Tornado warnings were issued in several southern Wisconsin counties Wednesday as storms surrounded the Milwaukee and Kenosha areas, bringing alerts to parts of the Chicago area as they made their way south and east.
The National Weather Service reported a tornado warning was issued just outside the Milwaukee area, covering cities like Waukesha, New Berlin and Brookfield until 12:15 p.m. Another warning for Milwaukee itself, West Allis and Wauwatosa was in effect until 12:45 p.m. Kenosha, Racine and Waukesha were under the same alert until 1:15 p.m.
The weather service reported a tornado around 12:15 p.m. just northwest of Burlington. Residents were urged to "take shelter now."
The weather service also said a tornado had earlier been reported in Merton, Wisconsin, just before noon and urged residents to seek safe shelter.
In the Chicago area, a severe thunderstorm warning extended into part of McHenry County until 1 p.m. Another for Lake County was issued until 1:30 p.m.
Wind gusts of up to 60 mph were possible in the storms as officials warned such gusts could lead to damage to roofs, siding and trees.
By 1:15 p.m., the storms had largely made their way into Lake Michigan.
Track the storms live with our radar below and stay tuned for developing updates from the NBC 5 Storm Team.
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