Survey teams from Milwaukee’s National Weather Service office are investigating storm damage in Waukesha and Washington counties Wednesday, Aug. 19 after heavy winds blew through the area Tuesday evening.
As of Wednesday morning, the weather service did not have any confirmed tornadoes connected with the Aug. 18 storms. Meteorologist Taylor Patterson said survey teams could have reports in by the end of the day and any tornadoes would be confirmed then.
Survey teams are starting in northeast Waukesha County and working north into Washington County. Key locations being surveyed include Menomonee Falls and Sussex.
Until the assessment teams wrap up, the weather service only has crowdsourced damage reports to work from.
“We need to confirm whether damage looks universal in one wind direction, or, if there are signs of rotation in the damage,” Patterson said.
Storms started to develop in western Wisconsin around 3 p.m. Aug. 18 before moving east by 7 p.m. The La Crosse weather service is not sending any damage assessment teams out after the storms.
The National Weather Service issued tornado warnings for Milwaukee and Waukesha counties that expired by 7:30 p.m. Wind speeds of 60 mph and higher were reported in Milwaukee.
There have been 46 tornadoes across Wisconsin this year so far, tying the second-most in a year in state history. The record number of tornadoes in a year is 62, set in 2005.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Did any tornadoes touch down during the Wisconsin storms Aug. 19?
Reporting by Caden Perry, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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By Caden Perry, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | USA TODAY Network
