2 tornadoes confirmed in Platteville, 5 injured

Trees on top of houses

PLATTEVILLE, Wis. — State emergency managers say five people were hurt by flying glass when severe storms moved through southern Wisconsin.

A report from Wisconsin’s Emergency Operations Center says the five were injured in and around Platteville. One person was taken to a local hospital for treatment.

The National Weather Service confirmed two tornadoes, an EF1 and EF2, struck Platteville.

The EF2 tornado recorded 120 mph winds that tracked about 2 miles west of Platteville, running through the UW-Platteville campus, according to a release. Damage caused by the EF2 tornado happened near the engineering buildings on the campus.

The EF1 tornado was identified near the Platteville Golf and Country Club, according to a release. The half mile long and 50-yard-wide tornado caused damage to trees and took the roof off of an apartment.

A release from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville said because of extensive damage from strong storms the campus will be closed Tuesday.

“This is a Level 3 closure, meaning classes are canceled, the institution is closed to the public, and only essential employees are to report,” the release said.

No major injuries on the UW-Platteville campus have been reported, but some buildings sustained structural damage, and as of 1:45 a.m., power was still out on campus and across much of the city, according to the release.

Officials said buildings on campus impacted by the storm include Rountree, Bridgeway, Southwest Hall, Engineering Hall and Pioneer Stadium.

Trees were reported down on top of houses in Platteville just before 11 p.m., with one injury reportedly caused by flying glass when windows were blown out.

Forecasters said a possible tornado initially touched down near Mineral Point, lifted and touched down a number of times between New Glarus and Verona.

Two other tornadoes were confirmed, an EF1 in northwest Green County and an EF3 Dane County (Vernona).