Nearly 17,000 people are experiencing power outages on Friday morning following severe storms and tornadoes that affected southeastern .
According to We Energies, 16,837 customers were without power at around 8 a.m., primarily in and Union Grove, where the National Weather Service reported a tornado touchdown shortly after 6 p.m. on Thursday, Wisconsin Public Radio reported. The agency plans to verify the occurrence of the and assess other storm-related effects on Friday.
Numerous highways and smaller roads were closed overnight due to debris and fallen power lines, as reported by the Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office.
Residents in the Kenosha region can report any damage through 211 Wisconsin.
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Damage caused by Wisconsin tornado
The storms that traversed the Wisconsin/Illinois border on Thursday also generated tornados, resulting in significant destruction in Streator, Illinois, as well as in other areas of Illinois and Indiana.
These storms caused trees and power lines to fall, leading to potentially dangerous conditions.
The storms on Thursday followed an earlier wave of storms on Wednesday, which inflicted severe damage in the Wisconsin towns of Horicon and Lomira, and resulted in downed trees and power outages across several Wisconsin communities.
We Energies has stated that it is actively working to restore service to all customers impacted.
Tornadoes in Streator and Dwight
Several confirmed tornadoes were seen in Streator and Dwight, leading to warnings issued in LaSalle, Grundy, and Kankakee counties.
Additionally, a significant and destructive tornado traversed Lake and Porter counties in Indiana, as reported by officials.
On Friday, the region is expected to experience calmer weather. However, clean-up operations will need to commence in earnest in the communities affected by the storms, and damage evaluations will be initiated to ascertain the number of tornadoes that impacted the area.
Chicago witnesses intense thunderstorms
On Thursday, the Chicago region experienced a second wave of intense thunderstorms, resulting in significant disruptions on the roadways throughout the area.
In Merrillville, Indiana, it is suspected that a tornado swept through the town during the storms, leading to the closure of several roads, including State Road 53, as reported by Total Traffic.
Meanwhile, the Illinois State Police announced that US-18, which leads into Streator, was closed following the confirmation of a tornado that touched down in the area, causing destruction and damage to multiple structures.
