Severe storms that swept across the Midwest unleashed tornadoes, heavy rains, and flash flooding, resulting in deaths, widespread damage, and power outages for hundreds of thousands of customers. First responders conducted numerous water rescues Wednesday as utility crews worked to clear downed trees and wires.
In Indiana, a 4-year-old boy died when a tree fell on a home in Geneva. Officials in Portage were investigating a house explosion that claimed a life and may have been linked to the severe weather. In Ohio, Governor Mike DeWine reported a resident died during a health emergency when floodwaters prevented first responders from reaching them. Separately, lightning struck a prison complex southwest of Cleveland, injuring 16 incarcerated individuals, four of whom remained hospitalized on Wednesday.
Storm damage was reported from the Chicago area to western Pennsylvania. The National Weather Service confirmed three tornadoes in counties south of Chicago. Flood warnings extended from northern Illinois to eastern Indiana, with flash flood watches issued for parts of Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia, and Tennessee.
Authorities in Ohio and western Pennsylvania reported numerous water rescues. Governor DeWine deployed 40 Ohio Army National Guard members to assist in two counties east of Columbus, with dozens of local departments and units from West Virginia also responding.
In Crooksville, Ohio, floodwaters entered a home, reaching knee-deep and stranding a family of six before they were rescued by firefighters. In Athens County, Ohio, nearly 300 people called 911 for assistance on Tuesday, including 42 instances of vehicles stuck in floods.
Governor DeWine described the flooding as "stunning" and "historic" after surveying hard-hit areas by helicopter. "These communities have been hit exceedingly hard in a historic way," DeWine said. "They’ve been hit before with water challenges, but this is certainly the worst."
More than 650,000 customers were without power across Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, and West Virginia on Wednesday afternoon. American Electric Power reported over 100 broken poles and hundreds of downed wire spans. In Columbus, Ohio, Mayor Andrew Ginther declared an emergency to aid in cleanup and address power outages.
Social media images from the Chicago area and Indiana showed flooded roads, trees tangled in power lines, and homes with roof damage. A wind gust of 99 mph was recorded in Gary, Indiana, with numerous other reports of gusts at 80 mph or higher.
The weather system that moved from Iowa into Indiana over several hours was preliminarily identified as a derecho, characterized by prolonged straight-line winds, heavy rainfall, and extensive travel, according to the National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center. The damage from such storms can be comparable to that of tornadoes or hurricanes. In Dayton, Ohio, 2.07 inches of rain fell, setting a new daily rainfall record and surpassing a mark from 1915.