Overview
- Following Friday's tornado outbreak across Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin, the National Weather Service issued rare "particularly dangerous situation" alerts and its La Crosse office recorded a single‑day record of 26 tornado warnings.
- Preliminary surveys confirmed strong tornadoes including an EF-2 in Olmsted County near Rochester, an EF-3 near Cream, Wisconsin, and an EF-2 striking Lena, Illinois.
- Illinois officials reported at least seven tornadoes statewide, and southeast Wisconsin confirmed four, with survey teams still checking additional tracks.
- Damage concentrated in small towns left Lena's schools and homes hit, about 75 houses damaged around Ringle, Wisconsin, and access to Lena restricted by downed trees and live wires.
- Power outages reached roughly 70,000 to 87,000 customers on Saturday, and forecasters warned of more severe thunderstorms later in the day across the Southern Plains, Mississippi Valley and Great Lakes.