Tornado watch issued for large portion of Wisconsin; no severe storms expected in Milwaukee

Parts of northeast and central Wisconsin were under a threat for severe thunderstorms for the rest of Tuesday night, after storms and at least one confirmed tornado raked across the western part of the state.

Much of central Wisconsin was under a tornado warning set to expire at midnight. Severe storms are not expected in the Milwaukee area.

The tornado watch, which was canceled for some counties near the Minnesota border, was set to continue until midnight in a diagonal strip from La Crosse County northeast past Marathon and Portage counties to Marinette County.

Communities in the Fox Valley and along Lake Michigan are not included in the watch.

"Thunderstorms are likely tonight. Some storms may be severe, with damaging winds being the main concern. Large hail, isolated tornadoes, and localized flooding will also be possible," reads a statement from the National Weather Service in Ashwaubenon.

Severe storms were approaching western Wisconsin about 8 p.m. Ping-pong-ball sized hail was reported, according to the weather service.

Meteorologists confirmed a tornado touched down about 7:50 p.m. in Elk Mound, outside Eau Claire. A tornado warning expired at 9 p.m. for municipalities near Chippewa Falls.

Power lines and trees down were reported down in the Marshfield and Eau Claire areas, according to the weather service.

Hail about 1.5 inches in diameter was reported in Seeley, north of Hayward, the weather service said.

The La Crosse office received multiple reports of winds over 60 mph.

WPS reported about 2,300 customers without power, mostly near Minocqua and

Eagle River.

About 400 Xcel energy customers are without power in the Eau Claire area.

A cold front was set to move across the region. Storms were expected form along and ahead of the front.

"This is one of those days where the dynamics are quite good and instability is solid, which suggests significant thunderstorms for about a 3- to 5-hour time frame ahead of the front," Mike Westendorf, a meteorologist and director of operations for the Innovative Weather program at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, said in an email. 

Thunderstorms were expected to reach southeast and east-central Wisconsin during the late evening and overnight, according to a statement from the weather service office in Sullivan. 

By the time they reach Milwaukee, any storms that remain will likely have lost much of their punch, said Marc Kavinsky, a meteorologist at the weather service office in Sullivan. 

"We think that the thunderstorms will weaken and become more scattered as they progress east and south later tonight," Kavinsky said. "The chances for severe weather do not look very good for Milwaukee and southeast Wisconsin." 

For the Milwaukee area, there is a 30% chance of showers and thunderstorms after 4 a.m. on Wednesday, according to the weather service.

For the remainder of the workweek in the Milwaukee area, look for sunny skies and a high of 73 on Wednesday. It will be sunny with a high of 68 on Thursday. Rain and thunderstorm chances return Thursday night into Friday, Kavinsky said. 

Contact Joe Taschler at (414) 224-2554 or jtaschler@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JoeTaschler or Facebook at facebook.com/joe.taschler.1.