Severe thunderstorms rolled through Southeast Wisconsin on Thursday evening, prompting a string of severe thunderstorm warnings, a tornado watch, and widespread power outages across Waukesha, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, and Washington counties.
The National Weather Service in Milwaukee/Sullivan tracked a line of storms moving through the Lisbon, North Prairie, Merton, and Hartland corridor around 6:53 p.m., warning of 60 mph wind gusts capable of damaging roofs, siding, and trees.
A second warning followed roughly an hour later as the line pushed northeast at 50 mph toward Ozaukee County and northern Milwaukee suburbs.
For many residents in the Hartland area, the storm felt like far more than a typical wind event.
Residents Describe Funnel Cloud and “Freight Train” Sound
Resident Brittany Hassler posted about the chaos as it unfolded, saying she believed her home had just been struck by a tornado and describing the fear of hearing a loud, hollow roar before rushing downstairs to take cover. Commenter Haley Huth backed up that account, saying what she saw wasn’t just straight-line wind.
She described watching a wall cloud that appeared to be forming a funnel, along with a sound like a freight train, and noted that the damage seemed to follow a distinct, narrow path through a row of houses rather than spreading evenly.
Not everyone agreed on the cause. Sandy Sommersberger ZumMallen wrote that it was straight-line winds and no tornado, while Mary Klatt said forecasters had pointed to gust fronts and possible straight-line winds ahead of the storm line.
Kelvin Zims echoed that assessment, estimating winds in the 65 to 70 mph range and saying the damage pattern looked consistent with straight-line wind rather than a tornado.
Definitely not tornado damage but look like straightline wind damage. There was winds around 65 to 70 mph winds that storm that went through.
Others chimed in with their own experiences from around the region. Lindsay Kisting said conditions in Sussex were intense, with another round of storms expected after 9 p.m. Michael Zimmerman Sr. also reported major wind activity in Sussex, while Katie Eide said the storm hit hard and fast in Brookfield.
Amber Klinger and Melissa Anne both remarked on how suddenly the winds picked up, and Tonya Morgan recalled a similar storm about a month earlier, when she believes she experienced the eye of a tornado, describing an eerie yellow sky, sudden calm, then a wall of wind and rain that knocked out power across her side of Waukesha for a full day and downed trees throughout her neighborhood.
Friends and neighbors also checked in on those affected. Tammie Behlke asked whether everyone was safe and whether Rick’s truck or any neighboring homes had sustained damage, while Cody Fischer offered prayers for those in the storm’s path.
As of Thursday night, more than 35,000 We Energies customers were without power, with the heaviest outages concentrated in Kenosha, Milwaukee, Waukesha, and Dodge counties.
The National Weather Service had not yet confirmed whether the Hartland-area damage was caused by a tornado or straight-line winds, and storm survey teams were expected to assess the affected neighborhoods in the coming days to make an official determination.
