by Meteorologist Kerry Challoner Anderson
The Upper Midwest experienced a Derecho on Monday, August 10, 2020. This is not a common event, so you may not be familiar with a Derecho. In fact, this area of the country only sees, on average, one Derecho event per year. Derechos are defined as a line of fasting moving straight-line winds produced by thunderstorms that move very quickly across great distances.
Monday’s event was particularly strong and the Weatherflow data and network did an awesome job catching this event. Anemometer tracings showed short bursts of powerful winds that were produced by a mesoscale convective complex that blasted through Wisconsin,Iowa, Illinois, Michigan, and Indiana. The Weatherflow Montrose Beach sensor on Lake Michigan recorded a strong gust of winds near 80 mph. Other data also showed just how powerful this Derecho was as it passed through. Here is an up-close look at this amazing event.