Storm Record · Jefferson, Walworth, Waukesha Counties
October 12, 2022: Straight-line wind and tornadoes in Jefferson, Walworth and Waukesha Counties
What the National Weather Service recorded
A cold front moving through southern Wisconsin was the focus for tornadic development through the lunch hour. Temperatures and dew points rose enough in the late morning to help fuel the strengthening of the rain along the front. There were numerous tornadic debris signatures that developed, many of which appeared to be extremely brief which did no damage outside of lofting leaves into the air. The main tornado for this event was the one that went through West Allis which mainly did tree damage as it came through. No lightning was observed through this event.
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database · episode 173555
Every report, in the Weather Service's words
Where It Hit
| Location | County | Hazard | Size | Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hartland (.73 SE) | Waukesha | Wind | 70 mph wind | A swath of scattered trees uprooted or snapped. |
| Richmond (2.63 ENE) | Walworth | Wind | 60 mph wind | An uprooted tree on a house and a pier on Turtle Lake ripped up. |
| Okauchee (.88 SW) | Waukesha | Wind | 58 mph wind | Multiple trees and power lines down. |
| Merton (.86 SE) | Waukesha | Wind | 58 mph wind | A tree snapped and large branches down. |
| Johnson Creek (.91 SW) | Jefferson | Wind | 58 mph wind | A swath of numerous branches down in the southern portion of Johnson Creek. |
| Whitewater (.86 NW) | Walworth | Wind | 58 mph wind | Several trees and power lines down. |
| Nashotah (.96 E) | Waukesha | Tornado | EF0 | Short lived, weak tornado lofted considerable leaf debris. Multiple public reports of a funnel and debris in the air heading eastbound on Highway 16 east of Highway C and near the intersection of Highways 16 and 83. |
| Lake Geneva Plyby Ar (1.69 S) | Walworth | Tornado | EF0 | The tornado path started at the cemetery south of State Road 50 and tracked to the southeast toward Lake Ivanhoe. |
| Grellton (3.25 NNW) | Jefferson | Tornado | EF0 | Path was initially observed using the combination of radar data and Sentinel satellite data. The following ground survey found the damage to a few trees with the main path going through a yet to be combined corn field. |
| Aztalan (1.65 E) | Jefferson | Tornado | EF0 | Path was initially found using a combination of radar data and Sentinel satellite information. Ensuing ground survey found the entry and exit points of the damage to a yet to be combined corn field along with some minor tree damage at the beginning of the path. |
| Oak Hill (2.55 NNE) | Jefferson | Tornado | EF0 | Path initially detected by a combination of radar data and Sentinel satellite information. Ensuing ground survey found the damage path through a yet to be combined corn field with damage points to a horse fence along with some minor tree damage. |
Service areas this storm touched