A rare and powerful EF3 tornado developed over north-east Wisconsin on Monday, lasting 26 minutes. It carved a 12-mile path of destruction in western parts of Appleton and Menasha before dissipating over Lake Winnebago. This is the fourth EF3 tornado to strike Wisconsin in 2026, marking the state's highest total since 1984.
Despite widespread damage and several homes being destroyed, only a few injuries were reported. This is partly attributed to the tornado striking during the afternoon when people were at work.
Another unusual weather event, a meteotsunami, was reported on Lake Winnebago. This phenomenon, caused by air pressure disturbances, led to water levels falling by approximately 0.6 metres before surging back.
Elsewhere, much of Europe continues to experience a prolonged period of hot, dry weather with no immediate relief expected. The heat is forecast to shift eastwards this weekend, with temperatures of about 40C predicted for parts of Austria, Hungary, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. This is more than 10C above the climatological average.
In the North Pacific, two powerful tropical cyclones rapidly intensified last week. Hurricane Genevieve strengthened to a category 5, and Typhoon Dolphin developed into a super typhoon. Genevieve has since weakened and is not expected to make landfall as a tropical system. Dolphin is forecast to turn westwards over the weekend, with potential landfall between southern Japan and Taiwan.