Tornado Near Me: Taylor County’s April storm leaves a family watching the sky in real time
In Taylor County, the phrase tornado near me was not a search term on a screen — it was the scene outside a home on April 13, as a funnel cloud turned a routine storm watch into a moment people would remember.
Taylor County Emergency Management says two tornadoes were reportedly seen in the county during the storm, with more information still pending as the National Weather Service completes official surveys. No injuries have been reported, and only minor structural damage to a barn has been noted so far.
What did people see during the April 13 storm?
Taylor County Emergency Manager Daniel Gellert said the department is working with the National Weather Service to determine the rating of the tornadoes. One tornado was reported in Gilman, north of State Highway 64, and it reportedly traveled northeast toward the Hannibal area.
For resident Chad Ducommun, the sight was immediate and unsettling in a way only a close encounter can be. “We were just kind of sitting there watching it rotate, ” he said. “We could hear a little noise, but kind of taking it all in. It was really neat. First time ever seeing a tornado. ”
The scene carried the kind of contrast that makes severe weather feel personal: awe, fear, and the simple act of watching the sky for signs that something is changing. In that moment, tornado near me was not abstract. It was a warning tied to a place, a road, and a family standing still long enough to see the storm pass.
Why are officials still waiting on confirmation?
The county says a second tornado was reported just north of the town of Chelsea by a trained weather spotter, and radar also indicated it. Still, officials have not confirmed the full count until the National Weather Service completes its official surveys.
That process matters because it turns a report into a documented event. Gellert said more information will be available after those surveys are finished. Until then, the county is describing the storms carefully, with two possible tornadoes in the region on Monday awaiting final confirmation.
This is where the human reality of severe weather meets the institutional one. Emergency management can describe what was seen and what radar suggested, while the National Weather Service provides the formal review that decides how the storms are recorded.
How unusual is an April tornado in Wisconsin?
The broader picture suggests that an April tornado is not outside the state’s normal pattern. The National Weather Service says Wisconsin’s peak tornado season runs from May through August, but the Wisconsin State Climatology Office found that the state usually has at least one tornado in April. Tornadoes are most common in June, followed by August, July and May.
That context helps explain why a storm like the one in Taylor County can arrive before summer and still fit a familiar seasonal pattern. Wisconsin has also seen its tornado season start earlier in recent years, but the local impact remains immediate no matter where it falls on the calendar. For residents, the question is rarely about averages. It is about whether the sirens, the radar and the darkening sky are pointing toward their street.
What happens next for Taylor County?
For now, the focus remains on confirmation, documentation and recovery. The barn damage reported so far is minor, and no injuries have been reported. Emergency management is still working with the National Weather Service to establish the rating and confirm the details of both tornado reports.
For Ducommun and others who watched the funnel cloud form, the memory of the storm will likely stay sharper than any official tally. The county may eventually receive a final number and rating, but the first impression came earlier: a rotating cloud, a little noise, and the realization that tornado near me was not a distant possibility. It was already there.
