay, Grant County Crops and Farm Management agent, said corn damage in Lafayette County ranges from bowed stalks to corn lying so flat in the field "you can walk across it without stumbling." Lafayette County contracts with Grant county for its agriculture agency services.
Bay agreed with Mayer's assessment of the seasonal timing of the storm - if tasseling and with brace roots, corn would have withstood the winds, or the stalks would have broken off completely.
"The damage is wide spread, and varied from field to field," Bay said.
- Times reporters Tere Dunlap and Holly Ann Garey contributed to this report.