A powerful summer storm system generated a large, “extremely dangerous” tornado in south-central Wisconsin on Wednesday, prompting the National Weather Service to issue a rare Particularly Dangerous Situation alert. The tornado was confirmed at 12:45 p.m. CDT about seven miles southeast of Spring Green—roughly 11 miles northeast of Dodgeville—and tracked northeast at 30 mph toward Ridgeway, Arena, Mazomanie and Prairie du Sac. Forecasters warned of significant damage along the corridor and urged residents to seek immediate shelter. The touchdown came amid a tornado watch covering much of Wisconsin until 6 p.m. CDT and a separate severe-thunderstorm watch for portions of Illinois and Indiana valid through 8 p.m. The Storm Prediction Center rated the broader outbreak a Level-2 risk on its five-tier scale, citing a mesoscale convective vortex drifting out of Iowa that is enhancing low-level wind shear and raising the tornado threat near the Illinois-Wisconsin border. In addition to the twister, meteorologists cautioned that the line of storms could unleash 70-mph gusts, golf-ball-size hail and torrential downpours capable of triggering flash floods. A flash-flood warning remained in effect for Drummond in northern Wisconsin until 10 p.m., and similar hazards were flagged from Green Bay and Milwaukee to Chicago, Rockford and western Michigan. Farther west, Denver and Cheyenne were also under a slight risk for severe weather, with large hail the primary concern. The National Weather Service advised residents across the Upper Midwest and High Plains to monitor warnings and have shelter plans ready, noting that any thunderstorm in the region could produce deadly lightning and rapidly changing conditions into the evening.