Massive power outages, uprooted trees, and shattered windows are the current scene in Chicago after a severe Derecho struck the city. This dangerous weather pattern, notorious for causing extensive destruction, is wreaking havoc across the Midwest, leaving a trail of devastation nearly 500 miles long from Iowa to Indiana. Derechos, which are especially common between May and July, have tragically claimed lives in this storm.
Chicago Faces Midwest derecho
The National Weather Service, which at one point had to seek shelter from the storms themselves, issued 16 Tornado Warnings on Monday, according to Fox News. Tragically, a 44-year-old woman in Indiana lost her life when a tree fell on her home in Cedar Lake. Additionally, the Chicago Fire Department reported that another individual was critically injured by a falling tree during the storm and was rushed to the hospital. The department has been inundated with calls about power outages, property damage, and road blockages.
“We are seeing power flashes on both the O’Hare and Midway Airport webcams due to likely tornadoes and/or destructive wind gusts near those areas,” NWS earlier posted on their official X handle, urging people to, “take these warnings seriously.”
What is a derecho?
According to the National Weather Service (NWS), a derecho is defined as a “widespread, long-lived wind storm that is associated with a band of rapidly moving showers or thunderstorms.”
Derechos can cause destruction similar to tornadoes, but they usually damage areas along a straight path in a single direction. This type of storm is also known as “straight-line wind damage” because of this characteristic.
What is the way to identify a derecho?
According to the weather agency, a storm is classified as a derecho if the wind damage extends over an area more than 240 miles (approximately 400 kilometers) and maintains wind speeds of at least 58 mph (93 km/h) for a significant portion of its path. However, “progressive derechos are much harder to forecast because of the environment that they thrive in,” NWS said.
According to Fox Weather, the severe weather began affecting the Chicago area around 9 p.m. on Monday night, with a tornado warning issued for western suburbs such as Aurora, Oswego, Du Page, and Naperville.
Weather conditions in Midwest
The storm started in eastern Iowa, with winds reaching a staggering 97 mph in Dubuque County, nearly equivalent to a Category 1 hurricane. Chicago’s O’Hare Airport experienced winds up to 75 mph, while Rockford and Naperville reported strong winds of 68 mph. Videos from Chicago’s West Town neighborhood showed massive trees uprooted, completely blocking roads. A tornado warning forced everyone, including those on planes waiting to take off, to seek shelter.