Janice R. Andrews
After a day of damaging weather that pounded the Midwest and left at least one person dead, a line of severe thunderstorms is expected to continue east over the Midwest and into the East Coast on Tuesday. As the Midwest started to recuperate from Monday’s strong storms, it prepared for more erratic weather.
There is a risk of flash flooding and heavy rainfall in Indianapolis.
With up to three inches of rain predicted for Indianapolis on Tuesday, the National Weather Service has issued a flash flood warning for southern and central Indiana that will last until early Wednesday morning. It is anticipated that the intense precipitation would worsen the current dire circumstances, raising the possibility of flash floods in metropolitan areas, low-lying areas, and locations with inadequate drainage.
Pervasive Power Failures
According to poweroutage.us, more than 340,000 consumers in Illinois and Indiana were without electricity as of Tuesday morning. The violent thunderstorms that rushed through the area and severely damaged electricity lines and infrastructure are the immediate cause of the widespread outages.
Area of New York on High Alert
Tuesday is expected to bring severe weather to the New York region. Sporadic storms moving through the area during the evening were accompanied by warnings of heavy rainfall and severe gusts that might bring down power lines, according to the National Weather Service’s Albany office. Residents are being cautious in anticipation of possibly hazardous situations as a result of this warning.
Severe Weather and Tornadoes in the Midwest
According to the National Weather Service office in Chicago, a “complex of destructive storms” passed over eastern Iowa into northern Illinois on Monday night, and that is when the severe weather on Tuesday occurred. Agency personnel were momentarily forced to seek shelter from a tornado as many tornadoes were reported along the storm line as it swept through the Chicago metro region.
On Monday night, the weather agency verified three tornadoes. Radar near Sugar Grove, a hamlet about 46 miles west of Chicago, confirmed one tornado. Two more tornadoes made landfall in Windsor Heights and Grimes, close to Des Moines, Iowa.
The most populous county in Illinois, which includes Chicago, Cook County, was deemed “tornado warning free” by the agency by late Monday after many circulations passed over Lake Michigan. Nevertheless, as the line of storms passed over northwest Indiana, severe winds continued. “Our area saw significant damage,” the Chicago weather service office stated on the social networking platform X.
Reports of Deaths and Damage
The Lake County Coroner’s Office reports that a 44-year-old lady passed away in Cedar Lake, an Indiana hamlet about 45 miles south of Chicago, on Monday night after a tree fell on her house during the strong storms.
AccuWeather predicted that the storm line would “reorganise and trend severe” as it travelled eastward into Monday night. Tuesday morning saw the issuance of a hazardous weather prediction for northwest Ohio, southwest Michigan, and northern Indiana, with a low probability of thunderstorms and showers predicted over the region.
“The storms in Milwaukee and Chicago will be closer to the evening commute, and much of Michigan and Indiana, including Detroit and Indianapolis, will have their highest risk of severe thunderstorms during the overnight hours,” Tyler Roys, an AccuWeather Meteorologist,
Evacuations Owing to Failure of the Illinois Dam
A local dam’s “imminent failure” prompted officials in Nashville, Illinois, some 50 miles east of St. Louis, to issue an evacuation order on Tuesday, citing the possibility of flash floods. The National Weather Service in St. Louis had earlier issued a flash flood warning, which lasted until 10:45 a.m. local time. Forecasters alerted people to the possibility of “life-threatening” flooding of creeks, streams, highways, streets, urban areas, and underpasses on Tuesday morning due to thunderstorms and heavy rain.
Authorities set up a nearby shelter for evacuees and contacted the Red Cross in the area.
Storms on Monday Caused by an Unusual Derecho
A unusual and catastrophic derecho—a long-lived, widespread wind storm with swiftly moving thunderstorms—caused Monday’s storms. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) states that although derechos often only produce damage in one direction along a straight line, they can nonetheless cause devastation akin to that of tornadoes.
For a storm to be designated as a derecho, the weather service states that it must have winds of 58 mph or more and leave a damage path that is at least 250 miles long. Wind gusts of more than 100 mph are common during derechos, toppling trees and electrical lines and wreaking havoc across large areas. Only roughly one derecho is seen every four years by meteorologists; these usually affect the eastern two thirds of the nation, with 70% of them happening between May and August.
Passengers Look for Safety at Chicago Airports
Due to the tornado warnings, travellers at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport were urged to take cover on Monday night. According to FlightAware, over 400 flights were delayed and over 60 planes were cancelled. Videos posted on social media depicted throngs of travellers taking cover from the wind and rain at O’Hare Airport and becoming trapped inside a jet at Midway International Airport.
According to the National Weather Service, “power flashes” that were probably triggered by tornadoes or strong wind gusts were filmed on webcams at both airports.
Persistent Heat Wave
According to heat.gov, the country’s heat advisories were still in effect for nearly 151 million people on Monday as the oppressive weather continued for a third week this month. The meteorological service issued a warning for Baltimore and Washington, D.C., predicting 102 degree temperatures and a “dangerously hot and humid” day. According to AccuWeather, the extended hot wave has already broken dozens of records and is predicted to do so again this week.
Much of the eastern part of the United States is forecast to experience high temperatures, with severe to extreme heat hazards probable, according to the Weather Prediction Centre.
Iowa Tornado Verified; Thousands Without Power
The Urbandale region, which is a part of the Des Moines metro area, saw at least one tornado touch down on Monday night, according to the National Weather Service. A severe thunderstorm watch was in place until 11 p.m. local time due to the severe weather that had ripped through the region. The Des Moines Register reported that over 10,000 houses in the Des Moines metro region were without electricity on Monday night.
In the vicinity of Windsor Heights and Urbandale, MidAmerican Energy Company reported considerable damage; as of Tuesday, more than 1,400 families in Des Moines were still without power. In the Quad Cities, almost 14,000 houses also without electricity.
Deaths in Utah Parks Caused by Heat
The San Juan County Sheriff’s Office in southeast Utah earlier on Monday confirmed that a man and his daughter died last week after running out of water while hiking. On July 12, at approximately 5:45 p.m., the sheriff’s office received reports of hikers who had passed away in Canyonlands National Park. Albino Herrera Espinoza, 52, and Beatriz Herrera, 23, of Green Bay, Wisconsin, went missing while trekking in temperatures above 100 degrees, according to the National Park Service.
First responders were called to Snow Canyon State Park on Saturday due to reports of two people experiencing heat exhaustion, according to the Santa Clara-Ivins Public Safety Department in southwest Utah. A 30-year-old woman was the third person discovered unconscious and subsequently declared dead. Investigations into her death are focused on heat-related incidents.
State officials and local media have reported on dozens of heat-related deaths this month. As summer progresses, more deaths are anticipated; experts speculate that the real number of heat-related deaths could be higher.
Illinois Flooding Disaster
According to the Rockford Register Star, authorities in Rockford, Illinois, are looking into the death of a 76-year-old man who was left inside a pickup truck that washed away by floodwaters on Sunday. A Dodge Dakota pickup that had been towed into a nearby creek was carrying the man. The man was left stranded inside the vehicle as it plunged into the water, but the driver was able to escape through a window and was saved. Three hours later, local law enforcement had given up trying to save him and declared him dead.
Getting Ready for Even Worse Weather
Residents are asked to keep alert and ready for quickly changing conditions as the Midwest and East Coast prepare for additional severe weather on Tuesday. To protect public safety, authorities are keeping a close eye on the situation and aresuing bulletins and warnings.
