NEW GLARUS - Storms continue to plague southern Wisconsin.
Severe storms swept across the region Wednesday morning, triggering a tornado warning for Dane and Jefferson counties, but no touchdown was reported, according to Wisconsin Emergency Management.
The storm followed at least six tornadoes that hit Wisconsin overnight Monday into Tuesday, causing major damage to about 30 homes in Madison and another 30 in Verona. An F3 tornado hit Dane County; three F2s hit Grant county; and two F1s hit Green County, state emergency management officials said. Tornadoes are measured on the Fujita scale, which ranges from zero to five - five being the most intense.
In Green County, residents are still waiting for insurance adjusters to assess their damage from Monday night and Tuesday morning.
The two tornadoes in far northwest Green County, three to four miles northeast of Blanchardville, were very close to each other. Both had estimated peak wind speeds around 95 mph. One had a 500-yard track and was 125 yards wide. The other had an 800-yard track and was 125 yards wide.
It is believed that the two tornadoes in Green County lifted, but their circulations merged, eventually dropping a tornado in the city of Verona.
Two brothers living east of New Glarus believe they were hit by a tornado Tuesday, and on Wednesday, both were still surveying the damage to their farms, buildings and equipment.
Larry and Ed Klitzke, lifetime residents of the area, live about one-half mile from each other, less than two miles from the edge of the Village of New Glarus.
Both said the storm hit without warning, and wind forces prevented them from closing their house windows.
"It was mean," said Larry, who lives along Wisconsin 39.
Larry had just put a brand new roof on his barn, used now as a workshop, in October. A gaping hole on the northeast side of it shows something big hit it. The storm had moved in from the southwest. Larry believes his skid loader shed was hit.
The small metal shed is now shredded and lays in pieces around his property, strewn into the fields, and its roof, just feet from the base of the barn. It had been behind the barn, nestled in a hollow among other small buildings, a large heater, firewood and scrap metal.
The wood shed is gone from there as well; most of its roof, about 250 feet away, is wedged between a row of evergreen trees, several with tops broken.
A third shed in the hollow appears untouched.
Larry is waiting for insurance adjusters to get an estimate on the cost of the damage.
Larry can point out the path the storm took to his house, from the damage to the trees. It's nearly a straight line to his brother's farm.
Ed Klitzke's old barn is destroyed; the entire upper half pushed off its stone foundation. He intends to take it all down. But first he's digging out all of his farm equipment.
He had stored most of his farm equipment in the building, mostly to protect it from the expected hail. Now, he was uncovering it, four tractors, a round hay bailer, corn planter and trailers and other farm supplies. No animals were housed in the building.
The worst part of the storm lasted about 30 to 60 seconds, Ed estimated.
The soffit on his house was sucked in and the attic insulation pulled out. Chad Laibly from RockWeiler Insulation was on hand Wednesday to inspect the damage.
A Polaris 4-wheeler, parked next to his house, had been picked up and moved atop a rock.
Bricks from his retaining wall and 4x4s were thrown "over the hill" from the house, but didn't hit the house, he said.
The Klitzkes live about five miles east from Hay Hollow Road and York Center Road, where homeowners in the vicinity reported roof damage and windows blown out. About 30 cattle became trapped in the area when a grove of trees they were under either snapped or uprooted, according to a Green County Sheriff's Department news release. Only two of the cattle had injuries.
Another storm came through Green County at about 4:30 a.m. Tuesday morning, causing widespread damages through Clarno, Juda and Brodhead. The Green County Sheriff's Department reported that about half the homes in Brodhead were without power after the storm and about 200 homes were still without power by late afternoon Tuesday. Officials estimated that up to 200 trees were either damaged or uprooted and that 100 homes had some type of damage.
As of 10 p.m. Wednesday, 11 Alliant Energy customers in Green County and nine customers in Lafayette County were still without power, according to the company's website.
Forecasts called for another round of storms to move across the state Wednesday evening and overnight into Thursday.
