Deadly Midwest Derecho Kills 3, 1 Million Without Power
A rare and powerful derecho tore through the Midwest on Tuesday, killing at least three people and leaving more than one million homes and businesses without power as winds gusting over 80 mph ripped down trees and power lines across a 300-mile corridor from eastern Iowa through northern Illinois and into northern Indiana.
The storm system, officially classified as a derecho by the Storm Prediction Center, produced a maximum measured wind gust of 99 mph (159 km/h) at Gary, Indiana, with numerous reports of gusts exceeding 90 mph in parts of the Chicago area. At least six tornadoes were confirmed, including three EF1 tornadoes in Delaware County, Iowa, and three additional tornadoes with EF1-level damage in the Chicago area, two of which continued into Lake County, Indiana, according to The Watchers.
Human Toll
The deaths occurred across two states. In Indiana, a 4-year-old boy was killed when a tree fell on his home in Geneva Township, Jennings County, around 3:30 p.m. Tuesday. “Contributions are probably wind and the storms that came through this county earlier today,” Jennings County Chief Sheriff’s Deputy Cody Low said about the child’s death, as reported by NBC News.
A second person died in a suspected weather-related house explosion in Portage, Indiana, where a home exploded and caught fire around 12:20 p.m. Police Capt. Rob Maynard, who has lived in Portage for 50 years, called the storms “probably the most severe weather event that any of us here can remember.”
In Ohio, one person died in Roseville when first responders could not reach them due to flooded roads, according to Gov. Mike DeWine. The governor declared a state of emergency in Perry and Muskingum counties and activated a National Guard high-water rescue unit.
“We are in a very dangerous weather situation that really involves all of Ohio. It is unusual to see this, but danger can be anywhere in the state,” DeWine warned, as reported by CNN via KTVZ.
Widespread Power Outages
At the storm’s peak, nearly 875,000 customers were without power across the region, with Indiana hardest hit at approximately 370,000 outages. By Wednesday morning, more than 800,000 customers remained without electricity across Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, and West Virginia, according to the Associated Press via WNDU.
AEP Ohio reported more than 130,000 customers without power across its service area, with more than 2,000 workers, including crews from other states, working to restore electricity. NIPSCO, the northern Indiana utility, experienced its largest outage event in company history.
Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther described “disaster-like conditions” and warned that power could be out for days. “I want to encourage everybody to plan on a very different next couple of days and rest of the week,” Ginther said. “Things are not going to be fully restored and back to normal later today or tomorrow, the day after that.”
Residents across the region described harrowing experiences. “No power. It was very scary. We were down in the basement,” Javid Jenkins of Homewood, Illinois, told the AP. “We’re built for snow. We’re built for cold. We’re not built for this.” Kerry Hourigan of Tinley Park, standing outside her home of 25 years, said: “Total devastation. No roof. Stupid thing, but my focus was I just bought a new barbecue grill, and I have no idea where that is. It’s disappeared.”
Catastrophic Flooding
Flash flood emergencies were declared in parts of seven counties in eastern Indiana, where nearly 10 inches of rain—more than two months’ worth—fell in some areas. “We are experiencing a catastrophic flooding situation,” a post on Cambridge City’s Facebook page said. Evacuations were underway in Muncie, where approximately 200 homes were being evacuated, and floodwater was waist deep in parts of New Castle, according to the Jerusalem Post.
In Ohio, the Columbus area experienced an 82 mph wind gust at John Glenn Columbus International Airport, and a car was flipped by wind on I-71 near the Weber Road interchange. The Barack Community Center on Columbus’s South Side lost most of its roof, and dozens of trees were uprooted at historic Union Cemetery, according to Columbus Navigator.
Sixteen inmates at Grafton Correctional Institution in Ohio were hospitalized after lightning struck as they returned from dinner. Seven remained hospitalized, including one in serious condition.
All flights were temporarily halted at Chicago’s O’Hare and Midway International Airports, with more than 200 flights canceled at O’Hare and 700+ delayed. The 2026 Cincinnati Open tennis tournament was also delayed due to the severe weather.
A Region Under Repeated Assault
The derecho was the second major severe weather event to hit the Chicago area in two weeks—the region was also struck by severe thunderstorms and multiple tornadoes on July 27, 2026. Meteorologist Scott Baker said the Midwest was on the outer edge of a “ring of fire” weather pattern, bringing waves of excessive moisture, instability, and storms.
The event also drew comparisons to the devastating August 10, 2020 derecho that tore through the Midwest, causing over $11 billion in damage and leaving 250,000 people without power days later. As CNN noted, extreme rainfall “is becoming more common in a world warming due to fossil fuel pollution. A warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture that storms can tap into and wring out in more intense spurts.”
What’s Next
More severe storms were forecast for Wednesday and Thursday, with a Level 2 of 5 severe storm threat stretching from the Ohio Valley westward into the Midwest. Flood Watches were in place through Friday morning across Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, northeast Kentucky, western Virginia, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and East Tennessee.
As the New York Post reported, the stormy pattern will remain over the region for much of the week, with thunderstorms tapping into high humidity to produce heavy rain and a flash flood threat as storms repeatedly track over the same areas.
“This is not something that will end tonight,” DeWine said. “Even after the storms exit the state, flooding will remain a serious concern.”
For the hundreds of thousands of residents still without power and the communities facing floodwaters, the recovery is just beginning. Officials are urging residents to stay away from downed power lines, avoid flooded roads, and check on neighbors as crews work around the clock to restore essential services across the storm-ravaged region.