"So this is going on outside my window #chicago #storm," tweeted user @twobitme this morning.
People dealing with scorching temperatures stretched across the Midwest may get a break from the heat wave, but only at the expense of severe thunderstorms.
The storms slammed Illinois with 60-mph winds and heavy rain during the midday Friday and were racing along at nearly 80 mph across Indiana and Ohio, aiming toward West Virginia and western Pennsylvania Friday evening.
High winds from the storms have had a history of numerous power outages, downed trees and property damage.
The heat combining with the severe weather in the atmosphere could also create large hailstones the size of golf balls and frequent lightning strikes.
The storms will approach quickly. Be sure to seek shelter as soon as you hear thunder.
Continue to check the live blog for updates as the storms progress.
11:17 p.m. EDT: PEPCO reporting over 326,000 people without power in the D.C. Metro area.
11:12 p.m. EDT:
10:57 p.m. EDT: 87 mph wind gust recorded in Will County, Illinois.
10:20 p.m. EDT: 70 mph wind gusts reported in Albemarle County, VA. Trees downed across the county.
9:48 p.m. EDT: Widespread trees down and roads blocked in Frederick, MD.
9:22 p.m. EDT: Trees down on houses, roads and cars in Shenandoah County, VA. Power lines down throughout the county.
9:20 p.m. EDT: 80 mph wind gust recorded at the airport in Roanoke, Va.
8:11 p.m. EDT: Power out county wide in Raleigh County, West Virginia.
7:14 p.m. EDT: Unconfirmed funnel cloud reported in Ripley, West Virginia.
7:10 p.m. EDT: Trees and power lines down across Clark County, Kentucky.
7:10 p.m. EDT: Numerous trees and power lines down across Marshall County, West Virginia.
7:05 p.m. EDT: Power out at airport in Charleston, West Virginia. One airplane flipped over by wind.
6:59 p.m. EDT: Tornado just east of Cazid, Ohio, still moving eastward.
6:55 p.m. EDT: Trees down and power outages countywide in Elliot County, Kentucky.
6:28 p.m. EDT: Confirmed tornado on the ground near Gilmore, Ohio moving east at 45 mph.
6:10 p.m. EDT: Unconfirmed report of a tornado on the ground in Newcomerstown, Ohio.
6:08 p.m. EDT: Over 200 trees down throughout Scioto County, Ohio. Additionally, over a dozen homes in the county sustained damage due to tree impacts.
5:12 p.m. EDT: Entire town of New Vienna, Ohio is without power.
wow this storm is coming fast and is going to be bad
— Toni Richmond (@itsjust_Toni) June 29, 2012
5:08 p.m. EDT: At least a dozen power poles snapped along Hamilton Road in Franklin County, Ohio.
4:56 p.m. EDT: 18 foot boat docked on the east end of Lake St. Mary's in Auglaize, Ohio lifted and blew into the roadway.
4:45 p.m. EDT: 81 mph wind gust recorded in Dayton, Ohio.
4:15 p.m. EDT: Roof blown off a school and house rood damage reported in Richmond, Indiana.
3:52 p.m. EDT: 84 mph wind gust recorded in Paulding, Ohio. 74 mph wind gust recorded in Auglaize, Ohio.
3:50 p.m. EDT: Report of a second story collapse of a home and a blown down barn in Defiance County, Ohio.
3:44 p.m. EDT: Unconfirmed funnel cloud reported in Boone, Indiana.
3:37 p.m. EDT: Church Steeple knocked over in Rockford, Ohio. Power lines also down as a result of thunderstorm winds.
3:15 p.m. EDT: Power out at Tri-Central High School as a result of thunderstorm winds.
3:09 p.m. EDT: Top 40 feet of a 100 foot radio tower blown down. Additionally, top two sections of a 160 foot tower downed by thunderstorm wind gusts.
3:08 p.m. EDT: 91 mph wind gust in Fort Wayne, Indiana. 60 mph sustained winds.
2:50 p.m. EDT: Multiple trees down through Whitley County, Indiana. Power lines, downed as a result of strong thunderstorm wind gusts, have caused two house fires.
2:42 p.m. CDT: 3" hail reported in Vermilion, Illinois.
2:40 p.m. EDT: For an estimated 7 minutes, wind blew between 65 and 70 mph in Kosciusko, Indiana. Multiple tree limbs and trees downed.
1:15 p.m. CDT:
Based on radar, winds inside the storms remain 50-70 mph moving across northern Indiana. Fort Wayne will be hit soon.
— Henry Margusity (@Accu_Henry) June 29, 2012
1:08 p.m. CDT: Multiple trees and power lines down in Rochester, Indiana. State Police reports widespread power outages.
12:42 p.m. CDT: 62 mph thunderstorm wind gusts near South Bend, Indiana.
@jas1nephoto
Overcast and the skies are grey! #storm #illinois
11:37 a.m. CDT: Power lines downed across Kane, IL as a result of 60 mph thunderstorm wind gusts. Several trees down on vehicles and power lines.
11:05 a.m. CDT: AccuWeather.com meteorologists are predicting the storms will move southeast across Indiana, Ohio and West Virginia this afternoon. By late evening, the storms will move through Virginia, cutting the heat in D.C.
11:00 a.m. CDT: Severe storms are developing across northern Illinois. Radar is showing storms have the potential to produce damaging wind gusts over 60 mph and hail up to 2 inches.
Measuring hail to 2inches and winds over 60 mph in the storms west of Chicago.
— Henry Margusity (@Accu_Henry) June 29, 2012
Downpours and locally severe thunderstorms over the Central states will not only foil holiday weekend activities, but will also put some lives at risk.
A few days after a chilly storm departs the Northeast, warm weather will make a strong comeback in parts of the Midwest and the East later next week.
The storm responsible for the wind, cold, rain and snow in the Northeast Friday and Saturday will slowly ease up for the balance of the holiday weekend.
"This pup was literally singing when he saw his family," Michelle Karolicki, relocation program manager of the Central Oklahoma Humane Society, said about a reunion that took place on Thursday.
During Sunday's race, the skies will be variably cloudy with the risk of a few showers.
Another plunge of chilly air will set the stage for the risk of a frost and freeze centered Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia and other nearby states this weekend.
| Extreme | Location | |
|---|---|---|
| High | N/A | |
| Low | N/A | |
| Precip | N/A |
Wesley, LA (1991)
Heavy rain (25th-26th) resulted in widespread
flooding. One hundred-sixty homes -- 80% of the
total number of houses in town -- received
structural or water damage. A total of 6.5" of
rain fell in 2-1/2 hours.
Udall, KS (1955)
This town 25 southeast of Wichita was destroyed
by a tornado; 80 people dead.
Morden, Manitoba (1933)
Flash flood washes away bridges, ruined crops,
and killed livestock.
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