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Reported tornado rips through Menasha, Wis., causes widespread damage
A possible tornado ripped through the Wisconsin community of Menasha, causing widespread damage on Monday.
APPLETON, Wis. (FOX 9) - Severe storms brought reports of tornadoes and damaging winds to parts of eastern Wisconsin on Monday, leaving behind major damage to cities including Appleton, Wis.
Major damage in Appleton, Wis.
What we know:
The Appleton Police Department posted a photo showing trees and power lines down after severe storms pushed through in the early afternoon.
Officers said they were responding to many storm-related calls and said further updates would come as available. Police later said two streets, Prospect Avenue and Hwy 441, were closed due to storm damage.
Big picture view:
As of Monday afternoon, there were 75,000 homes and businesses without power statewide, according to PowerOutage.us.
Tornado warnings were also issued for other spots in Wisconsin, Indiana and Illinois on Monday – including parts of Chicago. There was also extensive damage just south of Appleton in the Menasha and Lake Winnebago area.
Videos shared on X show extensive damage along Main Street in Menasha with homes and buildings leveled and cars flipped.
Local perspective:
The City of Menasha Police Department issued an emergency travel advisory due to storm damage. They are urging residents not to travel into Menasha unless it's an emergency. They have also opened emergency cooling centers at Christ the Rock Church, the Menasha Senior Center, and the Menasha Public Library.
The City of Neenah, which is neighbors with Menasha, also put out a warning about storm damage, urging residents to limit non-emergency travel.
The Source: Information from the National Weather Service, and the cities of Appleton, Menasha, and Neenah.