Deadly Tornadoes, Grapefruit-Size Hail Rip Through Midwest and Southern Plains, Kill At Least Two

A violent severe-weather outbreak struck the Southern Plains and Midwest on Tuesday, producing powerful tornadoes and grapefruit-size hail across a wide swath from Texas to the Great Lakes.

“Life-threatening storms erupted across the Midwest and Southern Plains Tuesday and into the evening, hurling grapefruit-size hail, drenching downpours that triggered some Flood Watches, and spawning powerful tornadoes — leaving a trail of widespread destruction”

FOX Weather

The National Weather Service warned of possible EF3+ tornadoes across parts of Illinois and Indiana and raised severe-weather risk to Level 4 out of 5 ahead of the storms, and spotters reported destructive hail and drenching downpours as supercells moved across states.

FOX Weather

Confirmed tornadoes were reported in Texas, Oklahoma, Iowa, Illinois and Indiana, and forecasters and local officials warned that survey crews would need daylight to determine the storms’ final strength and full scope of damage.

At least two people were killed when Lake Village, Indiana, took a direct hit; local authorities said the fatalities were an elderly man and woman from the same family, and responders found several injured people at the scene.

Newton County and Lake Township officials described extensive damage, and nearby Kankakee County in Illinois also reported severe impacts that prompted activation of its Emergency Operations Center and an emergency disaster declaration to support search-and-rescue and damage assessments.

The Weather Channel

Officials opened a local high school as a shelter overnight and urged residents to check on neighbors while avoiding unnecessary travel as recovery and searches continued.

Meteorologists said at least four twisters across Illinois and Indiana were spawned by the same long-lived supercell that traversed roughly 121 miles over nearly 4.5 hours, producing multiple tornadoes and large hail along its path.

“Life-threatening storms erupted across the Midwest and Southern Plains Tuesday and into the evening, hurling grapefruit-size hail, drenching downpours that triggered some Flood Watches, and spawning powerful tornadoes — leaving a trail of widespread destruction”

FOX Weather

Forecasting agencies had highlighted the potential for EF3+ tornadoes in parts of Illinois and Indiana before the outbreak, and now crews will survey the destruction to determine each tornado's final strength.

The event followed another deadly Heartland outbreak days earlier, compounding strain on emergency response and communities already reeling.

Storm spotters and officials reported exceptionally large hail — some stones described as grapefruit-size and one measured at 6 inches in diameter — that may challenge state records, and widespread damaging winds and floods accompanied the tornadic activity.

Power outages affected tens of thousands of customers (reports noted more than 40,000 early Wednesday, with the bulk in Texas), and officials warned that damage assessments could expand as daylight surveys continued.

The Weather Channel

Emergency declarations and activated operations centers were mobilized to coordinate search-and-rescue, disaster assessments, and support for displaced residents.

Officials and emergency managers stressed that the full toll and damage footprint remained unclear as of Wednesday morning and urged residents to avoid unnecessary travel while surveys and search operations continued.

“Life-threatening storms erupted across the Midwest and Southern Plains Tuesday and into the evening, hurling grapefruit-size hail, drenching downpours that triggered some Flood Watches, and spawning powerful tornadoes — leaving a trail of widespread destruction”

FOX Weather

Illinois’ governor said he had been briefed and pledged state help for recovery, and local law-enforcement and volunteer fire departments continued to coordinate immediate rescue efforts while communities began to tally damage and account for neighbors.

FOX Weather

Authorities and forecasters said daylight surveys would provide a fuller scope of the destruction and that assistance would be mobilized as needs were confirmed.