Residents remember devastation 40 years after rare F5 tornado strikes in Barneveld

BARNEVELD, Wis. -- F5 tornadoes are rare in Wisconsin. Only three have touched down since the National Weather Service began counting. The tornado that hit Barneveld in 1984 shocked residents as many believed the terrain would protect them from disaster.

40 years ago, the village of Barneveld was rocked by a massive F5 tornado. One of the reasons the storm was so deadly is because it struck at nearly one in the morning when most people were in bed.

Early warning technology was also less advanced in 1984. No internet, no cell phones, even tv stations shut down after the 10 p.m. show.

Drive through Barneveld and you’ll see few signs of the disaster that struck here nearly forty years ago. They’ve done a good job rebuilding over the years, but no one there has forgotten.

The folks who call rural Wisconsin home are no strangers to severe weather. Most knew storms would hit at some point that day, but it was the night they weren’t prepared for.

Al Wright, a local EMT, was driving home from Madison after transporting a patient. Fortunately, he missed the tornado but did run into the damage.

By sunrise, the toll was becoming apparent. Nine dead, nearly two-hundred wounded and 90% of the town destroyed. For Al Wright, time came to a stop.

Keith Hurlbert credits luck for keeping him and his family alive.

"Lucky they slept in another room that night as their neighbor's car landed in one room of the apartment," said Keith Hurlbert, Former Iowa County Emergency Manager.

Others weren’t so lucky. In the days that followed, folks came from across the Midwest to help the survivors.

Meteorologists came to study the tornado itself to determine its place on the Fujita scale. The scale was developed by Dr. Ted Fujita to determine the strength of tornado based on its destruction.

To make matters worse, it was a fast-moving tornado, estimated at over 60 mph. Still, one thing remained standing.

Village council member Mike Peterson is raising funds to rebuild the memorial that once stood commemorating those who lost their lives that terrible Friday in 1984.

In the years that followed, the science of predicting deadly storms has improved. Advancements in doppler radar and satellite imagery have given us more advanced warning.

We're also better at recovering from devastating events thanks to the efforts of those who stayed behind and picked up the pieces.

The Fujita scale was improved in 2007 and is now called the Enhanced Fujita scale, or EF for short.

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