140 mph tornado rips through Wisconsin, leaving 12-mile damage path

Trees and power lines collapsed around cars as a tornado with estimated winds of 140 mph carved a 12-mile damage path through Wisconsin, leaving roads blocked and homes exposed to the storm’s force. The National Weather Service documented the swath in its Green Bay severe storms and tornado summary, underscoring how fast the twister turned neighborhood streets into hazards.

The storm blackened the midday sky over northeastern Wisconsin and tore through the Fox Valley, with damage reported in Appleton and Menasha. Local accounts described splintered homes, trees snapped or uprooted, cars flipped over and streets littered with debris, a pattern of destruction that matched images circulating from the hardest-hit blocks.

Power disruptions added to the disruption across the region. WMTV and The Associated Press said the tornado cut electricity to thousands of homes, while workers in the storm’s path were forced to shelter as it moved through. That left residents facing not only the immediate danger of flying debris and damaged roofs, but also the slower cleanup of downed lines, blocked roads and broken utility service.

A separate preliminary assessment put the Appleton tornado at 140 mph, a level that can rip away roofing, hurl vehicles and snap mature trees. The National Weather Service’s July 27 summary places the tornado in a broader stretch of severe weather for Wisconsin, which had already seen nine tornadoes confirmed from Friday evening, July 19, through Saturday morning, July 20.