MADISON, Wis. — Two tornadoes were confirmed in south central Wisconsin Thursday night by the National Weather Service (NWS). The dual tornadoes were the first-ever February tornadoes in the state on record.
NWS said one tornado in Albany, Wis., was classified as an EF-1, with peak winds reaching 110 mph.
The second tornado in Evansville, Wis., was an EF-2, with peak winds reaching 135 mph.
“It’s the first time that we have any tornado warnings that we have even issued for our office in February, let alone the first tornado in February in the state. If anything, it’s a sign that any time of year we can have any type of weather here. It’s important to be prepared for those days when a tornado like that happens," said Tim Halbach with the NWS.
The storms left a swath of destruction that included dead and missing cows, roofs blown off of homes, destroyed storage sheds and barns, trashed vehicles and shattered windows.
There were no reports of significant injuries. Local emergency management officials reported dozens of buildings, power lines and other structures that were damaged in the path of the storm that formed in eastern Iowa and died out near Milwaukee. The temperature was a record high for the date: 59 degrees.
“As far as the community response, we couldn’t have asked for anything better in this area. From the first responders that came to the Department of Public Works, our dispatch center stepped up and did everything we asked for it. We couldn’t be more proud of the efforts that went into this in such a quick time," said Curtis Fell a sheriff with the Rock County Sheriffs Department.
Rock County officials, in the area where the tornado was reported, received reports of about 25 buildings, power lines or other structures damaged.
There were no immediate reports of injuries though, Mark Elland, a shift supervisor at the Rock County 911 center, told the Wisconsin State Journal. He said there had been “numerous reports of tornado activity, funnel clouds,” including reports from law enforcement of a tornado touching down in several areas of the county.