A powerful derecho-spawned storm system swept through the Midwest on Tuesday, leaving a path of destruction, multiple fatalities, and widespread power outages.
The storm, characterized by destructive winds reaching 90 to 100 mph, hit parts of Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan, triggering tornado warnings in several areas including Chicago.
In Geneva Township, Indiana, a 4-year-old child died when a tree fell on a home during the severe weather, according to the Jennings County Sheriff’s Office. In Ohio, Governor Mike DeWine confirmed one person died after emergency responders were unable to reach them during a flooding emergency. Authorities in Portage, Indiana, reported a home explosion shortly after the storms passed that killed one person, though investigators are still working to determine if the storms caused the blast.
The storm system also impacted the Grafton Correctional Institution in Ohio, where 16 individuals were struck by lightning while returning from their evening meal. Those affected were transported to an outside hospital for treatment.
At its peak, the storm knocked out power to over one million customers. As of early Wednesday, more than 800,000 customers remained without power, with the majority of outages concentrated in Ohio, Illinois, and Indiana.
The FOX Forecast Center identified Tuesday's storms as a derecho, a phenomenon defined by a widespread, long-lived, straight-line wind storm that is at least 250 miles long and 60 miles wide.
More severe weather, including damaging winds and heavy rain, was forecast for Wednesday and into the week for parts of the Midwest and Ohio Valley. Flood Watches were in effect through Friday morning for areas including Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky, Virginia, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Tennessee. Local reports indicated active water rescues on Tuesday morning due to dangerous flooding, with some areas receiving over 6.5 inches of rain in a few hours.
This follows destructive storms on Monday that brought 65 mph winds to Maryland and Virginia, causing power outages for tens of thousands of customers in those states.