Apr. 3, 2026 2:30a
(WGTD)---The National Weather Service is considering whether to send investigators to Kenosha's north side to determine whether extensive damage from a storm that moved through Thursday evening was caused by straight line winds or a weak tornado.
Weak circulation was observed on radar over the area that had the greatest damage, according to NWS meteorologist Marcia Cronce. A microburst from a line of thunderstorms could also have been responsible, she said.
A Tornado Watch had been in effect at the time but no tornado warnings were issued. Instead, the line of storms that uniformly featured heavy rain and high winds triggered a series of thunderstorm warnings. The warnings carry standard language that thunderstorms could quickly spawn tornadoes.
Tornado warnings had been in effect in northeastern Illinois earlier in the evening but the storms seemed to weaken as they crossed the state line.
At 2 a.m., about 2200 We Energies customers were without power in Kenosha compared to a little over 100 for all of Racine County.
Winds uprooted several trees along 45th St. near the former Wilson Elementary School, damaging utility poles and lines. 45th St. was closed in the area as crews prepared to remove the tree.
Other trees were downed along 22nd Ave a few blocks north of Washington Rd. Siding damage was reported, and debris littered a number of streets in the area. Wide areas of the north side were without power.
The police department was unaware of any injuries.
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