PLATTEVILLE, Wis. - The National Weather Service is confirming two tornadoes touched down in the city of Platteville overnight, causing extensive damage to homes, businesses and a college campus.
The first tornado touched down on the the UW-Platteville campus. Preliminary information indicates it was a "low-end" EF2 tornado with 120 mph maximum wind speed. The twister tracked was about two miles west of Platteville, running directly through campus to two miles southeast of Platteville, ending right before U.S. Highway 151.Images showed windows blown out of campus buildings, cars flipped upside down and trees ripped from the ground. The University News Service says 5 buildings are impacted.
Investigators say the second tornado, a "high-end" EF1 with maximum wind speed of 105 mph, touched down near the Platteville Golf and Country Club. The twister was only on the ground for about 1/2 mile. An apartment roof was ripped off and a number of trees knocked down.Five people were hurt by flying glass.
The powerful line of storms also generated straight line winds and heavy rain. Nineteen homes are uninhabitable in Verona and 150 additional houses sustained minor damage. In Madison, at least 16 homes have severe damage. Several barns were blown down and homes damaged in Green County's York Township.
The National Weather Service says radar showed a rotation over northern Lafayette and southern Iowa counties about 11 p.m. Monday. Forecasters say a possible tornado initially touched down near Mineral Point, lifted and touched down a number of times between New Glarus and Verona.
