Photos: Wisconsin’s first-ever February tornadoes leave path of destruction, one classified as EF-2
EVANSVILLE, Wis. (WFRV) – The unusual current Wisconsin winter took an even stranger turn on Thursday after the state’s first-ever February tornadoes touched down in the southern part of Wisconsin.
A Facebook post of photos from the Rock County Sheriff’s Office shows just how destructive the tornado was, which has now been classified as a high-end EF-2 by the National Weather Service (NWS) of Milwaukee.
An EF-2 tornado has winds of 111-135 mph.
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The NWS of Milwaukee also confirmed a second tornado touched down in Green County, rated as an EF-1.
Severe weather made its way through southcentral Wisconsin Thursday afternoon and into the evening, with reports of thunderstorms, high winds, and hail.
The National Weather Service confirmed the tornado at 6:00 p.m. just west of the city of Edgerton near the Dane and Rock County border. Residents reported seeing darkened skies, severe lightning, and a large tornado funnel.
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It is the first-ever tornado to touch down in February in the state of Wisconsin, according to the National Weather Service’s records dating back to 1950.
According to the National Weather Service, the EF scale replaced the original F scale in 2007, which was used to assign tornado ratings since 1971. The EF Scale takes into account more variables than the original F Scale did when assigning a wind speed rating to a tornado.
More photos from the Rock County Sheriff’s Office can be seen here.
