Overview
- A fast-moving storm system that the National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center called a derecho swept from Iowa into the Midwest on Tuesday, producing extreme straight-line winds and spawning multiple confirmed tornadoes near Chicago.
- The storms killed several people, including one person in a Portage, Indiana, house explosion that investigators say may be weather-related and a 4-year-old boy who died when a tree fell on his Geneva Township home.
- Hundreds of thousands to more than one million customers lost power at the event’s peak and utilities reported prolonged outages on Thursday with NIPSCO saying more than 260,000 northwest Indiana customers remained without service.
- Flash-flood emergencies and widespread water rescues were reported in eastern Indiana and parts of Ohio after training heavy rains produced localized totals up to 8 inches, and officials warned additional rounds of severe storms and flooding are possible.
- State and local leaders mobilized emergency proclamations, shelters, National Guard and mutual-aid utility crews as communities face blocked roads, damaged homes, school closures and an extended recovery period while damage surveys and investigations continue.