EF-0 tornado confirmed in Washington County, cleanup underway across SE Wisconsin
Updated: 3:44 p.m. on Aug. 19, 2026
WASHINGTON COUNTY, Wis. (CBS 58) -- The National Weather Service (NWS) survey team has confirmed the brief touchdown of an EF-0 tornado in southern Washington County Tuesday night.
The tornado touched down just to the southwest of Hubertus, NWS says, and was on the ground for about one minute, traveling about a half mile.
SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN (CBS 58) -- Cleanup is underway in southeast Wisconsin following storms that swept through Tuesday, Aug. 18.
Wednesday morning, more than 25,000 We Energies customers were without power. Check the We Energies outage map HERE.
Midday Wednesday, approximately 6,000 We Energies customers were still in the dark.
The hardest hit areas are in Milwaukee, Waukesha, Washington and Kenosha counties.
The storm caused downed trees and uprooted sidewalks.
Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson says forestry crews are out clearing fallen trees and debris, with the most critical calls getting priority. If you have a tree down, you can report it online by clicking here, through the MKE Mobile app, or call 414-286-CITY.
In Sussex, Waukesha County, just sound of Good Hope Road, crews were working to clear many downed trees. The area is only a couple of miles from where an EF-2 tornado hit back in April.
Neighbors say they could see and hear just how strong the wind was.
"It was pretty wicked. It was blowing the truck side to side on the road. It moved this trailer 40 feet. The whole road was covered in trees," said David Manyo, Sussex resident.
"Family was getting ready to head to a movie and we headed to the basement instead. Tornado sirens, we take it seriously around here second time this year we had high winds," said Brian Huieregtse, Sussex resident.
The National Weather Service (NWS) said they will be surveying the damage, focusing on southeastern Washington and northeastern Waukesha counties. According to the NWS, there were multiple circulations that went through that area.
Before Tuesday's storms, we were already tied for second in terms of tornadoes for the season -- with that number at 46. It's expected to increase after last night.
CBS 58 will keep you updated on tornado counts as we go through the day, on air and online.