EF-2 tornado hits in US Wisconsin, leaves one fatality
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- Tornado damaged homes and cut power.
- Tornado touched down before warnings, lasting over 20 minutes.
- Utility worker killed in suspected lightning strike.
- Storms leave 390,000+ without power across three states.
An "extremely dangerous" tornado classified with a preliminary EF-2 rating struck parts of Menasha and Appleton, Wisconsin, on Monday afternoon, destroying homes, uprooting trees, and leaving tens of thousands of residents without power.
The storm system tore off roofs, flattened walls, flipped vehicles, and snapped utility poles across local neighborhoods before crossing Lake Winnebago and dissipating over water.
Widespread damage
The National Weather Service issued a "Particularly Dangerous Situation" tornado warning shortly after 12:00 p.m. CT. However, preliminary reports indicate the tornado first touched down at 11:56 a.m., minutes before the formal tornado warning was published at 11:59 a.m.
Menasha Police Chief Matthew Albrecht urged residents to stay indoors and shelter in place as first responders began assessing damage and searching for victims amidst impassable roads and downed live power wires.
In Winnebago and Calumet counties, over 15,000 customers lost electricity, with officials noting the entire city of Menasha experienced power loss. An additional 18,000 outages were recorded in neighboring Outagamie County.
Fatality in Whitewater
In Whitewater, Wisconsin, a 29-year-old tree trimming crew member working for an area utility was killed just before 10:00 a.m. local time following a suspected lightning strike.
The storm was part of a massive severe weather complex that triggered a Level 3 of 5 severe thunderstorm risk across the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley, producing wind gusts up to 100 mph south of Chicago and causing over 390,000 total power outages across Wisconsin, Illinois, and Indiana.
