At least 5 tornadoes confirmed in southeast Wisconsin
National Weather Service says three tornadoes were EF-1, two were EF-0
National Weather Service says three tornadoes were EF-1, two were EF-0
National Weather Service says three tornadoes were EF-1, two were EF-0
Survey crews from the National Weather Service visited several locations Thursday and Friday to determine whether tornadoes touched down in southeast Wisconsin.
Friday morning, they confirmed a fifth tornado.
The worst damage from the storms was n Fond du Lac, Jefferson and Waukesha counties.
The storms downed trees and powerlines and caused structural damage in Wales, Concord and Ixonia.
Preliminary survey results of damage near Concord, in Jefferson County, were confirmed to be a tornado.
Meteorologists believe it was an EF-1 tornado in intensity.
The tornado was on the ground from 1:05 to 1:20 a.m.
The path of the storm was 12.62 miles long by 200 yards wide.
The peak winds were estimated at 105 mph.
Several houses and farm buildings were damaged.
"Just the trees twisting and you could see a lot of the tops of our trees just busted right off," said Concord resident Terry Jacobosky.
Cows could be seen grazing among debris that landed in fields.
Debris could be seen stretching across I-94.
The tornado ripped the roof off Lake Country Heating and Cooling.
Insulation sprinkled like snow throughout a nearby field.
"I drove down here at 2 o'clock this morning, you know, to get a look at everything and see if there was any damage," Wade Wilson said. "It took my a while to get through with downed power lines and roads closed, but I got in here and got a look around. The shop is fine. It's just our storage shed, which has some things in it but not as valuable as our shop can keep working."
The storm was so powerful it also bent the flag pole.
"I'm just devastated. This has been my home for along time. I'm just glad everybody is safe," Concord resident Kelly Komar said. "We wanted to make sure everybody was OK -- our neighbor. We're a close family, so we'll pull together and make sure everyone is OK."
A storm survey confirmed a second tornado touched down in Waukesha County about 1:40 a.m.
An updated storm report classified the tornado as an EF-1 in intensity.
Damage was centered around the intersection of Highway D and Townline Road, east-southeast of Wales and west-southwest of Waukesha.
Winds were estimated at 95 mph.
The path length is .90 miles.
"When it happens at night, it's always a little trickier because you're worried that people don't get the warnings if they came out in time," NWS Meteorologist Tim Halbach said. "They're quick tornados, so whenever you issue a warning, you don't have a lot of lead-time."
A third tornado was confirmed near Watertown.
The storm survey crew said they found preliminary evidence of an EF-0 tornado.
Damage was found southwest of Watertown on Hilltop Road just north of Highway A.
That tornado also occurred at about 1:05 a.m. Thursday.
The path of the tornado was 3.14 miles and the width was 100 yards.
Peak winds were 80 mph.
The National Weather Service confirmed a fourth tornado south of Dousman, starting near a cemetery on Highway Z. It struck about 1:19 a.m.
Damage showed it was an EF-1 rated tornado.
The tornado path was 2.19 miles long with a width of 150 yards. Peak winds are estimated to have been 100 mph.
Preliminary results from a survey found a fifth tornado in Waukesha County. It was rated an EF-0.
This one occurred east of Wales started near highway 18 and Brandybrook Road. It moved southeast and lifted just past Road DT.
More information will be released Friday afternoon.
The National Weather Service is doing more surveying Friday.
News Chopper 12 saw more damage in Brandon and Ripon.
Preliminary results from a survey indicate the damage was from strong straight-line winds between 70-75 mph, the National Weather Service said Friday.
Some roads were closed as crews repaired downed powerlines.
A person was killed on Silver Creek Road near Ripon when a car struck a downed tree. Wisconsin State Patrol said it received the call about 6 a.m. Thursday, but it wasn't clear when the crash happened.
Gov. Tony Evers signed an executive order declaring a State of Emergency following the storm damage.
"Last night's storms affected communities from the Mississippi River to Lake Michigan, leaving many regions with widespread damage," he said. "Wisconsinites are resilient, and I know first responders, utilities, and many across our state are working to respond today. I'm declaring a State of Emergency this morning to ensure state resources are available as we work together to get communities the support and help they need."
The action directs state agencies to help those affected by the storms.
It also allows the Wisconsin National Guard to be called to active duty, if necessary, to provide assistance supporting authorities with recovery efforts.
Report or check on status of an outage | We Energies outage map
Utility crews worked to restore service to thousands of power customers.
As of late Thursday, We Energies crews had restored power to more than 45,000 customers. There were still 1,400 customers without power, but We Energies said they will continue to work round the clock to get it restored.
At its peak, electricity was knocked out to about 90,000 customers across Wisconsin, according to the tracking website PowerOutageUS.
Some crops were also damaged.
No serious injuries were reported.