The tornado was spotted from Evansville, Wisconsin
A tornado was spotted Thursday outside Evansville, Wisconsin.
chicago It may be February, but the weather in Chicago and Milwaukee was more typical of spring, with thunderstorms sparking warnings Thursday, hail and even tornadoes.
Storm chaser Corey Gerken spotted a tornado outside Henry, Illinois, late Thursday afternoon as severe storms moved through the northern and central parts of the state.
The rotation was weak but there was enough funnel on the ground for the tornado to be considered a tornado.
The area was considered at marginal risk by the Storm Prediction Center due to the threat of hail, gusty winds and tornadoes.
A tornado was spotted near Henry, Illinois
Severe storms moved through northern and central Illinois Thursday evening. Storm chaser Corey Gerken spotted this tornado forming just southeast of Henry.
Storm chaser Brandon Kubik chased the same storm and captured video of the aftermath of a semi-truck flipping over and destroying a barn.
The area is more than 100 miles outside of Chicago, which was also bracing for the threat of strong to severe storms.
The Midwest's “spring break,” with temperatures 10 to 20 degrees above average, has set the stage for spring weather. Wednesday brought record heat to Minneapolis. Des Moines, Iowa, and Wausau, Wisconsin.
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“We broke record high temperatures across the Midwest this afternoon, but that precedes the potential for severe weather this evening,” FOX Meteorologist Ian Oliver said. “And that warmth and humidity are fueling some of that threat.”
By the time the sun went down, the EPC had already received about a dozen severe weather reports, including two tornadoes.
Storms in Wisconsin sparked what are believed to be the first tornado warnings during February in recent memory.
At least one tornado is believed to have affected communities around Evansville, but it is up to the local National Weather Service office to determine how long a tornado remains on the ground and its strength on the Enhanced Fujita scale.
Video from Evansville showed a rope-like tornado with lots of lightning.
“Power is currently out in Evansville. Evansville Water and Light is aware of the issue and is working to resolve it. There are reports that cell phone towers are also down. We do not have a timeline for when power will be restored,” the Evansville Police Department reported Thursday evening.
PowerOutage.us reported fewer than 10,000 power outages between Wisconsin and Illinois, including from around the Evansville area.
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Beyond the severe weather, a major shift in the weather pattern is expected as warm, dry conditions are replaced by cooler, wetter weather over the coming days, the FOX Forecast Center said.
“Temperatures in the high 50s across the upper Midwest this week will be replaced with highs in the 30s,” the FOX Forecast Center explained. “This will be the beginning of a gradual calm period, caused by continued flow from the northwest out of Canada. The calm period will slowly build over the next week.”
Cold air will flow in from Canada, returning the Midwest to more favorable temperatures. (Fox Weather)
