Tornadoes, hail and strong winds struck the upper Midwest on Tuesday, sweeping through parts of Wisconsin and Illinois and demolishing farm homes and a manufacturing plant.
Clarks Mills, about 15 miles west of Manitowoc, was among the places hit hardest by an apparent tornado. The storm passed over the city itself.
Ruth Goehring said she didn’t see any funnel clouds, but she saw a lot of damage when she emerged from hiding after the storm swept through. She said her son’s home was missing part of its structure, and someone else’s garage was blown away.
No injuries were reported.
Manitowoc Sheriff’s Sgt. Andrew Colborn said officials spotted two funnel clouds near Clarks Mills, and one touched down. Two funnel clouds were seen later over Manitowoc.
In central Illinois, storms leveled a manufacturing plant in Roanoke and took the roofs off several houses, but no injuries were reported, officials said. The National Weather Service in Lincoln said there were reports of tornadoes, high winds and softball-sized hail throughout the area.
Woodford County Emergency Management Coordinator Robert Hix said employees at the Parsons Company plant were able to take shelter and avoid injury.
In the central Illinois town of Oakwood, winds downed power lines and trees, including several uprooted in Sandi Young’s backyard.
“I think we have a war zone in our backyard,” she said.