Storms to be followed by more rain

By TOM LAVENTURE

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Ironwood — A severe storm system that prompted weather warnings late Tuesday, but no tornadoes, will give way to more rain into next week, according to the National Weather Service.

National Weather Service offices in Duluth and Marquette issued thunderstorm warnings into the late evening along with tornado and flood watches for Ashland, Iron, Sawyer and the south eastern Upper Peninsula.

The system included a cluster of storms, and produced pingpong size hail as it moved through Sawyer County, said Joe Moore, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Duluth. The first system was the worst of it and two more smaller systems were expected to bring more rain, he said.

A tornado warning was issued for southern Ashland and Iron counties after “a pretty strong radar indication” of a tornado formation within the system was spotted moving toward the western edge of the Turtle-Flambeau Flowage, Moore said. A multi-county tornado watch included much of northern Minnesota and northern Wisconsin.

“So far in our neck of the woods there have been no confirmed tornados,” Moore said at around 9 p.m. Tuesday. “There have been no report of tornados or damage at any point.”

Iron County Sheriff’s Department had not received any calls from people spotting funnel clouds as of 9:15 p.m.

The amount of rain prompted the weather service to issue a flood advisory for parts of Ashland and Iron counties, he said. Even if there is not flooding there could be minor ponding, especially with the successive rounds of precipitation, he said.

“This will hopefully be the last round of severe storms for the season,” Moore said. “These late season events can come late and even into October.”

The National Weather Service office in Marquette, issued a hazardous weather outlook for portions of counties including Iron, Gogebic, Houghton and Baraga as thunderstorms with strong winds and quarter-size hail moved through on Tuesday night. The tornado watch that included eastern Gogebic and southern Houghton and Ontonagon counties was canceled after 9 p.m.

The weather service is forecasting scattered showers and thunderstorms for the Ironwood area today and a 20% chance of rain overnight into Thursday when sunshine should give way to showers overnight into early Friday afternoon.

Saturday skies are expected to be clear. The forecast for possible rain returns from Sunday through Tuesday.