News & Media

Midwest Derecho Causes Widespread Damage

Written by John Clark | Aug 11, 2020 5:00:00 AM

A destructive derecho, or fast-moving violent windstorm, downed trees and caused widespread damage to buildings and crops on Monday. The storm also caused extensive power outages across Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana. 

Wind gusts of 75-85 mph were reported throughout eastern Iowa and northern Illinois, with several reports of 100+ mph gusts. Tornado warnings were issued for many northern Illinois counties as the derecho moved east. 

The National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center stated that the derecho moved from far southeastern South Dakota into western Ohio, approximately 770 miles, in less than 14 hours. 

According to poweroutage.us, as of 10:00 a.m. Tuesday, August 11th, approximately 740,000 Iowa and Illinois homes are still without power.

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