-The Associated Press contributed to this article.
Severe storms swept across the region Wednesday morning, triggering a tornado warning for Dane and Jefferson counties, but no touchdown was reported, according to Wisconsin Emergency Management.
The storm followed at least six tornadoes that hit Wisconsin overnight Monday into Tuesday, causing major damage to about 30 homes in Madison and another 30 in Verona. An F3 tornado hit Dane County; three F2s hit Grant county; and two F1s hit Green County, state emergency management officials said. Tornadoes are measured on the Fujita scale, which ranges from zero to five - five being the most intense.
In Green County, residents are still waiting for insurance adjusters to assess their damage from Monday night and Tuesday morning.
The two tornadoes in far northwest Green County, three to four miles northeast of Blanchardville, were very close to each other. Both had estimated peak wind speeds around 95 mph. One had a 500-yard track and was 125 yards wide. The other had an 800-yard track and was 125 yards wide.
It is believed that the two tornadoes in Green County lifted, but their circulations merged, eventually dropping a tornado in the city of Verona.
Two brothers living east of New Glarus believe they were hit by a tornado Tuesday, and on Wednesday, both were still surveying the damage to their farms, buildings and equipment.
Larry and Ed Klitzke, lifetime residents of the area, live about one-half mile from each other, less than two miles from the edge of the Village of New Glarus.
Both said the storm hit without warning, and wind forces prevented them from closing their house windows.
"It was mean," said Larry, who lives along Wisconsin 39.
Larry had just put a brand new roof on his barn, used now as a workshop, in October. A gaping hole on the northeast side of it shows something big hit it. The storm had moved in from the southwest. Larry believes his skid loader shed was hit.
The small metal shed is now shredded and lays in pieces around his property, strewn into the fields, and its roof, just feet from the base of the barn. It had been behind the barn, nestled in a hollow among other small buildings, a large heater, firewood and scrap metal.
The wood shed is gone from there as well; most of its roof, about 250 feet away, is wedged between a row of evergreen trees, several with tops broken.
A third shed in the hollow appears untouched.
Larry is waiting for insurance adjusters to get an estimate on the cost of the damage.
Larry can point out the path the storm took to his house, from the damage to the trees. It's nearly a straight line to his brother's farm.
Ed Klitzke's old barn is destroyed; the entire upper half pushed off its stone foundation. He intends to take it all down. But first he's digging out all of his farm equipment.
He had stored most of his farm equipment in the building, mostly to protect it from the expected hail. Now, he was uncovering it, four tractors, a round hay bailer, corn planter and trailers and other farm supplies. No animals were housed in the building.
The worst part of the storm lasted about 30 to 60 seconds, Ed estimated.
The soffit on his house was sucked in and the attic insulation pulled out. Chad Laibly from RockWeiler Insulation was on hand Wednesday to inspect the damage.
A Polaris 4-wheeler, parked next to his house, had been picked up and moved atop a rock.
Bricks from his retaining wall and 4x4s were thrown "over the hill" from the house, but didn't hit the house, he said.
The Klitzkes live about five miles east from Hay Hollow Road and York Center Road, where homeowners in the vicinity reported roof damage and windows blown out. About 30 cattle became trapped in the area when a grove of trees they were under either snapped or uprooted, according to a Green County Sheriff's Department news release. Only two of the cattle had injuries.
Another storm came through Green County at about 4:30 a.m. Tuesday morning, causing widespread damages through Clarno, Juda and Brodhead. The Green County Sheriff's Department reported that about half the homes in Brodhead were without power after the storm and about 200 homes were still without power by late afternoon Tuesday. Officials estimated that up to 200 trees were either damaged or uprooted and that 100 homes had some type of damage.
As of 10 p.m. Wednesday, 11 Alliant Energy customers in Green County and nine customers in Lafayette County were still without power, according to the company's website.
Forecasts called for another round of storms to move across the state Wednesday evening and overnight into Thursday.
-The Associated Press contributed to this article.