Tornado Left Behind a Trail of Destruction in Wisconsin, One Hospital Severely Damaged

The heavy weather prompted the closure of critical interstates, damaged a hospital, and left over 100,000 people without power late Wednesday night.

Devastating Disaster

Interstate closures and multiple damage reports were among the repercussions felt by Wisconsin residents Wednesday after a slew of tornadoes struck the state.

Severe thunderstorms rumbled over Wisconsin and sections of Iowa and Illinois, producing the first tornado near Oakdale, Wisconsin, late Wednesday afternoon; this was one of three that touched down in the state's eastern half.

Multiple tornadoes were recorded between Oakdale and Tomah, Wisconsin, with a big tornado prompting a partial shutdown of Interstates 90 and 94. Traffic on Interstate 90 was halted in the early evening hours of Wednesday owing to numerous tipped-over semi-trucks, with officials rerouting traffic.

Wisconsin Twister

Footage of the tornado that struck near Oakdale and Tomah revealed a gigantic violent event that engulfed the whole sky:

Law enforcement in Mauston, Wisconsin, reported tornado damage to a nearby hospital, with the damage unknown as of 6 p.m. Wednesday, CDT. Another tornado struck Bowler, Wisconsin, in the state's central area, about the same time.

On Wednesday, the National Weather Service reported that an EF-1 Tornado occurred in Mauston in Juneau County, Wisconsin. The tornado had peak speeds of 90 miles per hour and a path length of 8.4 miles.

Later that evening, a tornado in the Wyeville, Wisconsin, region was estimated to be at least half a mile wide, with several hardwood trees snapped along the tornado's path. A "major" tornado occurrence in the region also destroyed multiple residences.

Tornado watches and warnings were issued across the state on Wednesday, with sirens heard in the Green Bay suburb of De Pere, Wisconsin:

As of 8:13 p.m, according to PowerOutageUS, approximately 122,000 Wisconsin residents were without power as of 3 p.m. CDT Wednesday. The eastern half of the state saw the largest concentration of outages, with a 70 percent outage (55,058 monitored consumers) in Brown County. By 6 a.m. On Thursday, CDT, that figure had plummeted to slightly under 88,000.

Weather Forecast

The severe weather is expected to ease significantly following the threats to the Upper Midwest on Wednesday, but the Midwest had a reprieve from the storms on Thursday as they moved east.

What to Do During the Tornadoes

Tornadoes are furiously rotating air columns stretching from the base of a thunderstorm to the ground. Tornadoes may utterly demolish man-made structures, uproot trees, and launch items through the air like lethal missiles. Tornadoes may strike at any time of day or night and in any season. Tornadoes are most prevalent in the Central Plains and the South but have been documented in all 50 states.

Prepare a plan and an emergency package to stay safe during a tornado, keep alert of weather conditions during thunderstorms, know the best areas to shelter indoors and outdoors, and always protect yourself from harm, especially your head.

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