National Weather Service confirms 3 tornadoes in western Wisconsin Monday

An EF1 tornado touched down near Rusk and traveled northeast for over six miles.
Published: May. 10, 2022 at 3:55 PM CDT

TOWN OF COLFAX (DUNN COUNTY), Wis. (WEAU) - The National Weather Service in the Twin Cities is confirming damage caused by three tornadoes in western Wisconsin.

The NWS said that the strongest of the three, which occurred in Dunn County, had a path of damage that begins slightly north of Interstate 94 near Rusk and continues northeast across Highway 40, then through Whitetail Golf Course south of Colfax.

Estimated wind speeds based on the damage are 80 to 90mph, which would rate as a low-end EF1 tornado. Radar analysis suggests the tornado occurred from 7:32 p.m. until 7:46 p.m. and traveled approximately 6.2 miles.

The NWS issued a tornado warning for parts of Dunn County at 7:25 p.m. Monday.

Whitetail Golf Course lost over 100 trees as a result of the storm, according to the course’s owner.

No one has been reported injured due to the storms that crossed through in Dunn County.

In a release, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, which is located northwest of Dunn County, said that one person was hurt during two separate severe storm events in northwestern Wisconsin Monday. There was widespread property damage, and the NWS confirmed an EF0 tornado at about 10:30 a.m. north of St. Croix Falls that traveled one mile with winds reaching up to 85mph. Wind and hail damaged farms, houses, businesses and vehicles, and power outages lasted for several hours after the storms. The NWS also confirmed a microburst with winds up to 60mph which resulted in some of the damage reported.

A second tornado in Dunn County was confirmed as well, an EF0 east of Knapp around 7:30 p.m. This tornado lasted for three-quarters of a mile with speeds up to 80mph.

The National Weather Service is also investigating a funnel cloud spotted about seven miles south of Eau Claire that observers said never reached the ground, as well as a report of a tornado that crossed Lake Pepin and into Wisconsin south of Stockholm. The storm system resulted in multiple tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings being issued for eastern Minnesota and western Wisconsin.

A tornado damaged parts of Whitetail Golf Course in Colfax, Wis. on Monday, May 9, 2022. Over 100 trees were knocked down.(Bob Gallaher | WEAU)

MORE COVERAGE: Whitetail Golf Course in Colfax loses more than 100 trees from Monday’s storms

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