‘Bow echo’ tears down trees in lake country

Violent storms tore through the central Minnesota and northwest Wisconsin lake country in the past 24 hours.

A series of severe storms, capped of by a bow echo racing east at 50 mph downed numerous trees and power lines from the Brainerd Lakes area to Wisconsin's Siren and Hayward lake country Thursday.

Here's a look at the impressive shelf cloud at the storms leading edge near Forestville, Wisconsin, around noon today.

Pictures of the damage are pouring into social media outlets.

Damage reports are extensive. Winds clocked at nearly 80 mph tore through Staples. I have no doubt 80-mph winds occurred at several other sites into northwest Wisconsin.

Here's a few select reports that streamed into local National Weather Service offices.

• Staples [Todd Co, MN] AWOS reports TSTM WND GST of M79 MPH at 6:31 AM CDT --

• Staples [Todd Co, MN] 911 CALL CENTER reports TSTM WND DMG at 6:31 AM CDT -- NUMEROUS TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN IN STAPLES.

• Hewitt [Todd Co, MN] FIRE DEPT/RESCUE reports TSTM WND DMG at 6:20 AM CDT -- TREES REPORTED DOWN ON HWY. 210 AND A ROOF BLOWN OFF A BUILDING IN THE CITY OF HEWITT.

• 1 W Brainerd [Crow Wing Co, MN] UTILITY COMPANY reports TSTM WND DMG at 7:00 AM CDT -- POWER LINES REPORTED DOWN BETWEEN BRAINERD AND BAXTER.

• Baxter [Crow Wing Co, MN] TRAINED SPOTTER reports HEAVY RAIN of 2.50 INCH at 7:19 AM CDT --

• Siren [Burnett Co, WI] LAW ENFORCEMENT reports NON-TSTM WND DMG at 9:05 AM CDT -- WAKE LOW WINDS CAUSING TREES/POWER LINES DAMAGE IN SIREN, WEBSTER, AND EAST OF HERTEL. REPORTED BY BURNETT COUNTY LAW ENFORCEMENT.

The Twin Cities NWS has an eye opening map of the storm reports that cut a swath through central Minnesota and northwest Wisconsin.

Anatomy of a bow echo

The storm that tore through lake country took on a characteristic bow echo shape as it evolved. Here's the storm near Brainerd, and the lead storm that pounded Hayward this morning.

Here's the storm two hours later as the now well-developed bow echo tears through the Siren, Shell Lake and and Rice Lake areas.

Finally, here's the 24-hour radar loop with the evolution of the storm wave. Note the rapid forward speed, as high as 50 mph at times.

Forecast: Taste of fall

No doubt about it, the air was juicy over Minnesota Thursday. Dew points peaked at a tropical 73 degrees in the Twin Cities metro area Thursday afternoon.

Our first real September front blows through by Friday with a refreshing transfusion of Canadian air. The Canadian high settles in this weekend with dry sunny weather.

Our fine September temperature pattern holds into early next week.

Then both the Global Forecast System and European Centre for Medium range Weather Forecasting models suggest a shot from an October-like air mass late next week. High in the 50s and lows in the 30s by late next week? It may be overdone that far out, but the chill in the air late next week may leave no doubt that the calendar, and the weather have turned to September.

Stay tuned.