Multiple tornadoes struck the central U.S. on Friday, capping several days of severe weather that brought destructive winds, large hail, and flooding to the region.
In southeastern Minnesota, at least two tornadoes moved through the Rochester area. Authorities in Olmsted County reported no injuries but said the storms caused widespread damage. The community of Marion was among the hardest hit, with about 30 homes damaged and roughly 10 additional properties affected elsewhere in the county. Images from the area showed scattered debris, downed tree limbs, and homes with roof damage.
Farther east, officials in Marathon County, Wisconsin, reported major destruction after a tornado swept through on Friday afternoon. Multiple law enforcement agencies responded, though it was not immediately known whether anyone was injured, according to county spokesperson Sarah Severson.
Missouri also saw impacts as a tornado moved through Belton, damaging buildings across the city. Police Chief Scott Lyons said several people suffered minor injuries, adding that advance preparations had helped reduce the storm’s impact.
In northern Illinois, drone footage captured extensive structural damage in the village of Lena, where several homes lost their roofs, exposing interiors. Stephenson County Board Chairman Scott Helms said late on Friday that while no deaths or injuries had been confirmed, numerous homes and businesses were destroyed.
The storms were part of a broader outbreak that continued to threaten already hard-hit areas with damaging winds and heavy rain. Forecasters issued three “particularly dangerous situation” tornado warnings on Friday in parts of Wisconsin and Illinois, signaling the potential for long-track, destructive tornadoes.
The highest tornado risk was concentrated in western Wisconsin, southeastern Minnesota, eastern Iowa, and northwestern Illinois, where some storms were capable of producing tornadoes rated EF-3 or stronger. Tornado watches covered about 26 million people from Wisconsin to Oklahoma through the evening.
Tornadoes in Michigan
Multiple tornadoes were reported in Michigan earlier this week.A tornado carved a path of destruction through Ann Arbor in the early hours of Wednesday, ripping the roof off an elementary school, flattening trees, and shutting down a major city park.
The tornado touched down at 1:44 a.m. ET near Jackson Avenue and Interstate 94. It traveled 1.71 miles southeast at a maximum width of 150 yards, lifting near West William Street and 4th Street at approximately 4:16 a.m., the agency said.
During those hours, the Ann Arbor Police Department fielded more than 120 calls for service between 1:45 a.m. and 6:00 a.m., the vast majority of which were storm-related. Officers worked alongside the Ann Arbor Fire Department and public works crews throughout the night.
The NWS survey detailed the storm's path block by block.
Starting near Jackson and North Ravinia, the tornado produced significant damage as it cut through Memorial Park—uprooting and snapping numerous trees and damaging small outbuildings. The most concentrated destruction stretched from Jackson Avenue through Veterans Memorial Park and into surrounding neighborhoods, where more trees were brought down, and large limbs snapped.
Moments before the storms end, the tornado blew portions of an elementary school's roof off the building. Even after the tornado itself dissipated, more damage followed as straight-line winds tore metal roof panels from Yost Ice Arena.
The NWS survey also confirmed a second, separate tornado touched down the same night in Lincoln Park, a neighborhood in the Detroit area. That EF-1 twister had peak winds of 95 mph, a path length of 0.30 miles, and a maximum width of 200 yards.
It produced roof and shingle damage to homes, snapped hardwood and softwood trees, damaged businesses, and uprooted trees along Dix Highway before lifting near Outer Drive and Meginity Street.