First Milwaukee County tornado in over two decades leaves behind damage in West Allis
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"Some things we look for trying to determine if it was a tornado or straight line winds," explained Tim Halbach with the NWS. "First thing we look at is, we look at radar to see if there was any kind of rotation or debris signature there. If there was damage, does it look like it was lofted into the air or was it pushed down?"
Surveyors concluded an EF0 tornado touched down in West Allis near S. 105th Street and W. Becher Street and ended near S. 58th Street between W. Stack Drive and S. 57th Street. It lasted less than 10 minutes and was the first tornado in Milwaukee County since July 2, 2000.
Sean Stephenson returned from work to his home near the corner of S. 72nd and W. Hayes Ave. to find an over 100-year-old tree having destroyed his fence and damaged his truck and garage.
"I got four blocks away and saw the devastation started, it was like, 'Oh my God. A tornado in the middle of the town?'" Stephenson said. "It's really sort of surreal."
Stephenson says while there's a lot to clean up, he's grateful for his family's safety and kind neighbors who have already offered any assistance they can provide.
"Everybody came over. I've met neighbors that I didn't even know that I had. Everybody came over and offered, 'What can we do? What can we help with? Are you okay? It was a real friendly situation," Stephenson said. "My pets, my family. That's the important thing. This is all insured. At the end of the day, it can all be replaced."
Other areas that reported potential tornadoes included Racine, Walworth and Waukesha counties. The National Weather Service will continue to survey areas to determine if those did occur.