SULLIVAN, Wis. — A tornado briefly touched down near Hubertus during a severe weather outbreak event across Southeast Wisconsin August 18, the National Weather Service confirms.
Officials say the EF-0 tornado achieved maximum winds of 80 miles per hour, initially touching down near Elmwood Road and Timber Stone Way. The tornado was only on the ground just southwest of the unincorporated Washington County community for around two minutes with a track of about a half-mile. Tree damage consistent with a tornado was spotted in and around the area by surveyors following the storm.
The Hubertus tornado is the only one surveyors confirmed by the National Weather Service from the August 18 outbreak which included several tornado warnings across Southeast Wisconsin including in Milwaukee County. Widespread damaging winds between 70 and 80 miles per hour caused a large amount of tree damage across the region, including at Wy’East Pizza on Milwaukee’s west side which is closed until further notice after a large portion of a tree fell onto the roof of the business.
The storms also led to thousands of power outages; as of 3:45p.m. August 19 around 4,200 WE Energies customers were still without power, mainly in Milwaukee and Waukesha Counties.
The 2026 tornado count for the state of Wisconsin is now up to 47; the state averages 28 tornado touchdowns per year, including 39 in 2025 and 45 in 2024, according to data from the National Weather Service
