Damage still being tallied up from Wednesday's storms

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BLAIR - The Blair-Taylor elementary and high schools in western Wisconsin expect to re-open on Monday, after thunderstorms damaged their roofs. High winds peeled back large parts of the high school roof, and heavy rains damaged the gymnasium floor.

The elementary part of the building had its roof lifted, but it dropped back into place. But many pieces still fell. Western Wisconsin was the hardest hit by the severe thunderstorms that hit most parts of the Badger State Wednesday night and yesterday. And Blair was the hardest hit in the region. Over 900 homes and businesses lost power, but Xcel Energy said most people had their service restored by late yesterday afternoon. Homes were damaged by large hail. Access to Blair was cut off yesterday morning – and by late afternoon, some roads were still closed due to fallen trees.

Meanwhile, some buildings at UW-Oshkosh were flooded after parts of eastern Wisconsin had four-and-a-half inches of rain. Lecture halls at the Halsey Science Center are still closed today. Several waves of storms went through Wisconsin yesterday, but they ended last night. Clark County had the last reported damage – three-quarter-inch hail at Rock Dam. The Public Service utility says everyone has their power back in central and northeast Wisconsin, after up to three-thousand customers were in the dark yesterday morning. Thunderstorms are either likely or possible in most of Wisconsin through Tuesday of next week. But for now, the only chances of severe weather are tonight and tomorrow in far west and southwest areas.

Tags: western wisconsin, news, wisconsin, weather