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Severe Weather in Wisconsin Causes Widespread Damage

Katie Thoresen/WXPR
A tree uprooted in front of a Tomahawk home during Wednesday night's storm.

(Updated 7.29 7:20 p.m.): The National Weather Service has confirmed a tornado did touchdown in Lincoln and Marathon Counties on Wednesday. 

It started near Pine River in Lincoln County with widespread damage near the intersection of County W and County P. The path extends souht into Marathon County, ending just east of County W near Hazelwood Lane. 

The path of the tornado is estimated to be 2.8 miles long, with a width of 150 yards. 

Peak winds estimated to be 90 MPH. The NWS said it was an EF-1 rating. 

This is the 5th confirmed tornado in Wisconsin. The others were in Jefferson and Waukesha Counties.  The information on the tornadoes is still preliminary.

The severe weather stretched from the Mississippi River to Lake Michigan and began Wednesday evening in northwestern Wisconsin. By 2 a.m. Thursday, the numerous tornado warnings around the state had expired.

Line crews have been working to restore power to many since Monday’s night storm, only to have a second system move through Wednesday night.

Most of the damag in the northcentral region from Wednesday night’s storm seems to be in Marathon, Portage, Waupaca, and Waushara Counties. The National Weather Service Office in Green Bay is asking people in those areas send photos of any damage.

Governor Evers has declared a state of emergency to active the Wisconsin National Guard and direct state agencies to help those affected by the storms.

Credit Katie Thoresen/WXPR
City crews clean up downed trees in Tomahawk after Wednesday night's storm.

Marathon County has declared its own state of emergency. The county emergency management stated in a news release, “This declaration allows additional resources to move into our municipalities as the need is determined. Additionally, it may allow for the possibility of recovery funds for our local governments.”

Electricity was knocked out to about 90,000 customers across the state, according to the tracking website PowerOutage, US.

Katie Thoresen is WXPR's News Director/Vice President.
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