Weather Service Working to Confirm Dozens of Tornadoes That Hit Wisconsin

Debris from a severe storm covers a sidewalk Saturday, April 18, 2026, in Janesville, Wis. Angela Major/WPR

Thunderstorms hammered an already waterlogged Wisconsin Friday night after a week-long stretch of storms that included several tornadoes across the state.

Dan Baumgardt, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in La Crosse, said his office had survey teams looking at seven possible tornadoes in west central Wisconsin.

But he anticipates the number of tornadoes will be in the “double-digits” when weather service teams are finished surveying the state.

“It could be one of the higher tornado totals in the state of Wisconsin, certainly for April,” Baumgardt said.

So far no deaths or severe injuries have been reported in Wisconsin.

Roads and pathways are flooded at Traxler Park near the Rock River on Saturday, April 18, 2026, in Janesville, Wis. Angela Major/WPR

Baumgardt’s office issued 26 tornado warnings on Friday.

“Just to give you a feel for how busy that was, we’ve never issued 26 tornado warnings in our area since 1995, when our office was built,” Baumgardt said.

Meteorologists were tracking tornadoes on Saturday in Buffalo, Trempealeau, Jackson, Clark, Marathon and Rock counties.

During a press conference Friday night, Ringle Fire Chief Chris Kielman said 75 homes were destroyed when a tornado hit the Marathon County town.

“It took out a whole residential area,” Kielman said.

Marathon County Sheriff Chad Billeb said the storm has devastated the community.

“I have not seen anything to this level,” Billeb said during the press conference. “I’ve worked through a number of tornadoes, but for them to hit a residential area like this is rare in Marathon County.”

Officials in Rock County are monitoring the Rock River for flooding Saturday morning, following a tornado and train derailment there.

Workers attend to a train derailed by severe storms Saturday, April 18, 2026, in Janesville, Wis. Angela Major/WPR

Several roadways throughout the city of Janesville and Rock County remain impassible, Rock County Sheriff Curt Fell said during a press conference Saturday morning.

The train that derailed Friday evening was transporting grains and corn. The conductor was transported to an area hospital with non-threatening injuries, Fell said.

“Over the next few days we’ll be coordinating closely with the city of Janesville and those impacted communities to try to assess and identify any unmet needs,” Fell said.

Baumgardt said this week’s wild storms were the result of an active weather pattern coming from the Gulf of Mexico that traveled further north than normal.

But the storms experienced Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday shouldn’t necessarily be an indication of what is to come for the rest of the spring.

“The pattern could shift and we could shut down for weeks at a time,” Baumgardt said. “It’s just important that once we get into April in the state of Wisconsin, especially the southern portion of the state, we can have these tornadoes and severe thunderstorms.”

Weather service working to confirm dozens of tornadoes that hit Wisconsin Friday night was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.