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EF2 tornado in Marathon County, Wisconsin

Tornado May 15, 2025 · Marathon County, Wisconsin

EF2
Rating
4.6 mi
Whole path
230 yd
Path width
$725K
Damage as recorded

NOAA records this tornado county by county. Its path ran through Clark County → Marathon County; the totals above are for the whole tornado.

EF0EF1EF2EF3EF4EF5Unrated

The path drawn at its surveyed width of 230 yards (0.13 mi) — zoom in and the swath grows to true scale. Other tornadoes recorded nearby that day are shown faint.

What EF2 means. On the Enhanced Fujita scale, EF2 is considerable damage: roofs torn off well-built houses, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, consistent with estimated gusts of 111–135 mph. The rating comes from a survey of the worst damage after the storm, not from a wind measurement, so it says as much about what the tornado hit as about how strong it was.

What the National Weather Service wrote

A tornado developed in fields west of Unity in Clark County (NWS La Crosse warning area) at 5:21 pm CDT before tracking northeast toward Colby. The tornado moved through rural areas of northeastern Clark County, damaging multiple farm outbuildings, trees, power poles, and a home before crossing Highway 13 into western Marathon County at 5:27 pm CDT. The tornado tracked through the southeastern edge of Colby damaging another home, multiple outbuildings, power poles, and a car dealership before dissipating at 5:28 pm CDT. Total path length is estimated to be 4.81 miles long, with a width of 230 yards. Peak wind estimated to be around 120 mph.

The wider storm

Showers and thunderstorms developed ahead of an occluded front Thursday afternoon (5/15) across western Wisconsin. Storms tracked through the area during the late afternoon and early evening hours. The strongest storms produced 3 tornadoes, damaging winds, and large hail up to golf ball size across central and north-central Wisconsin.

Began near Colby (44.8980, -90.3150).

Other tornadoes from the same storm system

2 more tornadoes the National Weather Service filed under this storm episode.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 1247794. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

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