Tornado tears US' Wisconsin, leaving thousands without power

A tornado tore through the US state of Wisconsin on Monday, causing widespread damage, knocking out power to more than 30,000 customers and forcing people to take shelter as skies turned dark, according to ABC News.

Powerful winds ripped apart sections of homes, scattered twisted metal debris onto highways and left tens of thousands without electricity.

By Monday evening, no deaths or injuries had been confirmed, though emergency crews continued searching affected areas, Gordon Hintz, Winnebago County's chief elected official, said.

The National Weather Service confirmed that a tornado touched down in Winnebago County, about 90 miles (145 kilometers) northwest of Milwaukee.

Authorities reported significant damage in communities including Appleton and Menasha, where Police Chief Matt Albrecht described the destruction to homes and businesses as severe.

National Weather Service meteorologist Scott Berschback said the tornado developed from a large storm system moving across the Great Lakes, fueled by intense heat and high humidity.

Hintz warned that restoring electricity to the hardest-hit areas could take several days.

In Menasha, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) south of Green Bay, Heather Schroeder said she heard loud cracking and popping sounds as the tornado tore through a laundromat, bakery and neighborhood tavern at the same intersection.

Schroeder, who works nearby, said rescue crews removed one person from one of the damaged buildings, though the person's condition was not immediately known. She also reported seeing overturned vehicles and a gas leak at the laundromat.