Thousands were left without power, trees were knocked down, and multiple buildings were damaged, as a strong line of thunderstorms swept across southern Wisconsin Monday morning.
The line of storms stretched across several counties and Tod Pritchard with Wisconsin Emergency Management said it first caused widespread damage in southwestern Wisconsin. The storm then weakened a little as it entered the south central portions of Wisconsin, but picked up in intensity as it entered the Milwaukee area. Pritchard said there “were a lot of trees and power lines reported down kind of on the book ends of the state.”
As of Monday afternoon, nearly 32,000 customers were still without electricity. About 22,000 of those were in southeastern Wisconsin. Pritchard said service may not be restored for some of those customers until at least Tuesday, especially in rural areas. He also urged caution around downed power lines, which residents should report right away.
There was only one reported injury related to the storms. Pritchard said a woman in Vilas County was struck in the head by a tree branch, and was taken to an area hospital for treatment. Her condition was not made available.