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Milwaukee’s First Tornado Event in Over 20 Years Hits with 4 Simultaneous Twisters

For the first time in 22 years, a tornado has touched down in as touched down in parts of Milwaukee. On Wednesday, severe weather prompted a tornado in the Wisconsin city. According to the National Weather Service, the twister then moved and dissipated about five miles from the city’s downtown.

The tornado touched down in West Allis, six and a half miles from Milwaukee. From there, it traveled three miles in just ten minutes before dissipating a few miles outside downtown, the agency wrote on Twitter.

Although twisters are rare in Milwaukee, they have made it to the city in the past. However, the last time a tornado touched down in Milwaukee County was over 20 years ago, on July 2, 2000. During the event, an F1 tornado with 110 miles per hour winds ripped through homes and cars. All in all, it left 16 people injured, according to the National Weather Service.

On Wednesday, three other small twisters also made contact near Burlington, Wis., which is about 11 miles from Milwaukee; Nashotah, Wis., which sits about 30 miles west of the city; and Lake Geneva, Wis., which is 50 miles to the southwest.

Thankfully, all tornadoes were fairly small and had sustained winds between 65 and 75 miles an hour, according to the National Weather Service in Milwaukee.

The agency also reported that none of the twisters had a width of more than 50 yards. They also didn’t travel more than four miles.

However, the severe weather left at least 21,000 people without power on Wednesday, according to a We Energies spokesperson. So far, no deaths or severe injuries have been reported.

Security camera captures extremely rare moment tornado touches down in Wisconsin

During the event, a security camera outside a West Allis store captured some of the weather events.

Per reports, the camera at D.A. Berther Inc., a kitchen equipment supply store, caught the small tornado making its way down the street.

“I was shaking like crazy, and probably for a good half hour I was shaking afterwards,” said Megan Berther, who saw the storm from the window of her family’s business. “I was watching, trying to see if the sky was getting darker, and all of a sudden, I noticed a tornado coming through and my heart stopped a little bit.”

Jeffrey Pastor, down the street from D.A. Berther Inc., watched the storm from his front porch.

“I was outside and saw a bunch of leaves blowing. I didn’t expect it to get this bad, so when I came up to the front, a bunch of branches fell down,” Pastor said. Pastor and other neighbors quickly removed the tree limbs blocking the road. “I did hear the tornado sirens. I didn’t think it was going to be too serious ’till it actually passed,” he said.

Despite the day’s events, Berther says she’s thankful no one is hurt. She said, “I was very happy that nothing got hit, no one got hurt, and there’s no damage to anyone’s house.”