Photos: Tornadoes sweep through southern Wisconsin
An unprecedented February tornado damaged or destroyed more than 30 homes and other buildings in Rock and Green counties Thursday.
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Heidi Crull, middle right, with her son, Baylin, talks to Tim Halbach, right, warning coordination meteorologist with the National Weather Service, and meteorologist Andrew Quigley, at left, as they follow the path of a tornado that hit the area Thursday evening, on her in-laws property across the street from her house on North Tolles Road in Evansville, Wis., Friday, Feb. 9, 2024. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
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Baylin Crull checks out damage to a pig barn on his grandparent’s property from a tornado that hit the area Thursday evening, on North Tolles Road in Evansville, Wis., Friday, Feb. 9, 2024. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
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Damage to a building from a tornado that hit the area Thursday evening, on North Tolles Road in Evansville, Wis., Friday, Feb. 9, 2024. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
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National Weather Service meteorologist Andrew Quigley, left, and Tim Halbach, warning coordination meteorologist, check out damage to farming equipment and out buildings from a tornado that hit the area Thursday evening, on North Tolles Road in Evansville, Wis., Friday, Feb. 9, 2024. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
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National Weather Service meteorologist Andrew Quigley, left, and Tim Halbach, warning coordination meteorologist, check out damage to farming equipment and out buildings from a tornado that hit the area Thursday evening, on North Tolles Road in Evansville, Wis., Friday, Feb. 9, 2024. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
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Debris from a tornado that hit Thursday evening on North Tolles Road in Evansville, Wis., Friday, Feb. 9, 2024. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
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Sarah Gilman reacts after seeing her son's vehicle impaled by a piece of wood from Thursday's tornado. She and her family viewed damage to their property for the first time Friday after the EF2 tornado hit the area Thursday evening, on North Tolles Road in Evansville.
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Jamie Gilman sees the damage to his property for the first time since a tornado hit the area Thursday evening, on Tolles Road in Evansville, Wis., Friday, Feb. 9, 2024. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
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Damage to a home from a tornado that hit the area Thursday evening, on North Tolles Road in Evansville, Wis., Friday, Feb. 9, 2024. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
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Damage to a home from a tornado that hit the area Thursday evening, on North Tolles Road in Evansville, Wis., Friday, Feb. 9, 2024. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
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An outbuilding, that housed cars, and farm and construction equipment, was wiped out from a tornado that hit the area Thursday evening, on North Tolles Road in Evansville, Wis., Friday, Feb. 9, 2024. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
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Tim Halbach, warning coordination meteorologist with the National Weather Service, checks out damage to a home on North Tolles Road in Evansville.
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Damage to an outbuilding that housed cars, farm and construction equipment from a tornado that hit the area Thursday evening, on North Tolles Road in Evansville, Wis., Friday, Feb. 9, 2024. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
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Ralph Crull, left, talks with insurance agent Craig Kamholz as they look around an outbuilding that housed cars, and farm and construction equipment, on Crull’s son’s property near Evansville. Crull, who lives down the street, also had damage to his property.
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Debris in a field from a tornado that hit the area Thursday evening, on North Tolles Road in Evansville, Wis., Friday, Feb. 9, 2024. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
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Damage to an outbuilding that housed cars, and farm and construction equipment from a tornado that hit the area Thursday evening, on North Tolles Road in Evansville, Wis., Friday, Feb. 9, 2024. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
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Marilyn Kueng, pictured Friday, February 9, 2024, surveys the damage her town of Porter, Wis. house sustained from the area near where she was standing when a tornado lifted the roof off the property the previous night. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
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Kevin Kueng surveys the interior of his mother’s home in the Rock County town of Porter on Friday after a tornado destroyed the property.
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Marie Rickard helps her neighbor retrieve items from her home in the Rock County town of Porter. While it's been heartening to see the community come together, officials have said it's no surprise.
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Family members and friends gather at the Rock County, Wis. home of Marilyn Kueng Friday, Feb. 9, 2024 after the property was damaged in a tornado the previous day. Kueng, 83, who was on the first floor of the home when its roof was lifted off, was not injured in the storm. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
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The remains of a Rock County, Wis. barn along County Road M in the town of Porter which was destroyed by tornado is seen Friday, Feb. 9, 2024. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
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A residence is inspected the day after a tornado lifted the roof of a house and destroyed and adjacent barn in the Rock County, Wis. town of Porter Friday, Feb. 9, 2024. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
Animals
Livestock is cleared from a barn that had been destroyed in the Rock County town of Porter near Evansville.
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Passersby capture photos of a home and barn which was damaged in a previous day’s tornado in the Rock County, Wis. town of Porter Friday, Feb. 9, 2024. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
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Marilyn Kueng, pictured Friday, February 9, 2024, surveys the damage her town of Porter, Wis. house sustained from the area near where she was standing when a tornado lifted the roof off the property the previous night. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
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Marilyn Kueng's home was among dozens of structures destroyed or damaged by the unprecedented February tornado.
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Damage to a home along County Road M in the Rock County Wis. town of Porter is seen from above the day after a tornado damaged a home and destroyed a barn Friday, February 9, 2024. Photo courtesy of Ross Harried, Second Crop Creative
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Power lines were downed on West Gibbs Lake Road in Evansville. Hundreds of people were without power after the storm hit Thursday, but most had been restored by Friday afternoon.
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Carole Haakenson talks about the damage to her property, including a majority of her trees that were wiped out, from a tornado that hit the area Thursday evening, on North Wilder Road in Evansville, Wis., Friday, Feb. 9, 2024. Haakenson, 81, built the house 50 years ago with her husband, who passed away six years ago, on his family farm. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
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Tree damage at Carole Haakenson’s home from a tornado that hit the area Thursday evening, on North Wilder Road in Evansville, Wis., Friday, Feb. 9, 2024. AMBER ARNOLD, STATE JOURNAL
A tornado, or even a tornado warning, had not occurred in Wisconsin in February since at least 1950, when the weather service started keeping records on them.
Heavily impacted residents from the town of Porter gathered Friday night to ask questions and learn more about their plight.
Dozens of people spent their Saturday picking up aluminum siding and insulation, navigating the debris fields that used to be houses, barns and sheds near Evansville in Rock County.
Madison saw a record high of 70 on Tuesday and was down to 11 Wednesday morning, a stunning swing of 59 degrees that tied a record from 1911.
