Tornadoes, huge hail tear through Wisconsin and Iowa as multi-day severe storm threat continues

Tornadoes and baseball-sized hail tore through parts of Wisconsin and Iowa on Tuesday evening, leaving behind damaged buildings and at least one destroyed home.

A new batch of severe storms began firing up again Wednesday afternoon, with threats for large hail, damaging winds and additional tornadoes stretching from Dallas to Chicago.

The severe weather is part of a multi-day outbreak that began Monday and will continue through the end of the week from the southern Plains to the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes region.

There have been more than two dozen reports of tornadoes from Oklahoma and Kansas to southern Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan since Monday night. Destructive hail ranging in size from limes to softballs has also been common, with nearly 100 reports across the same region.

Flooding is also a serious problem and concern in Michigan and Wisconsin, where rivers are already running high and putting flood infrastructure to the test.

A nasty storm prompted a “particularly dangerous situation” tornado warning Tuesday as a destructive twister struck near Union Center, Wisconsin.

The twister caused “significant damage” to many homes, downed power lines and left some roads impassable, but no injuries or deaths were reported, Juneau County Emergency Management said. The tornado has has been preliminarily rated an EF3 with winds up to 140 mph, according to the National Weather Service.

Tornado warnings were issued for millions in Milwaukee and Madison, Wisconsin; Detroit and Ann Arbor, Michigan; and Fayetteville, Arkansas, Tuesday night into early Wednesday. Students and staff at the University of Michigan and University of Arkansas were advised to take shelter.

Powerful severe thunderstorms also moved through Chicago and Grand Rapids, Michigan, where the airport recorded an 80 mph wind gust.

Softball-sized hail fell near Maple Bluff, Wisconsin. Stones this large are capable of seriously injuring people, totaling vehicles and puncturing roofs.

On Monday night, a pair of EF2 tornadoes struck eastern Kansas. One of those in Miami County, Kansas, damaged about 100 structures — roughly 50 to 60 of them “completely destroyed” or significantly damaged — with much of the impact centered around Hillsdale, according to county Undersheriff Matthew Kelly.

Wednesday’s severe storms are expected to mostly produce wind damage and large hail, but a few tornadoes are possible.

Areas from near the Texas and Oklahoma border to Iowa and northwest Illinois have the highest chance at seeing severe storms that are more impactful, including an elevated tornado threat, but the Level 2 of 5 risk zone extends as far north and east as the southern Great Lakes and northwest Pennsylvania.

The storm threat is lower and less widespread on Thursday, contained to an area that stretches from the Ohio River Valley to New York.

Friday is likely to be a more dangerous day, especially from Oklahoma to Iowa, where Level 3 out of 5 risk of severe storms in place for more than 7 million people. Strong tornadoes, widespread damaging winds and destructive hail are all on the table.

This system could produce one final burst of severe storms with a threat of strong winds on Saturday in the southern Great Lakes and Ohio Valley. The storm-weary central US will then finally get a multi-day breather starting Sunday because a weather pattern change will usher in cooler temperatures.

Multiple rounds of rain are exacerbating flooding across parts of Michigan and Wisconsin, where rivers are already running high after one of the wettest starts to spring on record and recent snowmelt.

Major to record river flooding is ongoing or forecast to develop in at least 10 locations along rivers in both states.

In Milwaukee, the city’s fire department said it responded to around 50 calls for rescue from rapidly rising water. The floodwaters stranded multiple drivers near Timmerman Airport, where at least five vehicles became stuck, according to CNN affiliate WTMJ. All occupants were able to get out safely after emergency crews responded.

Significant street flooding also hit Chicagoland Tuesday after a torrential deluge over a couple of hours in the late evening. A flood watch is posted through late Wednesday night for storms that could trigger more flooding in the water-logged Windy City.

Residents in the village of Shiocton, Wisconsin, about 30 miles west of Green Bay, have been told to evacuate by Wednesday afternoon due to flooding. “The water is rising fast and only expected to get worse in the next couple days,” a village notice posted on social media warns.

In Michigan, Cheboygan County officials lifted an earlier evacuation order for residents in the Little Black River watershed Wednesday afternoon. The order was issued due to the breach of two earthen dams and affected hundreds of people, Michigan state Rep. Cam Cavitt told CNN. Some homes in the area have flooded, Cavitt said, but he did not know how many.

There are also ongoing concerns about the Cheboygan Lock and Dam, where crews continue to work to prevent its failure. The sheriff’s office has warned residents in the Cheboygan River corridor to prepare for the possibility of evacuation.

Water levels behind the dam have been rising for days and had reached 6.72 inches below the top of the dam as of Wednesday afternoon. An evacuation order would be triggered if water reaches 1 inch below the top of the dam, a news release from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources states.

In Antrim County, Michigan, officials have also advised all residents and businesses downstream of the Bellaire Dam to prepare for possible evacuation. Water levels had risen to within 12 inches of the top of the dam as of Tuesday afternoon, and an evacuation order would be triggered at an inch below the top, according to a county news release. The water levels “are close to unchanged” as of Wednesday afternoon, Antrim County Emergency Management said in an update on Facebook.

A flood watch and flash flood watch are in effect for parts of west-central Michigan due to concerns about the potential failure of the Hesperia Dam. Local officials have reported water is rising rapidly in the White River and may soon overtop the dam, according to the National Weather Service.

The Muskegon River near Evart, Michigan, is forecast to hit major flood stage — 14 feet — by Thursday. Subdivisions along the river upstream from the town would see major flooding at that level and it could trigger evacuations, according to the National Weather Service.