One Million Lost Power in Storm That Spawned Chicago Tornado
- Tornado-like winds tore through the heart of the Midwest
- Derechos are known by their large size and destructive nature
More than one million homes and businesses lost power across the U.S. Midwest after a wall of lightning, hail and deadly winds ripped through Chicago and elsewhere, tearing apart trees and houses.
The line of storms, 160 miles (257 kilometers) wide, cut a path of destruction across Iowa, Illinois and Indiana Monday. Wind gusts of 100 miles per hour and more were clocked across Iowa, damaging corn crops and knocking down silos. At least one brief tornado formed in the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago before heading into Lake Michigan, according to a preliminary report from the National Weather Service.
Most of the outages are in Iowa and Illinois, including about 280,000 in Chicago and its suburbs, according to Exelon Corp.’s Commonwealth Edison. They come on the heels of Tropical Storm Isaias knocking out power to more than 2 million customers on the East Coast, leaving some without power for a week.