A tornado tore through Wisconsin on Monday, destroying homes, snapping trees, and cutting electricity to more than 30,000 residents across the region.
The National Weather Service confirmed the tornado through radar data, placing it in Winnebago County — approximately 90 miles northwest of Milwaukee. Cities including Appleton and Menasha reported significant damage in the storm’s wake.
Footage circulating online showed twisted metal and broken wood scattered across a highway, forcing drivers to weave around the debris. A warehouse in the area appeared to have sustained heavy damage.
Greg Van Driest, who was working in downtown Appleton when the storm hit, described the eerie scene as the sky turned pitch black in the middle of the day.
“The word we all were using was ‘ominous,’” he said. “It’s like, ‘Whoa, look at that.’ … You looked outside and you thought it was three in the morning, it was that dark.”
Gordon Hintz, the top elected official in Winnebago County, said he had not received any reports of deaths or injuries, though emergency crews were still conducting searches.
“Obviously, the footage looks devastating,” Hintz said. “Clearly some significant damage done with power lines down and things like that.”
Hintz said reports were coming in of buildings completely leveled and vehicles flipped over on roadways. He noted that all available storm warnings had been issued ahead of time to help get people out of harm’s way.
“Obviously when you look at the damage, Mother Nature doesn’t really care,” he said.
National Weather Service meteorologist Holley Kamba said the agency was receiving damage reports from southern Outagamie County and eastern Winnebago County.
“We have been receiving calls of damage with a lot of trees down, power lines down,” Kamba said. “We’ve been searching for some pictures of the structural damage.”
She confirmed that no injuries had been reported as of her statement.
According to the National Weather Service, the tornado was moving over Lake Winnebago and tracking southward toward Fond du Lac County at around 12:25 p.m. A tornado warning for the Fox Cities region — which covers Appleton, Menasha, and Neenah — had been issued by National Weather Service meteorologists in Green Bay at 11:59 a.m.
The warning cautioned that flying debris would pose serious dangers to anyone caught outside, and that mobile homes, roofs, windows, and vehicles were all at risk. Tree damage was also expected.
Prior to the tornado warning, the area had already been under a severe thunderstorm warning for roughly 45 minutes, with meteorologists noting the storm could generate wind gusts of up to 60 mph.
Social media images from Appleton showed widespread destruction, including houses stripped of their roofs and siding, an overturned car thrown onto a lawn, and streets blanketed with fallen tree limbs.
The Appleton Police Department posted on social media that it was aware of “several downed trees and large tree limbs throughout the city.” The department also noted that some traffic signals were not functioning and certain roads were “heavily backed up.”
Outagamie County Executive Tom Nelson said he had not yet received confirmation of any fatalities or injuries in the county, which includes Appleton. However, he described “extensive and severe damage” in Menasha and Fox Crossing, with reports of collapsed structures.
“All indications are that this was a devastating system that has caused extensive damage,” Nelson said.
Nelson urged residents to avoid traveling through the area due to downed power lines, road closures, and dangerous conditions.
“Stay put if possible,” he said. “Check on loved ones and neighbors.”
In Menasha, the local electric utility reported that the entire city — home to roughly 18,000 people — was believed to be without power after a transmission line went down. Authorities opened a shelter at a local church for residents who needed temporary refuge or could not stay in their homes.
“We are aware of severe damage in broad areas,” the Menasha Police Department wrote on Facebook. “We are asking the public to stay indoors, watch out for downed power lines, do not drive around road closures, and do not drive around the area unless absolutely necessary.”
The National Weather Service warned that severe weather was expected to persist across east central and southeastern Wisconsin through Monday afternoon, with additional storms forecast to bring strong winds, hail, and the potential for brief, isolated tornadoes.
