UPDATE: Crazy weather tonight about sums it up — December storms, 70mph winds, possible tornadoes

Todd Shea joined La Crosse Talk PM on Wednesday for a quick update on the weather. The meteorologist has been up on the bluff at the National Weather Service (NWS) – La Crosse since 1995.

Listen to Shea on the show by clicking here.

NWS has a couple updates on its homepage, Facebook and Twitter pages in regards to Wednesday night’s unprecedented conditions:

“We cannot emphasize enough the unusual nature of this event. A risk this high for severe weather in December has never occurred before this far north. Storms will have the potential to produce 70 mph wind gusts with isolated gusts of 80 mph or higher possible. Tornadoes will be possible and a strong tornado could occur. If warnings are issued for your location, DO NOT take time to validate that a storm is occurring. Instead, take shelter immediately! The storms will likely be moving at 60 to 70 mph and if you delay seeking shelter, the storms could hit your location before you are safe.”

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EARLIER TUESDAY
You might see Santa Claus flying through the sky tonight. It won’t be the real Santa though. It’ll be yours or your neighbor’s inflatable Santa blowing away in what could be 70 mile-per-hour wind gusts.

The National Weather Service – La Crosse (NWS) had a couple of interesting ways of describing what they’re seeing headed this way for Wednesday night.

A threat for strong to severe storms — in December. It could get over 60 degrees — in December. The chance for an “isolated tornado or two could occur, although this will be a much lower probability outcome than the strong winds,” NWS posted.

“This intense, crazy anomalous system that’s just giving all of us a headache for today and tonight,” NWS meteorologist Molly Peters told WIZM. “If I could use two words to describe this type of weather, this event that we’re going to experience, it’s historic and rare.

“Just all the dynamics that are going into this system is crazy.”

Peters did her best to break it down:

“Just with the strong winds that we’re already expecting, with a line of thunderstorms that are anticipated to move through the area this evening from 6-10 p.m., they’re going to be moving at such a great clip, from 60-70 mph — just racing off to the northeast — that if we get any gusts coming from that, getting that down to the surface from the thunderstorm, that’s just enhancing the gusts that we’re already experiencing just with the overall low pressure system. Yeah, it’s intense.”