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9h ago

NWS Confirms Upper Midwest Tornado Outbreak With EF-3 in Wisconsin

New NWS surveys confirm EF0–EF3 tornadoes across the Upper Midwest, signaling a broad, verified outbreak.

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UNION CENTER, WISCONSIN - APRIL 15: Kurt Kelley, left, and Charlene Kelley, survey damage to a machine shed after a tornado on Tuesday on April 15, 2026 in Union Center, Wisconsin. The National Weather Service is tracking the tornado's path as severe weather threats remain from the southern Plains to the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes regions. (Photo by Kayla Wolf/Getty Images)

Overview

  • National Weather Service surveys, conducted after Friday’s severe storms, confirmed eight tornadoes in southeast Minnesota and western Wisconsin, including an EF-3 near Cream and an EF-2 near Rochester.
  • The EF scale rates tornado damage from EF-0 to EF-5; an EF-3 typically reflects winds near 140 mph that can tear off roofs and destroy outbuildings, which matches the Cream, Wisconsin findings.
  • NWS La Crosse said it issued 26 tornado warnings on Friday, the most the office has ever issued in a single day since opening in 1995.
  • Officials reported more than 100 homes damaged across Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa and at least one injury in Iowa, with no confirmed fatalities.
  • Surveys expanded totals elsewhere, with four tornadoes confirmed in southeast Wisconsin and at least seven in Illinois, including a preliminary EF-2 in Lena, as crews restore power to tens of thousands and communities clear debris.