Severe weather and a derecho with 99 mph winds pummeled the Midwest on Tuesday, leaving nearly 1 million customers without power. Power outages affected over half a million people in northwestern Indiana and the Chicago area, with 850,000 people without electricity across three states.
The perilous thunderstorms and extreme wind gusts resulted in multiple casualties and significant damage. One person died in a suspected house explosion in Indiana, and another death was reported alongside 16 injuries at an Ohio prison. The storms brought at least two tornadoes to Illinois and winds that overturned a train car.
In addition to the casualties, the extreme weather grounded flights in Chicago. The risk of severe thunderstorms and heavy rain is expected to persist over the coming days throughout the Midwest, the Ohio Valley, and the central Appalachians.