Twisters leave Wisconsin communities cleaning up and watching the water rise
Twisters tore through parts of Wisconsin on Tuesday night, leaving residents in Lisbon, Rochester and the Somers area facing damage, cleanup and an unsettled outlook as flood concerns grew in other communities. In the village of Lisbon, where the National Weather Service confirmed an EF2 tornado, people woke Wednesday to roofs torn open, debris scattered and a church damaged in a way longtime residents could see and feel immediately.
What did the tornadoes do on the ground?
The National Weather Service’s Milwaukee-Sullivan office said winds in Lisbon reached up to 120 mph. Meteorologist Timothy Halbach said a residential area north of Sussex took a hard hit, with homes in one subdivision suffering direct damage. He described roofs being blown off and garage doors and garages partially destroyed.
Lisbon Presbyterian Church, built in 1857, was also damaged. Pastor Sara Knowles said the chimney collapsed onto the roof, leaving debris inside the sanctuary and a gray dust cloud hanging in the building. She also noted a piece of metal lodged behind an organ pipe and damage to the outside of the church.
For residents like Jerry Kienest, the warning came fast. He said he heard tornado sirens around 6: 30 p. m. Tuesday and then saw the gazebo in his backyard shaking before he ran downstairs. He said his own home was damaged by a leaking roof in four rooms, and he spent Wednesday morning cleaning downed trees from his yard.
How far did the damage spread across southeast Wisconsin?
Teams with the National Weather Service’s Milwaukee-Sullivan office are surveying possible tornado damage in Waukesha, Kenosha, Racine, Marquette and Walworth counties. In southeast Wisconsin, two additional tornadoes were confirmed Tuesday: an EF0 in Rochester, in Racine County, and an EF1 in the Somers area, in Kenosha County.
The EF0 tornado in Rochester touched down at 8: 42 p. m. near the intersection of Plank Road and County Highway J and traveled 3. 9 miles before ending near Plank Road just east of South Cox Road. The maximum estimated wind speed was 85 mph.
The Somers tornado touched down at 8: 01 p. m. near the intersection of 7th Street and 100th Avenue and ended about 4 miles to the southeast near the north end of 47th Avenue. Its estimated maximum wind speed was 105 mph.
Why is flooding now part of the emergency?
While communities clean up storm damage, flooding is forcing evacuation orders in some northeast Wisconsin areas. Officials issued evacuation orders in the village of Shiocton in Outagamie County and in low-lying areas of Weyawega, Fremont and New London in Waupaca County.
Halbach said more rain expected Wednesday could make flooding easier after several days of rainfall. In Shiocton, the village said residents were required to evacuate by 3 p. m. Wednesday because the Wolf River was expected to keep rising through Friday. The village said water was rising fast and expected to get worse in the next couple of days.
What are residents facing now?
The challenge is not just broken roofs and fallen trees. It is the overlap of wind damage and rising water, which leaves some families cleaning one problem while preparing for another. Waukesha County spokesperson Hillary Mintz said there were no reported injuries, but the storm’s impact is still visible in damaged buildings, soaked homes and evacuation notices.
For Lisbon residents, the aftermath is immediate and personal. For Shiocton and other communities under evacuation orders, the concern is what happens as water continues to rise. Twisters may have passed through in minutes, but for many people the recovery has only begun, and the next round of rain could decide how hard that recovery becomes.
