1st February Tornado In WI History Confirmed Thursday

EVANSVILLE, WI — Before 2024, the state of Wisconsin had never seen a tornado in February. That changed on Thursday evening when "a rare, impressive setup for severe weather came together across southern Wisconsin," which caused a tornado to touch down near Evansville, according to the National Weather Service.

"This is a very dangerous storm," the NWS said around 6:30 p.m. Thursday. "Seek immediate safe shelter if in its path!"

After it touched down, the tornado moved into Edgerton and died out in Jefferson County.

No deaths or injuries have been reported, but the tornado left significant damage in its wake, including downed trees and power lines, snapped power poles, and roof damage, the Journal Sentinel reported.

Crews from NWS will be out Friday morning to survey the damage and determine the level of the tornado. Weather officials will not have a final assessment on the strength or number of tornadoes that occurred until surveys are completed.

The tornado was caused by a "dynamic low" that "tracked northeast across the Upper Mississippi Valley," according to the NWS.

"Within the warm sector, afternoon sunshine allowed surface based instability to develop, around 500 or so J/Kg. Along with the increasing instability, the dynamic system brought a plethora of deep-layer and low-level shear. The impressive shear profiles led to concerns for the development of rotating storms, capable of producing all hazards - but especially large hail and a few tornadoes."

According to the NWS, until Feb. 8, the following was true:

• Zero Tornado Warnings were issued in the state of Wisconsin, during February.
  • NWS Milwaukee/Sullivan issued 5 Tornado Warnings on Thursday alone
• Only 17 Severe thunderstorm warnings had been issued in the state of Wisconsin during February (9 in 1999, 4 in 2008, 3 in 2017).
  • NWS Milwaukee/Sullivan issued 8 Severe Thunderstorm Warnings on Thursday alone