A rare storm picked up winds of 100 mph and with force similar to a domestic hurricane Monday over the Midwest, blowing over trees, blowing cars, causing widespread damage to property and leaving hundreds of thousands without power as it passed through Chicago and in Indiana and Michigan moved.
The storm, known as a derecho, lasted several hours as it swept from eastern Nebraska over Iowa and parts of Wisconsin and Illinois, had the wind speed of a major hurricane, and probably caused more widespread damage than a normal tornado, Patrick Marsh said. , science support chief at the National Water Service’s Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma.
In northern Illinois, the National Weather Service reported a 92 mph vine near Dixon, about 100 miles west of Chicago, and the storm caused downed trees and streamlines that blocked roads in Chicago and its suburbs. After leaving Chicago, the most powerful part of the storm system moved late afternoon over north-central Indiana.
A derecho is not quite a hurricane. It has no eye and its wind comes over in a line. But the damage it is likely to spread over such a large area is more like a domestic hurricane than a rapid, powerful tornado, Marsh said. He compared it to a devastating 2009 Super Derecho, which was one of the strongest on record and traveled more than 1,000 miles in 24 hours, causing $ 500 million in damage, widespread power outages and killing a handful of people.
“This is our version of a hurricane,” Gensini said in an interview from his home about 15 minutes before the storm was about to hit. Minutes later, he went to his basement for safety, when the storm was directed at Chicago, beginning with his suburbs.
Gensini said this derecho will go down as one of the strongest in recent history and will be one of the nation’s worst watersheds by 2020.
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Several people were injured and widespread damage to property was reported in Marshall County in central Iowa after 100 mph wind blew through the area, according to county coordinator Kim Homer. She said the wind blew over trees, smashed traffic signs off the ground and ripped roofs off buildings.
“We had quite a few people stuck in buildings and cars,” she said. Alder said the extent of the injuries is not known and that no deaths have been reported.
Alder said some people reported that their cars overturned from the wind, with power lines falling on them and being injured when they were hit by flying debris. Thousands of cars at one factory had blown out windshields. Buildings were also set on fire, she said.
“We are currently in life-saving mode,” Elder said.
MidAmerican Energy said nearly 101,000 customers in the Des Moines area were without power after the storm passed through the area. Reports from spotters submitted to the National Water Service in Des Moines had winds of more than 70 mph.
In the state, large trees fell on cars and houses. Some semi-trailers rolled over as if blown off large roads. Farmers reported that some grain bins were destroyed and fields were razed, but the extent of damage to Iowa’s agricultural sector was not immediately clear.
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Mid-America spokeswoman Tina Hoffman said fallen trees in some locations made it difficult for workers to reach the power lines. In some cases, power line poles were cut out.
“It’s a lot of tree damage. Very high wind. It’s going to be a major effort to get through everything and get everyone back on track,” she said. “It was a big front that went all the way through the state.”
Cedar Rapids, Iowa, has “both significant and widespread damage throughout the city,” said Greg Buelow, a public safety spokesman. Tens of thousands of people in the metro area were without power.
“We have damaged homes and businesses, including siding and roofs,” he said. “Trees and streamlines run through the entire city.”
Derechoes, with winds of at least 58 mph, occur about once a year in the Midwest. Rare as tornadoes, but with weaker winds, derechoes produce damage over a much wider area.
The storms swept across parts of eastern Nebraska for 9 a.m. in the morning, throwing heavy rain and high winds. Strong winds pushed south in areas that include Lincoln and Omaha, said meteorologist National Weather Service Brian Barjenbruch.
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“Once the chilled air hit the ground, it smelled more than 100 miles, sending incredibly strong winds over the area,” Barjenbruch said.
Omaha Public Power District reported more than 55,500 powerless customers in Omaha and surrounding communities.
Marsh said there is a major concern about power outages that will spread across several states and last a long time. Add high heat, people with medical conditions that need power, and the pandemic, “it gets pretty fast.”
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