"Extremely dangerous" tornado hits eastern Wisconsin

An "extremely dangerous" tornado hit parts of eastern Wisconsin on Monday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service, leaving significant damage and knocking out power for thousands of people.

The agency said the confirmed tornado was spotted near Appleton, Menasha and Lake Winnebago, about 30 miles southwest of Green Bay, around 12:15 p.m.

"Other locations impacted by the tornado include Neenah, Sherwood, Harrison, Stockbridge, Quinney, Kloten, Brant, Brothertown, Jericho and Charlesburg," the agency said.

Video showed chunks of twisted metal and pieces of wood scattered across one highway as cars maneuvered around the debris. A warehouse appeared to be heavily damaged.

Greg Van Driest was working in downtown Appleton when the sky got as dark as night.

"The word we all were using was 'ominous,'" he said. "It's like, 'Whoa, look at that.' ... You looked outside and you thought it was three in the morning, it was that dark."

Gordon Hintz, the top elected official in Winnebago County, said he wasn't aware of any fatalities or injuries, but emergency officials were still searching.

"Obviously, the footage looks devastating," Hintz said. "Clearly some significant damage done with power lines down and things like that."

Hintz said he's heard multiple reports of buildings that were completely destroyed and vehicles overturned on roadways. All storm warnings that could be made ahead of time to get people to safety were activated, he said.

"Obviously when you look at the damage, Mother Nature doesn't really care," he said.

National Weather Service meteorologist Holley Kamba said the agency was receiving reports of a variety of damage in southern Outagamie County and eastern Winnebago County.

"We have been receiving calls of damage with a lot of trees down, power lines down," Kamba said. "We've been searching for some pictures of the structural damage."

The Appleton Police Department posted a photo of downed trees and power lines on Facebook on Monday afternoon.

"The City of Appleton and neighboring municipalities are currently responding to many storm related calls. We will be updating the public as information becomes available," officials said in the post on Facebook.

Images posted to social media showed extensive damage in Appleton, including homes stripped of roofs and siding, cars flipped over and streets littered with tree limbs. The Appleton Police Department said it is responding to many storm-related calls.

Outagamie County Executive Tom Nelson said he did not yet have any confirmation of fatalities or injuries in the county, wh