Corn Fields Flattened as Severe Storms Slam Midwest With 100+ mph Winds, Tornadoes

A dangerous round of severe weather sweeped across the Midwest Tuesday. The storms brought potentially life-threatening impacts from Chicago to northwest Indiana and into Ohio.

The National Weather Service (NWS) in Chicago says 100+ mph winds were recorded in a storm that moved through Portage, Ind., Valparaiso, Ind. and Chesterton, Ind. just before noon.

A preliminary report from the NWS Storm Prediction Center confirms the line of storms that moved from eastern Iowa to northern Indiana was a derecho. Based on the preliminary info, it began at 7 a.m. CT and ended around 12:25 p.m. CT. So far, the max gust recorded was 99 mph in Gary, Indiana.

Parts of Indiana and Ohio were under an enhanced risk for severe storms through at least 6 p.m. local time, with tornadoes and damaging winds possible.

(Jarrett Vallery in London, Ohio
)

The Weather Channel is reporting multiple radar-confirmed tornadoes touched down across the greater Chicago region.

A home in Frankfort, Ill. caught fire after it was hit by a lightning strike as storms moved through the area.

A resident in Hobart, Ind. captured video showing strong winds from the storms. The strong wind gusts snapped a tree in their front yard. The NWS is reporting “very strong” straight-line winds in that area, with gusts of up to 100 mph warned.

The storms caused widespread power outages across Illinois, Indiana and Ohio, with over 820,000 without power as of Tuesday afternoon.

Strong winds of 70+ mph laid corn flat in London, Ohio during Tuesday morning’s storms.

Winds aren’t the only dangerous factor. Forecasters say repeated rounds of storms have dumped up to 8 to 10 inches of rain in the region, leaving parts of Indiana, Ohio and West Virginia at risk for flash flooding.

The Weather Channel reports parts of northern Indiana have picked up 10 inches of rain since Monday afternoon from these multiple rounds of thunderstorms.

Traffic cam footage from the Ohio Department of Transportation captured a vehicle being flipped after it was hit by a strong gust of wind from a storm in Columbus.