WEST ALLIS, Wis. — The National Weather Service confirms an EF-0 tornado touched down in West Allis, Wisconsin on Wednesday during a flurry of Tornado Watches as well as strong storms.
Tim Halbach, the Warning Coordination Meteorologist at the National Weather Service's Milwaukee/Sullivan station, confirmed the news to TMJ4 on Thursday.
The NWS estimated peak winds hit 75 miles per hour when the tornado touched down, Halbach added.
TMJ4 Chief Meteorologist Brian Niznansky says the track of the confirmed EF-0 Tornado went through West Allis but actually ended on 57th and West Stack Drive, which is in the City of Milwaukee. That makes it the first tornado in the City of Milwaukee since March 8, 2000.
The NWS on social media said winds peaked around 75 mph starting around 12:19 pm at S 105th St and West Becher St and ending around S 58th St between W Stack Dr and S 57th St. The path's length is about three miles, the service said.
The Enhanced Fujita Scale or EF Scale describes its 0 categories as 65-85 mile-per-hour winds.
The EF scale is a set of wind estimates based on damage, using three-second gusts estimated at the point of damage based on a judgment of 8 levels of damage to the 28 indicators, according to the NWS's website.
Robert Wren has lived in West Allis for more than 30 years. Crews were seen cleaning up debris after a tree split in half and fell into his yard following Wednesday's storm, narrowly missing his home.
"We went down to the basement, and all of a sudden there was a whoosh and it was really fast and loud," said Wren. "God was looking out for us, it humbles you in a big way."
Wren says despite the damage, he's grateful to be alive.
"You lose a tree but you don't lose a life. It can always be better," said Wren.
From Jefferson, Washington, Ozaukee, and Milwaukee counties all the way to the Illinois border, crews with the National Weather Service hit the ground running Thursday morning trying to find out if, where, when, and how long any tornadoes touched down in Southeast Wisconsin.
"We have an app on an iPad that we go point by point and we can log that there was damage at that point and based on the structure or the tree or whatever the object that was damaged, we can get an estimate on wind speed," said Halbach.
Halbach says the last time a tornado occurred in Wisconsin in October was in 2019, and Wednesday's fast-moving storm was a good reminder to always be prepared.
"If there's one big takeaway, it's to make sure you have ways to receive warnings," said Halbach.
