Reports: Damaging storms, hail pound midwestern US

As of 9:30 a.m. EDT Saturday, this reports story is no longer being updated.

Severe thunderstorms once again set their sights on a large portion of the midwestern United States through Friday evening.

The storms stretched across the northern Plains to the western Great Lakes and produced threats including flash flooding, damaging winds, hail and isolated tornadoes.

Multiple clusters of intensifying severe thunderstorms impacted central Iowa through northern Illinois and northern Indiana throughout Friday night.

According to AccuWeather Meteorologist Brian Edwards, damaging wind gusts of 60-70 mph were the main concern.

Isolated hail storms also impacted areas including Des Moines, Iowa; Rockford and Chicago, Illinois; and Gary, Indiana.

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A funnel cloud was spotted west of Clifton, Illinois, shortly after 8 p.m. CDT on Friday.

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Quarter-sized hail covered the ground in parts of Schaumburg, Illinois, on Friday evening, measuring at 3 inches off the ground in some areas.

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A residential street in Schaumburg, Illinois, was left covered in scattered tree debris and some flooding left behind by damaging thunderstorms early Friday evening.

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Severe thunderstorms caused flooding in areas of Wisconsin and Illinois throughout Friday evening. Downpours drenched the Lafayette County Speedway in Darlington, Wisconsin.

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Severe storms swept through Elgin, Illinois, leaving behind flooded roadways and downed trees and power lines.

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The second area under threat from severe thunderstorms and powerful, 70-mph wind gusts will extend from northwest Minnesota through the central Dakotas, according to AccuWeather Meteorologist Brian Edwards.

This includes the cities of Fargo, North Dakota, and Aberdeen, South Dakota.

“An isolated tornado or two cannot be ruled out in this region,” Edwards said.

At 11:25 p.m. CDT, a funnel cloud was spotted by law enforcement officials in Benson County, North Dakota, as severe thunderstorms swept through the state.

Earlier on Friday evening, wind gusts of over 60 mph toppled trees onto homes near Bemidji, North Dakota.

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At 6:09 p.m. CDT, law enforcement officials in Iowa reported that a funnel cloud was spotted in Muscatine County during a tornado-warned storm.

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A 74-mph wind gust was reported in Dupage County, Illinois, at 4:58 p.m. CDT on Friday.

Torrential downpours in Stephenson County, Illinois, caused flash flooding near Cedarville, prompting the closure of several roadways throughout the county around 9:00 p.m. CDT.

Between 11:30 p.m. CDT on Friday and 12:30 a.m. CDT on Saturday, 1.5 inches of rain fell in Dubuque, Iowa, with up to 3 inches of rain having fallen in just over an hour's time in surrounding areas.

At one point, flash flood warnings spanned a nearly 300-mile long corridor from near Waukegan, Illinois, to near Charles City, Iowa.

Emergency management officials in Lake County, Illinois, relayed that over a half an inch of rain had fallen in a mere 10 minutes on Friday evening. Downpours of this magnitude caused several roadways to quickly become submerged under several feet of water in Ogle County, Illinois.

A trained weather spotter near Stockton, Illinois, reported that nearly 8 inches of rain had fallen in just 6 hours Friday evening and caused widespread flooding in the area.

Around 12:00 a.m. CDT Saturday, three residential water rescues took place near Guttenberg, Iowa, after nearly 7.5 inches of rain in under 24 hours caused area streams and creeks to rapidly overflow their banks. Law enforcement officials also reported significant water damage to homes and basements near Platteville, Wisconsin, following torrential downpours Friday evening.

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A flash flood in Cassville, Wisconsin, around 1:30 a.m. CDT Saturday swept 3 cars away, according to emergency management officials. In some cases, flooding of this magnitude in portions of southwestern Wisconsin and northeastern Iowa has not been seen for over 20 years.

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In Clinton and Jo Daviess counties in Illinois, numerous vehicles were submerged by floodwaters and still remained stranded early Saturday morning. Portions of highway 20, route 73 and route 78 still remain closed as of 4:00 a.m. CDT Satuday morning.

In many cases, rivers well below flood stage on Friday morning had reached moderate to major flooding by early Saturday morning.

The Grant River at Burton, Wisconsin, rose over 12 feet in just a few hours, reaching moderate flood stage by late Friday evening. The Volga River at Littleport, Iowa, rose from around 5 feet to over 16 feet spanning Friday afternoon to late Friday evening.

Flash flooding ravaged homes and property near Ionia, Iowa, when the Little Cedar River experienced an unprecedented rise of nearly 8 feet in just 90 minutes between 11:30 p.m. CDT Friday and 1:00 a.m. CDT Saturday.

Meanwhile, powerful winds gusts and hail blew into a gas station in Chicago.

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Strong winds and hail pounded parts of Illinois on Friday evening, including Elk Grove Village, Schaumburg and Chicago.

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