July 15, 1980

Unless you were in the Chippewa Valley on that date, it has little or no significance. But for those of us who can remember it, it is a date that is burned into the memory-even those of us who were mere 4 year olds at the time. That evening a storm blew through the Chippewa Valley that had straight line winds over 100 miles an hour, damaging homes & businesses to the tune of $115 million in damage done, and 10 continuous miles of a main powerline to the area was knocked down. For me, it lead to an absolute and complete terror for strong thunderstorms that would last another 12 years or so, even though my home did not see the worst of the storm. Portions of that day are crystal clear in my mind 25 years later, which is impressive because I usually can't remember what I had for lunch.

WEAU TV-13 was the only major television station in the area at that time. To a certain extent, the Chippewa Valley was a bit of a media oasis. 1 major TV station, one small station, and 2 newspapers. An afterthought to the nearby Twin Cities market, and not even on the radar of down state media markets. 25 years later, they have put together a special looking back on their coverage of the July 15, 1980 storm. It is a great little special to watch if you are from the area, if you enjoy weather disaster shows, or if you just enjoy looking back on the inhabitants of an area cursed with terrible clothing.