Severe thunderstorms that moved across the Midwest on Tuesday left northwest Indiana battered by extreme winds and tornadic activity, cutting power to hundreds of thousands of customers in the Chicago metro area and causing significant structural and tree damage.
Widespread outages and structural damage
Utility outage trackers showed power loss affecting more than half a million customers across Illinois and Indiana as the storm system swept east. Photos and social media posts from communities along the Indiana-Illinois border documented flooded streets, fallen trees tangled with power lines and homes missing roof sections.
Officials in northwest Indiana reported intense straight-line winds during the event. A wind gust of 99 mph was recorded in Gary, Indiana, and numerous personal weather stations reported gusts of roughly 80 mph or higher. Forecasters told residents to treat the storms as hazardous and to seek shelter as warnings were issued across the region.
Storm type and impact
The National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center indicated the system had characteristics consistent with a derecho — a long-lived band of powerful, straight-line winds capable of producing damage comparable to that from tornadoes or hurricanes. Two tornadoes were confirmed just south of Chicago, the weather service reported Tuesday night.
Lake and Porter counties in northwest Indiana were among the hardest hit. LaPorte County officials described a “tremendous amount of tree damage,” and communities reported widespread service interruptions and debris blocking roadways.
Air travel and other regional effects
All flights at Chicago’s two major airports were temporarily halted while controllers and ground crews managed the backlog created by the storm, officials said. Travelers were warned to expect delays as operations resumed and airlines worked through canceled and delayed flights.
In addition to property and infrastructure damage in Indiana and Illinois, the same storm system produced severe impacts in Ohio, where power outages spread through the Columbus area and at least one death was reported. At a prison complex southwest of Cleveland, lightning struck a group of incarcerated people returning from an evening meal; eight were injured, three critically, according to the Ohio Department of Corrections.
"No power. It was very scary. We were down in the basement,"
— Javid Jenkins of Homewood, a Chicago suburb, describing conditions as the storm moved through the region.
Practical information for residents
Local officials reiterated standard safety guidance for severe storms: shelter in an interior room on the lowest floor away from windows, avoid downed power lines and report outages to utilities. Those with medical devices that require electricity were urged to seek alternate power sources and contact their providers about emergency assistance.
- Seek shelter immediately when a tornado warning is issued.
- Stay away from downed power lines and report them to your utility.
- Use generators outdoors and away from windows to avoid carbon monoxide hazards.
- Check on neighbors, especially older residents and those with mobility challenges.
Snapshot of reported conditions
| Measure | Reported |
|---|---|
| Peak wind gust | 99 mph in Gary, Indiana |
| Customers without power | Over 500,000 in Illinois and Indiana combined |
| Tornadoes | Two confirmed south of Chicago |
Emergency crews in Indiana and neighboring states continued damage assessments and restoration efforts into the evening. Residents are being asked to avoid unnecessary travel while crews clear debris and restore power. Local officials and the National Weather Service warned that even after the main line of storms moved through, scattered strong storms and hazardous conditions could linger.
WE NEWS will continue to follow updates from utilities, county emergency management agencies and the National Weather Service as crews work to restore services and assess the full extent of damage across northwest Indiana.
"These are dangerous storms!"
— Warning issued by the National Weather Service earlier in the day.
