Story at a glance
- Severe weather in the Milwaukee area sparked four small tornadoes, the National Weather Service confirmed.
- One of the twisters touched down just seven miles west of the city.
- All of the tornadoes were short-lived with winds ranging from 65 to 75 miles per hour.
For the first time in 22 years, a tornado has passed through parts of Milwaukee.
Severe weather on Wednesday triggered a tornado in the Milwaukee area which traveled and dissipated about five miles away from the city’s downtown, the National Weather Service confirmed.
The twister touched down in West Allis, which is six and a half miles from Milwaukee, and traveled three miles in 10 minutes before dissipating a few miles outside of downtown, the agency wrote on Twitter.
Tornadoes are rare in Milwaukee but have made it to the city before.
The last time a twister touched down in Milwaukee County was on July 2, 2000, when an F1 tornado with winds of 110 miles per hour damaged homes, cars and injured 16 people, the National Weather Service said.
Three other small twisters also touched down on Wednesday near Burlington, Wis., which is about 11 miles from Milwaukee; Nashotah, Wis., which lies about 30 miles west of the city; and Lake Geneva, Wis., which lies 50 miles to the southwest.
All of the tornadoes were relatively small with sustained winds between 65 and 75 miles an hour, according to the National Weather Service in Milwaukee.
None of the twisters had a width of more than 50 yards or traveled further than four miles, the agency reported.
At least 21,000 people lost power on Wednesday as a result of the severe weather, according to a We Energies spokesperson. So far, no deaths or injuries have been reported.
Published on Oct 14,2022