Tornado outbreak of June 7–8, 1984
# Tornado outbreak of June 7–8, 1984

The Tornado outbreak of June 7–8, 1984 was a significant severe weather and tornado event that took place across the central United States from North Dakota to Kansas on June 7–8, 1984. The tornado outbreak produced several significant tornadoes including an F5 tornado which traveled through Barneveld, Wisconsin, in the early hours of June 8, 1984. The entire outbreak killed at least 13 people across three states including 9 in Barneveld alone.

## Meteorological synopsis

A low-pressure system entered the Midwestern United States on June 7, 1984, and intensified while bringing a surge of moist and humid air coming from the Gulf of Mexico. After most of the affected areas were hit by a mesoscale convective complex earlier during the morning of June 7, the unstable atmosphere, as well as wind shear and high CAPE values produced a favorable environment for the development of extensive severe weather with possible tornadoes. Starting at around mid-afternoon, it started to produce several tornadoes across southern Minnesota and northwestern and southern Iowa including three F3s and a long-track F4 which traveled over 130 miles from extreme northern Missouri to southwest of Iowa City. That tornado killed 3 people including one in Missouri's Harrison County. Another person was killed in Ringgold County in Iowa by an F2 tornado at around 9:00 pm CDT. Activity continued through the overnight hours as a new cluster of storms developed across Wisconsin near the Iowa and Illinois borders and produced strong tornadoes including the Barneveld tornado up until the early morning hours of June 8, 1984, before dissipating.

Straight-line winds in excess of 100 mph and very large hail were also reported in eastern Iowa from the storm that went on to drop the tornado in Barneveld, Wisconsin.

## Confirmed tornadoes

Confirmed tornadoes by Fujita rating :

| FU | F0 | F1 | F2 | F3 | F4 | F5 | Total |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 0 | 4 | 13 | 23 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 46 |

Confirmed tornadoes – June 7–8, 1984 :

