Tornado damage in Menasha seen from, July 28, 2026. PC: Fox 11 Online
MENASHA, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — People in the Fox Valley are waking for a day of storm clean up.
A tornado tore through areas of Appleton, Neenah and Menasha Monday morning, leaving behind destroyed homes and businesses, power lines down and snapped trees.
The National Weather Service confirmed the tornado that struck Menasha was an EF-3 Tuesday morning.
The tornado was 1,500 yards wide and traveled 12.1 miles with 145 mph wind speeds.
Local authorities are on the ground Tuesday, assessing the damage.
For heavily damaged areas, people should:
- Stay away from affected areas unless necessary.
- Avoid downed power lines and treat all utility lines as energized.
- Do not drive around barricades or enter areas closed by emergency personnel.
- Limit non-emergency travel to allow first responders and utility crews access to impacted areas.
- Call 911 for emergencies. Non-emergency issues should be reported through the appropriate non-emergency channels.
There is also a curfew in place for Menasha until further notice. The curfew is in place from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., and applies to any person on foot, bicycle or any type of vehicle on any public street, avenue, highway, road, alley, park, school grounds, swimming beach, cemetery, playground, public building or any other public place. The curfew does not apply to any person whose employment makes it necessary to be upon the streets, alleys or public places or in any motor vehicle during such hours.
Thousands of customers in the Fox Valley are without power Tuesday.
Matt Cullen says crews are making progress for Wisconsin Public Service customers. Since the start of the storms, crews have restored power to more than 19,000 customers, while We Energies has restored power to more than 79,000 customers across the state.
Cullen adds there is extensive damage to power lines and poles so it will take some time to completely restore power to all.
There are currently three emergency shelters open for residents affected by the storms:
- Christ the Rock Church at W6254 US Highway 10/114 in Menasha; it is open for overnight sheltering.
- The Elks Lodge at 328 Nicolet Blvd in Menasha
- Calvary Bible Church on Oakridge Road in Neenah
As of 7:30 p.m. Monday, Winnebago County officials said there have been no reported fatalities from the storms.
In Outagamie County, executive Tom Nelson says a small part of Appleton is not accessible at this time. That area would be around Prospect Avenue, the southwestern part of the city near Xaiver High School.
He says if residents need help, to dial 211 for non-emergencies.
Winnebago County executive Gordon Hinz said seeing the photos and videos from the devastation was pretty tough and it will take some time to recover.
“Menasha is a well-established community. There are people who have owned those homes for years and when you just look at the houses, the trees, the infrastructure, it just looks like a bulldozer came through and knocked it over and so I think we have some long days ahead of us but we’re going to make it through this.”
He adds county departments are working together to share how those in the community can best help those affected by the storms.
Volunteer Fox Cities has created a sign-up page for community members interested in helping with storm response and recovery efforts.
At this time, volunteers are being placed on standby while response needs are identified.
Anyone with a food truck, prepared food, or drinking water who would like to support the response should report to the north parking lot of the former UW–Oshkosh Fox Cities campus.
All bottled water, emergency supplies, and other donations should be dropped off at the campus entrance next to the Barlow Planetarium.
The location is expected to open at noon Tuesday. Portable restrooms and handwashing stations are being set up at the site.
To get there, use the Highway 441 Oneida Street exit, then: Travel south on Oneida Street, Turn west onto Midway Road, Enter the campus donation area, Return east on Midway Road and travel north on Oneida Street to return to Highway 441.
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