Tornado warning issued in Waukesha and Jefferson counties as storms moved through southern Wisconsin
The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for parts of Waukesha and Jefferson counties Tuesday night.
The weather service saw circulations on radar, reports of damage, and videos of funnel clouds in southern Wisconsin that led to the meteorologists issuing tornado warnings.
The weather service won't actually be able to confirm if there was a tornado until Wednesday morning, but meteorologist with NWS Mark Gehring said, "We don't think we had any tornadoes."
Gehring said the "small circulations" moved from the Delavan area to Lake Geneva at about 9 p.m. "Sometimes those small circulations can turn into fast developing tornadoes" so it was important to act, Gehring said.
The weather service also issued a tornado warning in parts of Jefferson County. The second storm system to roll through southern Wisconsin was preceded by a storm system Tuesday afternoon that resulted in tornado warnings in Delavan, Pell Lake and Walworth in Walworth County.
Watertown, Oconomowoc and Hartland were under a tornado warning until 8:45 p.m. Fort Atkinson, Jefferson and Lake Mills were under a tornado warning until 8:30 p.m. A tornado watch was issued for Racine, Kenosha and Walworth counties, as well as much of Illinois and Indiana and portions of southwestern Michigan until 8 p.m.
Hail and high winds were likely in the areas under the watch. Winds could be 60 mph or higher, and hail between pea-sized and quarter-sized is possible, according to the weather service. As of 3 p.m. Tuesday, NWS received reports of hail 1-inch in diameter in Sussex and wind damage in Walworth.
Gehring said the weather service will head to the areas Wednesday where there were reports of downed power lines and tree damage from both storms.
So far, Wisconsin has seen two tornados in 2024, both in the month of February.
According to Alliant Energy, about 2,100 customers were without electricity in the Walworth County area as of 10:25 p.m.
All of Milwaukee and surrounding communities, including Racine and West Allis were under a severe thunderstorm warning until 9:30 p.m. The We Energies outage map shows more than 8,400 customers without electricity at 10:30 p.m.
Here are some rain totals
Much of the area has been soaked. Here are some of the recorded rainfall numbers from 4 to 10 p.m. Tuesday:
- Howards Grove: 2.89 inches
- Muskego: 1.18 inches
- Sheboygan: 1 inch
- Oak Creek: 0.92 inches
- Port Washington: 0.89 inches
- Greendale 0.89 inches
- Milwaukee: 0.59 inches
- Racine: 0.16 inches
In Milwaukee, the metropolitan sewerage district dashboard shows that the deep tunnel is 46% full at 10:30 p.m.
What is the difference between a tornado watch and a tornado warning?
Tornado watch: A tornado watch defines an area where tornadoes and other kinds of severe weather are possible. A tornado watch does not mean tornadoes are imminent, just that everyone should be alert and prepared to go to safe shelter if tornadoes occur.
Tornado warning: A tornado warning means that a tornado has been spotted, or that Doppler radar has detected a thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado. When a tornado warning is issued for your town or county, take immediate safety precautions.
What should I do during a tornado warning?
Here's what to do during a tornado warning, depending on where you're located:
- A house with a basement: Avoid windows. Get in the basement and under some kind of sturdy protection such as a heavy table or work bench. Know where very heavy objects are on the floor above, i.e., pianos, refrigerators, waterbeds, etc., and do not go under them. They may fall down through a weakened floor.
- A house with no basement, a dorm, or an apartment: Avoid windows. Go to the lowest floor, a small center room like a bathroom or closet, under a stairwell, or in an interior hallway. Crouch as low as possible to the floor, facing down; and cover your head with your hands. Even in an interior room, you should cover yourself with some sort of thick padding (mattress, blankets, etc.), to protect against falling debris in case the roof and ceiling fail.
- Office building, hospital, nursing home or skyscraper: Go directly to an enclosed, windowless area in the center of the building, away from glass and on the lowest floor possible. Crouch down and cover your head. Interior stairwells are usually good places to take shelter.
- Mobile or manufactured home: "Get out! Even if your home is tied down, it is not as safe as an underground shelter or permanent, sturdy building," according to the Storm Prediction Center. "Go to one of those shelters, or to a nearby permanent structure, using your tornado evacuation plan."
- School: Follow the procedures from tornado drills. Go to the interior hall or windowless room in an orderly way. Crouch low, head down, and protect the back of your head with your arms. Stay away from windows and large open rooms like gyms and auditoriums.
- Car or truck: Vehicles are extremely risky in a tornado. "There is no safe option when caught in a tornado in a car, just slightly less-dangerous ones," according to the Storm Prediction Center. "If the tornado is visible, far away, and the traffic is light, you may be able to drive out of its path by moving at right angles to the tornado." Park the vehicle out of traffic lanes and seek shelter in a sturdy building or underground if possible. "If you can safely get noticeably lower than the level of the roadway, leave your car and lie in that area, covering your head with your hands," according to the SPC. "Avoid seeking shelter under bridges, which can create deadly traffic hazards while offering little protection against flying debris."
- In the open outdoors: If possible, seek shelter in a sturdy building. If not, lie flat and face-down on low ground, protecting the back of your head with your arms. Get as far away from trees and cars as you can; they may be blown onto you in a tornado.
- Shopping mall or large store: Move as quickly as possible to an interior bathroom, storage room or other small enclosed area, away from windows.
- Church or theater: Move quickly but orderly to an interior bathroom or hallway, away from windows. Crouch face-down and protect your head with your arms. If there is no time to do that, get under the seats or pews, protecting your head with your arms or hands.