| F# | Location | County | Time (CST) | Path length | Damage |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Iowa ||||||
| F1 | SW of Kingsley | Woodbury, Plymouth | 1445 | 7 miles (11.2 km) | |
| F2 | W of Cherokee | Cherokee | 1514 | 10 miles (16 km) | |
| F2 | N of Galva | Ida | 1542 | 16 miles (26.6 km) | |
| F2 | NW of Grant to SE of Anita | Cass | 1543 | 23 miles (36.8 km) | Tornado struck 29 farms, causing severe damage to homes, outbuildings, and farm equipment. A fertilizer plant was destroyed. |
| F1 | E of Primghar | O'Brien | 1604 | 6 miles (9.6 km) | |
| F2 | E of Ida Grove | Ida | 1610 | 12 miles (19.2 km) | |
| F2 | N of Storm Lake | Buena Vista | 1612 | 4 miles (6.4 km) | Outbuildings were destroyed at several farms and homes sustained considerable damage. |
| F2 | Laurens to Rodman | Pocahontas, Palo Alto | 1617 | 25 miles (40 km) | Multiple vortex tornado tore the roof off of a warehouse and destroyed outbuildings. Farm homes sustained significant damage. Glass and debris was found embedded in carpet and furniture. Livestock was killed and two people were injured. |
| F3 | Clarinda to S of Corning | Page, Taylor, Adams | 1620 | 25 miles (40 km) | 25 homes were damaged on the north side of Clarinda, one of which was destroyed, along with a trailer. Farm sheds and outbuildings were destroyed, and livestock were killed. Three people were injured. |
| F1 | N of Everly | Clay | 1623 | 1 miles (1.6 km) | |
| F2 | Spencer area | Clay | 1630 | 2 miles (3.2 km) | Five homes were damaged, two of which had their roofs torn off. |
| F2 | E of Havelock | Pocahontas | 1700 | 8 miles (12.8 km) | Three farms were badly damaged and 24 pigs were killed. |
| F2 | NW of Hardy to N of Denhart | Humboldt, Kossuth, Hancock | 1715 | 22 miles (35.2 km) | Multiple farms sustained severe damage, with trailers, vehicles, equipment, and outbuildings damaged. Barns were destroyed as well. |
| F3 | Burt area | Kossuth | 1715 | 9 miles (14.4 km) | The Presbyterian church in town sustained major roof and structural damage. The school sustained roof damage and a wall collapsed on the second floor. 25 homes sustained substantial damage and several trailers were destroyed. Five people were injured. |
| F2 | SW of German Valley to SW of Scarville | Kossuth, Winnebago | 1729 | 21 miles (33.6 km) | A school sustained roof damage and a nearby house lost its roof entirely. A poorly built house was leveled, and another had a 2x4 driven three feet into it. Papers from the unroofed house were found 100 miles away in Minnesota. |
| F2 | SW of Crystal Lake to SW of Kiester MN | Hancock, Winnebago | 1745 | 18 miles (29.8 km) | A school and grain elevator in Crystal Lake were damaged, and a large grain bin was destroyed. Barns, sheds, garages, trees, vehicles, a house, and several trailers were damaged as well. |
| F1 | E of Lucas | Lucas | 1854 | 0.5 miles (0.8 km) | |
| F2 | E / SE of Mount Ayr, Iowa, near State of Iowa Highway to the N / NW of Kellerton | Ringgold | 1945 | 14 miles (23.4 km) | 1 death – Six homes were destroyed and 12 others were damaged. Fatality occurred in a trailer. Three people were injured. |
| F1 | SW of Corydon | Wayne | 2033 | 0.5 miles (0.8 km) | |
| F2 | N of Kinross to N of Riverside | Keokuk, Washington, Johnson | 2033 | 24 miles (38.4 km) | Damage to trees, outbuildings, vehicles and homes. A church had its windows blown out and most of its roof torn off. 13 homes were damaged in the Windham area and one person was injured. |
| North Dakota ||||||
| F0 | S of Carson | Grant | 1530 | 0.3 miles (0.5 km) | |
| F2 | NW of Burlington | Ward | 1637 | 0.5 miles (0.8 km) | |
| F0 | NW of Hamberg | Wells | 1759 | 0.5 miles (0.8 km) | |
| Kansas ||||||
| F2 | S of Padonia | Brown | 1533 | 18 miles (29.8 km) | Five farmhouses, four trailers, and 43 farm buildings were destroyed. 33 other homes and 97 other farm buildings were damaged. Four trucks were overturned on highways near Hiawatha. One indirect fatality occurred as a result of a heart attack. |
| Missouri ||||||
| F4 | N of Brooklyn, Missouri to SW of Windham, Iowa | Harrison, Missouri, Decatur, Iowa, Wayne, Lucas, Monroe, Mahaska, Keokuk, Iowa | 1745 | 134 miles (214.4 km) | 3 deaths – Numerous barns, mobile homes, and farm houses were completely destroyed. Part of a drive-in movie screen from near Cambria was found near Derby. Tornado devastated the small community of Wright and produced high-end F4 damage to the northwest side of Delta. Nearby farms sustained similar devastation. A couple was killed when their car was thrown, and the other fatality occurred in a mobile home. |
| F2 | E of Winston | Daviess | 2130 | 1 miles (1.6 km) | |
| F2 | Jamesport area | Daviess | 2200 | 3 miles (4.8 km) | Homes, farm buildings, and trailers were damaged or destroyed. One person was injured. |
| Nebraska ||||||
| F1 | SE of Pawnee City | Pawnee | 1800 | 0.3 miles (0.5 km) | |
| Minnesota ||||||
| F1 | E of Albert Lea | Freeborn | 1815 | 6 miles (9.6 km) | |
| F3 | NE of Albert Lea to W of Ellendale | Freeborn | 1819 | 14 miles (23.4 km) | The Albert Lea Ambulance Service building was destroyed on the south side of town. 13 homes and 4 businesses were destroyed. 52 homes, 8 commercial properties, and 16 farms were damaged as well. Some of the homes were ripped from their foundations. 12 people were injured. |
| F1 | E of Waldorf | Waseca | 1820 | 1 miles (1.6 km) | |
| F1 | W of Oakland | Freeborn, Steele | 1825 | 10 miles (16 km) | |
| F2 | S of Austin | Mower | 1836 | 5 miles (8 km) | A bowling alley was badly damaged, where 6 people were injured. A house and a TV repair shop across the street were destroyed. A total of 7 people were injured. |
| F1 | NE of Douglas | Olmsted | 1915 | 1 miles (1.6 km) | |
| F0 | NW of Wastedo | Goodhue | 1935 | 2.5 miles (4 km) | |
| Wisconsin ||||||
| F2 | NE of Stanley | Chippewa, Clark | 2100 | 12 miles (19.2 km) | Two barns were flattened and two machine sheds were destroyed. |
| F1 | SE of Phillips | Price | 2230 | 1 mile (1.6 km) | |
| F2 | S of Belmont to E of Mineral Point | Lafayette, Iowa | 2330 | 11 miles (17.6 km) | Mostly tree damage occurred with this tornado, but a house and outbuildings were destroyed and a house was unroofed. Tornado dissipated just outside Mineral Point. |
| F5 | S / SW of Ridgeway, Wisconsin to NW of Dane | Iowa, Dane | 2341 | 36 miles (57.6 km) | 9 deaths – See section about this tornado – 200 people were injured. |
| F2 | DeForest to S of South Randolph | Dane, Columbia | 0010 | 18 miles (28.8 km) | Two homes in DeForest had their roofs torn off. 22 grain bins were destroyed as well. |
| F2 | SE of Arlington to Rio | Columbia | 0025 | 16 miles (26.6 km) | A barn, a garage, and sheds were destroyed. |
| F3 | NE of Rio to Markesan | Columbia, Green Lake | 0041 | 29 miles (46.4 km) | A house, a trailer, and all outbuildings were destroyed on a farm near Cambria where one person was injured. 6 barns were leveled elsewhere. |
| F1 | W of Columbus | Columbia | 0049 | 9 miles (14.4 km) | |
| F2 | Beaver Dam area | Dodge | 0117 | 11 miles (17.6 km) | $640,000 in damage to 30 buildings in the area. Three barns, one business, and two garages were destroyed. Five homes sustained extensive damage and one person was injured. |
| South Dakota ||||||
| F2 | N of Howard | Miner | 2100 | 0.1 miles (0.16 km) | |
| Sources:Tornado History Project (June 7, 1984) Archived March 27, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, Tornado History Project (June 8, 1984) - for Wisconsin data only Archived March 27, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, Grazulis (1984) ||||||

