Severe Thunderstorms Cause Widespread Damage Across Wisconsin
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Strong thunderstorms caused widespread damage across Wisconsin, left tens of thousands without power and triggered tornado warnings.
The severe weather stretched from the Mississippi River to Lake Michigan and began Wednesday evening in northwestern Wisconsin. By 2 a.m. Thursday, the numerous tornado warnings around the state had expired.
The National Weather Service was expected to survey hard hit areas to determine if tornadoes or high winds brought down power lines, trees and caused structural damage.
Utility crews worked to restore service to the thousands of power customers who lost service across the state. Electricity was knocked out to about 90,000 customers across the state, according to the tracking website PowerOutage, US.
The tornado warnings started in Wausau and eventually were issued for Waukesha, Jefferson and Milwaukee counties around 1 a.m. Thursday.
The National Weather Service placed nearly the entire state of Wisconsin under a severe thunderstorm watch until 2 a.m. Thursday.
A 70 mph wind gust was reported at 8:40 p.m. Wednesday in Merrill in Lincoln County, according to the weather service. Numerous trees and power lines were reported down in Merrill.
A 78 mph wind gust was reported at Weston in Marathon County at 9 p.m., according to the weather service.
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