ARMSTRONG CREEK, Wis. - A storm that swept through the Goodman-Armstrong Creek area in Forest County on Sunday night is being classified as an EF1 tornado.
Goodman-Armstrong Creek Fire Chief Mike Stec said a majority of the damage was two to four miles west of Armstrong Creek.
Several houses were severely damaged with trees on them, and two barns were destroyed, along with a poll building and garages, he said.
The storm also caused power outages.
Stec said tornado warnings were activated, and Goodman Fire and Rescue were called to the scene of the storm at 8:20 p.m. Sunday.
The American Red Cross also responded.
Mike Dutter, meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Marquette, said the tornado started four miles west of Armstrong Creek and south of U.S. 8.
"It tracked 4.5 miles northeast and lifted one mile north of Armstrong Creek and dissipated just to the west of State Highway 101," said Dutter, who helped survey the storm damage in that area on Monday. "It was an EF1 with maximum winds of 105 miles per hour. The damage path was 250 yards wide."
The Armstrong Creek Community Center was utilized as a shelter on Sunday night and again on Monday morning.
"They didn't have to spend the night. It was just there until the roads were cleared and the scene was safe and residents were able to get into their homes," Stec said.
Damage was reported on a stretch of U.S. 8 from Danielczak Road to Milan Road, and north of Armstrong Creek on Wachowski Road.
"We checked residences and down the road," Stec said. "Highway 8 was shut down for a while. Some roads were shut down Sunday night because of wires wrapped around trees."
Stec added that the town of Argonne also received storm damage.
"When the sun came up and we were able to see the damage in the daylight. I was not only shocked at the damage but that everybody came through," Stec said. "You can rebuild a house, but you cannot replace a life. It was shocking."
Amazingly, no one was injured in the storm.
Teresa Huettl, director of Forest County Emergency Management-911, said that there were two storm cells that affected the area Sunday night - one that hit the town of Argonne and one that hit the Armstrong Creek area.
"I met with Matt Zika from the National Weather Service out of Negaunee, who showed me the radar from the storms. There definitely was defined rotation in the cells," Huettl said.
The NWS confirmed that there were two tornadoes that hit Forest County - in Armstrong Creek and one in the town of Argonne.
Dutter said the tornado in Argonne is being classified as an EF2 with maximum winds of 115 miles per hour. That tornado path was 13 miles in length.
"It was a larger and longer tract tornado. It touched down three miles southeast of Argonne and lifted about two miles east of Newald," Dutter said.
The Community Center in Armstrong Creek was utilized for those who lost their homes. Stec said there were a few people who used the shelter.
Responding to the tornado damage were Goodman Fire and Goodman-Armstrong Creek Rescue, Forest County Emergency Management, towns of Armstrong Creek and Goodman road crews, Marinette County Road Department, and several fire and EMS agencies from Forest County.
Wisconsin Public Service worked through the night to restore power along the affected area.
Fire crews did not leave the scene until 11 a.m. Monday.
This was not the first tornado in the Goodman and Armstrong Creek area. Stec said there has been damage in the past from smaller tornadoes.
"It is not common," he said of tornadoes.
Dutter added a tornado was also spotted in the far southwest corner of Florence County. It did not touch down.
NWS officials said the tornado path that hit Merrill Sunday night was 22 miles long and could be the same one that affected the Argonne area.
"It might be one of the, if not, the worst April tornado outbreaks in Wisconsin," Dutter said. "It is going to rank right up there."
So far, the NWS has confirmed a total of six tornados that touched down in the northern half of Wisconsin from Sunday's storm.
"There were two distinct storms - one south and west of Green Bay, and in Merrill through Forest County," Dutter said. "There were almost two distinct storms dropping tornados along its paths."
Other confirmed tornados were in northwest Winnebago County, the south side of Kaukauna, in Adams County near Arkdale and about 5 miles southwest of Hancock.
Clean-up efforts continue today.
Lisa M. Hoffmann's e-mail address is lhoffmann@ironmountaindailynews.com.
