Spring storms ripped through the Midwest, churning up tornadoes and thunderstorms that damaged more than 20 homes and knocked down power lines. No injuries were reported. <br>
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In Wisconsin, at least five tornadoes were reported throughout the state Thursday, accompanied by heavy rain and hail as large as 3 inches. <br>
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``Pretty much everyone statewide had their share of severe weather,'' said meteorologist Tom Helman. ``This storm had it all.'' <br>
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Some 6,000 Wisconsin Public Service customers in the Wausau and Stevens Point areas lost electricity for a time, the utility said. The National Weather Service had to reschedule a tornado drill to Friday. <br>
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Krissy Bloedel, of Kronenwetter south of Wausau, said her property was hit by six pine trees felled by the winds, and 31 trees fell on her neighbor's property. <br>
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``Kronenwetter is trashed,'' she said. <br>
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Three days of record warmth that pushed temperatures into the 80s and 90s was expected to end Friday and snow was forecast for parts of the state over the weekend. <br>
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In northern Illinois, thunderstorms brought hail and funnel clouds which damaged at least 21 homes. <br>
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Unseasonably warm weather and an unstable air mass over the area caused the storm about 50 miles north of Chicago, meteorologist Allan Fisher said. <br>
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``It was too darn hot for Chicago in April,'' he said. ``When you get in the 80s in April in Chicago, you get severe weather.'' <br>
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Thursday's official high was 89 degrees at O'Hare International Airport, breaking the 1977 record of 88.