An EF‑1 tornado tore through farmland near Mendota on the evening of Friday, April 17, ripping roofs off outbuildings and snapping power poles as it moved northeast. The twister also overturned multiple semis on Interstate 39 and damaged farm buildings near Arlington, yet officials reported no injuries.
NWS Confirms EF‑1 With Near 90 mph Winds
The National Weather Service in Chicago later confirmed the storm as an EF‑1 after a post‑storm survey, estimating peak winds near 90 mph. Surveyors traced a path of roughly 14.9 miles that started in Bureau County and continued into LaSalle County. No injuries were reported, according to the National Weather Service.
Damage Along the Track
Survey notes described a track that, in the agency's words, "was characterized by damage to farm outbuildings, power poles, and trees." Several semi‑trailers were blown over on I‑39 east of Mendota, and crews encountered broken lines and debris choking rural roads as the first wave of cleanup began, according to the National Weather Service.
Part of a Wider Upper Midwest Outbreak
This Mendota-area twister was only one piece of a much larger severe weather outbreak that swept the Upper Midwest on April 17, spawning dozens of tornado reports along with very large hail and damaging straight-line winds. Forecasters and survey teams from multiple NWS offices were still fanning out to document damage and deploy crews across the region, as reported by Wisconsin Public Radio.
Local Response and Warnings
Over the weekend, local emergency managers walked damaged properties, checking roofs and downed lines, and urged residents to steer clear of storm debris and report any damage to county offices. Tornado warnings had been issued for parts of the Illinois Valley on Friday night, according to Shaw Local, and crews were continuing their assessments.
County and utility crews remain on scene to restore power where poles were knocked down and to clear highways affected by overturned trucks and scattered debris. Officials say formal damage estimates and insurance guidance will follow once survey teams wrap up their work.
