A powerful tornado struck northeastern Wisconsin on Monday afternoon, leaving a trail of destruction across the Fox Valley region and knocking out electricity to tens of thousands of residents. The twister tore through parts of Appleton and Menasha, causing extensive damage to homes, commercial buildings and infrastructure before moving over Lake Winnebago where it eventually dissipated.
The National Weather Service confirmed the tornado was on the ground in Winnebago County, approximately 90 miles northwest of Milwaukee, beginning shortly after noon. The agency issued a Particularly Dangerous Situation tornado warning, the second-highest level of warning in the National Weather Service’s alert system, at 11:59 a.m. as meteorologists detected the rapidly intensifying storm on radar. The tornado was classified as “extremely dangerous” and remained visible on radar for at least 20 minutes as it moved southeast from near Appleton through Menasha and across the lake before dissipating over the water around 12:20 p.m.
The damage across the affected communities was severe and widespread. Video from the scene showed homes with roofs and siding stripped away, overturned vehicles, chunks of twisted metal and splintered wood scattered across highways, and substantial destruction to at least one warehouse. Trees were snapped and uprooted throughout the region, with debris piled high in streets and yards. One person working in downtown Appleton described the sky turning as dark as night as the storm approached. “The word we all were using was ‘ominous,'” said Greg Van Driest. “It’s like, ‘Whoa, look at that.’ You looked outside and you thought it was three in the morning, it was that dark.”
Power outages affected a massive area. According to utility reports, more than 70,000 customers lost electricity across multiple counties from the severe weather system, with the hardest hit areas seeing the most concentrated losses. In Appleton, We Energies reported more than 20,000 customers without power, while additional thousands were affected in Neenah and surrounding areas. The entire city of Menasha, home to approximately 18,000 residents, lost power after a transmission line was downed by the tornado, forcing authorities to open an emergency shelter at a local church for those unable to remain in their homes.
The broader severe weather outbreak extended beyond the tornado itself. A powerful storm system swept across Wisconsin and neighboring states, with a cluster of storms producing damaging winds of 60 mph or greater, large hail, and additional tornado warnings. More than 390,000 customers across Illinois, Wisconsin, and Indiana were without power as the severe weather system progressed across the region throughout Monday afternoon. Meteorologists warned that large hail and the potential for additional brief tornadoes remained possible as the system continued tracking south and east across the state.
Local emergency responders were rapidly deployed to assess damage, clear debris and hazards, and respond to hundreds of emergency calls flooding into dispatch centers. The Menasha Police Department issued an emergency travel advisory urging residents not to enter the city unless absolutely necessary, citing blocked roadways, downed power lines, fallen trees, and debris that were impeding emergency and utility crews. Authorities urged the public to stay indoors and remain cautious of hazards, particularly energized downed power lines.
National Weather Service meteorologists were on site assessing the damage Monday afternoon and indicated they would have a preliminary rating of the tornado’s strength later in the day. While the exact wind speed classification was pending, the extensive damage pattern, debris debris on radar that covered an area more than 2.5 miles wide, and reports from meteorologists in the field suggested the tornado was likely an EF2 or EF3 strength storm with wind speeds potentially exceeding 140 mph.
Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers posted on social media that he had been briefed on the severe weather impacts and confirmed that state resources were being coordinated to assist affected communities. Local officials urged residents to check on loved ones and neighbors while emergency management worked to establish the full extent of damage and any injuries.