Tornadoes, Giant Hail, Destructive Winds Slam Midwest, Leaving Over 500,000 Without Power

A powerful storm system tore across the Upper Midwest on Monday, spawning a long-track EF3 tornado in northeastern Wisconsin, unleashing giant hail the size of grapefruits, and unleashing destructive winds that knocked out power to more than half a million customers across Illinois and Indiana.

Wisconsin: EF3 Tornado Carves 20-Mile Path of Destruction

A tornado touched down in northeastern Wisconsin around noon on Monday, carving a path of destruction through Winnebago County and across Lake Winnebago before dissipating. According to the National Weather Service, the tornado received a preliminary EF3 rating with estimated peak winds of 140 mph. It remained on the ground for more than 20 minutes.

The twister struck the cities of Menasha and Appleton with devastating force. Drone footage showed homes completely destroyed with roofs ripped off, trees uprooted and split, and vehicles flipped over. The storm splintered homes, scattered twisted metal across highways, and downed power lines.

"I am aware of severe damage in broad areas. We are asking the public to stay indoors, watch out for downed power lines, do not drive around road closures, and do not drive around the area unless absolutely necessary," the Menasha Police Department posted on Facebook.

Menasha Utilities reported that the entire city of Menasha could be without power "for days" due to the extent of damage and downed transmission lines. Over 30,000 customers lost electricity across the state.

Wisconsin also experienced extraordinarily rare giant hail on Monday. The National Weather Service recorded hail exceeding 4 inches in diameter — the size of grapefruits — in the Gresham area.

Wisconsin Declares State of Emergency

Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers declared a state of emergency following the tornado. The nearby city of Neenah also declared a state of emergency due to structural damage, downed trees and power lines, disruptions to utility service, and impacts to roadways. A city-wide curfew was issued for Menasha, and a boil water order was also issued for the community.

Illinois and Indiana: Storms Leave 530,000 Without Power

While Wisconsin was being battered by the tornado, a powerful line of severe storms swept through the Chicago area and Northwest Indiana. The National Weather Service ultimately confirmed seven tornadoes touched down in the Chicago area, with additional confirmed tornadoes in Northwest Indiana.

At the peak of the severe weather, more than 530,000 ComEd customers lost power across the region. At the same time, 61,000 NIPSCO customers were without power in Northwest Indiana.

The storms produced damaging straight-line winds exceeding 70 mph, with Chicago's Midway International Airport recording gusts of 70 mph. Two major airports — O'Hare and Midway — grounded all flights due to thunderstorms, with average delays of two hours.

In south suburban Hazel Crest, high-speed winds ripped through a row of townhomes, leaving dozens of people displaced. "Wild — that's what was going on," said Michael Willis, who rushed to check on his elderly aunt. Her unit was destroyed.

Restoration Efforts Underway

ComEd deployed more than 2,300 workers, with 1,200 coming from outside the area. "This was a massive weather event and will call for a multi-day restoration," said ComEd chief operating officer David Perez. As of Tuesday morning, ComEd had restored power to 325,000 customers, but more than 230,000 remained without power. NIPSCO had reduced outages to fewer than 20,000 customers by Tuesday morning.

A Pattern of Vulnerability

From the EF3 tornado that carved a 20-mile path through Wisconsin to the seven tornadoes that touched down in the Chicago area, Monday's storms are the latest reminder that extreme weather is becoming more frequent and severe across the Midwest. When the next storm hits, having a reliable backup power source is no longer a luxury — it's a necessity. Explore Kingboss backup power solutions to keep your essential appliances and medical devices running when the grid goes down.

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Sources:

1. BelTA - Tornado hits Wisconsin, over 30,000 people left without power - https://belta.by/special/world/view/tornado-obrushilsja-na-amerikanskij-shtat-viskonsin-bolee-30-tys-chelovek-ostalis-bez-sveta-793321-2026/
2. Sanxiang City Express - Tornado sweeps through Wisconsin, about 18,000 customers without power - https://sxdsb.voc.com.cn/content/33305840
3. AP News - Tornado that carved a path of destruction in Wisconsin stayed on the ground for more than 20 minutes - https://uat.apnews.com/article/wisconsin-tornado-weather-c528fec31f227f13721f92fb7d93194e
4. CNN - 'Extremely dangerous' tornado rips roofs off homes and knocks out power for thousands in northeast Wisconsin - https://edition.cnn.com/2026/07/27/weather/wisconsin-tornado-great-lakes-midwest-severe-storms-climate
5. CBS News - 4 tornadoes from Monday's storms confirmed as thousands remain without power in Illinois and NW Indiana - https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/illinois-northwest-indiana-power-outages-storms-monday/
6. Univision - Confirman cuatro tornados en Chicago: daños categoría EF-1, inundaciones y apagones - https://www.univision.com/local/chicago-wgbo/confirman-cuatro-tornados-chicago-danos-ef1-inundaciones-apagones