Tornadoes and severe thunderstorms ripped through parts of the Midwest and central U.S. this week, killing one man in Iowa and knocking out power for hundreds of thousands across Illinois and Indiana. Communities in Wisconsin and Illinois reported major damage
When the storm hit Des Moines on the morning of June 11, it wasn’t the sky people noticed first—it was what fell from it. A tree broke apart during the severe weather and slammed into a homeless encampment, killing a 54-year-old man as police said life-saving measures failed.
By early June 12, the damage spread far beyond Iowa. In Illinois and Indiana, power outages left more than 300,000 homes and businesses without electricity, according to an outage tracker. The week’s outbreaks also produced tornadoes. downed trees. storm damage and large hail across multiple states—an escalating run of weather that left residents picking through debris and waiting for the next round.
The storms that tore through the Midwest on June 11 capped multiple days of severe weather across the north-central U.S. Tornadoes and hail had already been reported in Iowa. Illinois. Michigan and Indiana. and in the last few days. some two dozen tornadoes had struck the central part of the country and Midwest. according to AccuWeather. Preliminary data from the Storm Prediction Center showed tornadoes were reported on June 11 in Indiana, Wisconsin and Illinois.
In Iowa, the killing in Des Moines became the week’s clearest human toll. Des Moines police and fire crews responded to reports of a traumatic injury just before 8 a.m. on June 11 and found the man in critical condition, a police spokesperson said. Police said the man died at the scene despite life-saving measures. Authorities did not release his identity. Storms also brought flash flooding to Page County and downed trees in Coburg. while widespread high winds in the southwest and central parts of the state damaged property—including part of a building’s metal roof torn off in Malvern.
Across Wisconsin, damage and tornado reports added to the picture. Kenosha County officials said a severe storm downed trees and power lines, with “significant damage” along the Highway 142 corridor. The National Weather Service said a tornado touched down at about 6:13 p.m. near Sturtevant, Wisconsin, near Milwaukee. In Springfield, Illinois, an animal shelter was heavily damaged on June 11 after a severe storm.
Illinois and Indiana were hit hard by outages as the storms moved through. As of early the morning of June 12, more than 300,000 homes and businesses were without power in Illinois and Indiana, according to the outage tracker.
The week’s earlier storms show how quickly conditions worsened. On June 9, storms brought wind gusts of 90 mph and hail to South Dakota, and tens of thousands were left without power in the Dakotas and Minnesota, AccuWeather reported. Several tornadoes were also reported the night of June 10.
In Springfield, Illinois, a severe storm tore the roof off and caused major damage at the Animal Protective League on June 11, according to the Springfield State Journal-Register. No injuries were reported, and hundreds of animals were safely relocated, the outlet said.
Even beyond the direct storm damage, strong winds in Chicago offered a different kind of warning. A CBS News Chicago report described video of lounge chairs from a rooftop pool deck being lifted up by wind and flung into traffic in Lincoln Park on June 10. The video shows multiple chairs crashing onto the street from a high-rise building. with some hitting cars while drivers tried to avoid them. On that same day in Chicago, NBC 5 reported that windows were shattered in two high-rise buildings.
The sequence of the week—tornado reports across several states. widespread power loss. and repeated rounds of severe weather starting with the Dakotas before shifting east—left communities facing cleanup and uncertainty at the same time. Each new alert arrived on top of the previous day’s damage. with the effects measured in outages. broken buildings and. in Iowa. one death.
The National Weather Service said the rocky pattern is expected to shift eastward toward the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast on June 12. Thunderstorms, along with a potential for damaging winds and downpours, were expected in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., AccuWeather forecasters said.
Midwest storms tornadoes severe thunderstorms power outages Illinois Indiana Iowa Wisconsin AccuWeather Storm Prediction Center National Weather Service flash flooding Chicago weather