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Extremely Dangerous Tornado Strikes Appleton and Menasha, Wisconsin

The National Weather Service issued a Particularly Dangerous Situation warning to signal a life‑threatening storm expected to produce additional severe weather.

Overview

  • The tornado was confirmed by radar and spotters and tracked from near Appleton southeast at about 30 mph across Menasha before dissipating over Lake Winnebago, NWS officials reported on Monday.
  • Images and eyewitness accounts show extensive structural damage including roofs and siding stripped from homes, overturned vehicles, downed trees and power poles across the Fox Valley.
  • Menasha Utilities said the city is believed to be without power after a downed transmission line, and outage trackers show tens of thousands of customers without electricity across Outagamie and Winnebago counties.
  • Local police, fire and public works crews have opened shelters, are conducting search-and-rescue and hazard mitigation, and are urging residents to avoid downed power lines and closed roads so crews can reach damaged areas.
  • The NWS has confirmed the PDS warning, is conducting ground damage surveys to determine a preliminary tornado rating, and cautioned that the parent storm system carries a heightened risk of damaging winds, large hail and isolated additional tornadoes.