A brutal, weeklong stretch of severe weather across the central United States has finally come to an end, but not before leaving a deadly and destructive mark — and the danger has now shifted toward the East Coast.
The final wave struck Thursday, bringing hurricane-force wind gusts and more than a dozen tornadoes that tore through towns across the Midwest and Plains, flattening homes in Indiana and Illinois. At the same time, a separate line of powerful storms knocked down trees and cut power across parts of the Northeast.
At least three people were killed Thursday after being struck by falling trees, and a fourth person died Friday in Virginia when severe weather caused a large outdoor tent to collapse during a gathering.
Since Sunday, nearly 1,500 reports of damaging wind, hail, and tornadoes have been recorded across the central and eastern US, making it one of the most active stretches of severe weather this year.
In Illinois, a tornado emergency was declared in Marshall County, while the city of Streator suffered major destruction, with several homes losing their roofs entirely. Emergency crews rescued at least one person trapped in debris, and multiple residents were taken to hospitals with injuries, though officials confirmed no fatalities in the town.
In Indiana, a large and dangerous tornado was confirmed near Hebron in Porter County, damaging or destroying more than 100 structures in Lake County alone, including homes and a high school campus that suffered heavy structural damage.
Power outages affected more than 650,000 homes and businesses across the Midwest and Northeast at the height of the storms.
By Friday, the threat had moved east, with damaging wind gusts targeting major cities including New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, DC. Maryland had already seen two fatalities from falling trees the night before, as wind gusts reached up to 74 mph in some areas.
Officials continue to assess damage as recovery efforts begin across the affected regions, with forecasters warning that more severe weather could still be possible in the coming days.
