


A tornado destroys a barn—an Economist favourite—in Wisconsin
We had only just used its image on a story about America’s rural voters
Last week we illustrated our story on rural voters with this picture of a barn near Cochrane,
in western Wisconsin. Sadly, the barn is no more. On May 21st a number of tornadoes touched down in the state. One of them razed the roughly 100-year-old barn to the ground. Although tornadoes are a familiar hazard, the barn was extremely unlucky. In an average year Wisconsin, which is almost as big as Austria and Hungary combined, can expect to have about 23 tornadoes, according to the National Weather Service. The state’s tornado season normally runs from April to September, though this year for the first time it recorded one in February. ■
Stay on top of American politics with The US in brief, our daily newsletter with fast analysis of the most important electoral stories, and Checks and Balance, a weekly note from our Lexington columnist that examines the state of American democracy and the issues that matter to voters.
Explore more
This article appeared in the United States section of the print edition under the headline “A tornado destroys a barn—an Economist favourite—in Wisconsin”

Fiscal nerds determine the fate of legislation in America
A battle under way to remake budget scoring

Will Americans be bowled over by cricket—again?
Boosters have high hopes for the sport as America co-hosts the T20 World Cup

America could face its most active hurricane season ever
Coastal states must brace themselves for extreme weather in an election year