### Barneveld–Black Earth, Wisconsin

As the tornado activity calmed down across Iowa and Minnesota in which numerous strong to severe tornadoes struck those areas from mid-afternoon to mid-evening, the severe weather shifted east towards Wisconsin after dark where a tornado watch was issued at about 11:00 pm CDT. By this time, most of the residents of Barneveld had gone to bed and were unaware of the tornado watch. A supercell thunderstorm, which affected portions of southeastern Iowa with a few tornadoes at around 9:00 pm CDT before weakening and intensifying shortly after, entered Wisconsin from the Iowa/Illinois border at around 12:00 am CDT near Dubuque. Shortly after 12:30 am CDT, June 8, it produced its first tornado near Belmont in Lafayette County and lifted near Mineral Point in Iowa County about fifteen miles southwest of Barneveld.

A few minutes later, this storm system produced one of the few F5 tornadoes to hit Wisconsin, developing northeast of Mineral Point (five to six miles southwest of Barneveld). At 12:41 am CDT this F5 tornado drove through the center of Barneveld in full force, finally dissipating in northern Dane County around 1:40 am CDT after traveling 36 miles (58 kilometers) for 59 minutes. A strong lightning strike cut the electricity to the town just a few minutes before the tornado struck Barneveld, but it was followed by a deafening clap of thunder that awakened many residents. (It is said that the loss of power prevented the tornado siren from being activated prior to its arrival; in actuality, the town did not have a tornado siren that differed from the siren used to activate the town's volunteer fire and EMT squad. If the siren had been activated, the residents would not have known it was a tornado warning.) At its peak, the tornado was nearly a quarter-mile wide. Other tornadoes rated from F1 to F3 touched down from Columbia County to Dodge County until after 3:00 am CDT when activity finally weakened.

The tornado was responsible for nine deaths and nearly 200 injuries in Barneveld while causing about $25 million in damage. In total, all three churches (the Congregational United Church of Christ, the Lutheran Church, and the Roman Catholic Church), 93 homes and 17 out of the 18 businesses in town (including the library, municipal building, fire station, bank, and post office) were all destroyed. The village's water tower, though damaged, was not toppled by the winds. In addition, 64 other homes were badly damaged. The F5 damage occurred at a cul-de-sac on the northeast side of town. A cluster of newly built homes were completely swept away at this location. Trees were debarked and vehicles were thrown and mangled. Some of the debris including paperwork was later found about 135 miles away from the village. Eight homes were also destroyed in Black Earth, and 24 additional homes were destroyed between Barneveld and Black Earth. Other tornadoes in Wisconsin caused two additional injuries and about $15 million worth of damage but no additional fatalities.

The National Weather Service in Madison reported the next day that the frequency of lightning flashes in the storm exceeded 200 per minute. The flashes produced a strobe-like effect, as mentioned in media reports and books about the disaster.

## Historical perspective

Outbreak death toll :

| State | Total | County | County total |
| - | - | - | - |
| Iowa | 3 | Keokuk | 1 |
| Iowa | 3 | Mahaska | 1 |
| Iowa | 3 | Ringgold | 1 |
| Missouri | 1 | Harrison | 1 |
| Wisconsin | 9 | Iowa | 9 |
| Totals | 13 | | |
| All deaths were tornado-related ||||

The Barneveld tornado became the newest member of an exclusive, unfortunate group of deadly EF5/F5 tornadoes that have touched down at night. Group members prior to Barneveld included the Blackwell, Oklahoma and Udall, Kansas tornadoes during the 1955 Great Plains tornado outbreak; the tornado that struck downtown Lubbock, TX in 1970; and the Tanner and Guin, Alabama tornadoes from the 1974 Super Outbreak. Later, the Birmingham tornado in April 1998 and the Greensburg tornado in May 2007 also joined that group of violent nighttime tornadoes. As it was in Barneveld, people in these other communities may not have been aware of incoming severe weather nor would they be able to see the tornado until it was already upon them, which increased their odds of injury or death.

The Barneveld tornado was the only F5-rated storm in the United States in 1984 and the first to strike Wisconsin since the Colfax tornado killed 21 people in 1958. While it had been 26 years since the last F5 tornado struck Wisconsin, it had only been two years since the last F5 tornado in the United States; thankfully, while the Broken Bow, Oklahoma tornado of April 1982 injured 29 people, it didn't take any lives.

