Nearly 17,000 people are without power Friday morning after severe storms and tornadoes affected the Southeast Wisconsin.
According to We Energies, 16,837 customers were without power around 8 a.m., mainly in Kenosha The National Weather Service reported a tornado touched down in Union Grove shortly after 6 p.m. Thursday, Wisconsin Public Radio reported. The agency plans to verify that this happened tornado and assessing other storm-related impacts on Friday.
Many highways and smaller roads were closed overnight due to debris and downed power lines, the Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office reported.
Kenosha area residents can report any damage through 211 Wisconsin.
Wisconsin tornado damage
The storm that crossed the Wisconsin/Illinois border on Thursday also spawned tornadoes that caused severe damage in Street, Illinois, and other areas of Illinois and Indiana.
These storms cause downed trees and power lines, leading to potentially hazardous conditions.
Thursday’s storm follows a wave of storms earlier Wednesday that wreaked havoc in the Wisconsin towns of Horicon and Lomira and caused downed trees and power outages in several Wisconsin communities.
We Energies said it is actively working to restore service to all affected customers.
Streeter and Dwight’s Tornado
There were several confirmed tornadoes in Straight and Dwight counties, leading to warnings in LaSalle, Grundy and Kankakee counties.
Additionally, officials reported a severe and damaging tornado ripped through Lake and Porter counties in Indiana.
On Friday, calmer weather is expected across the region. However, communities affected by the storm need to begin cleanup operations in earnest, and damage assessments will be initiated to determine the number of tornadoes that impacted the area.
Severe thunderstorm hits Chicago
The Chicago area experienced a second wave of severe thunderstorms on Thursday, causing severe road disruptions across the region.
In Merrillville, Indiana, a suspected tornado ripped through the town during the storm, causing multiple road closures, including State Route 53, Total Traffic reported.
Meanwhile, Illinois State Police announced that US-18 into Straight was closed after a confirmed tornado touched down in the area, causing destruction and damage to multiple structures.
