Tornado destroys homes and poles in Midwest and Northeast US

Debris of a home in Unionville, Missouri, on Wednesday, June 10, 2026, after a tornado passed through.
Kylie Rouse via AP
At least three tornadoes hit communities around Chicago on Thursday, destroying homes and uprooting trees and power poles, while storms grounded flights in some places and left hundreds of thousands of people without power in the Midwest and Northeast of the United States. USA.
As a large column of air descended on Merrillville, Indiana, a city about 33 miles (53 kilometers) southeast of Chicago, local police warned residents to seek shelter. By early evening, downed trees and power lines blocked streets, homes were destroyed and part of the roof of a high school was ripped off.
Meanwhile, emergency crews were in the nearby town of Streator, Illinois - an industrial and agricultural hub - as the community tried to recover from the damage caused by the tornado. A reunification center for displaced residents was set up at city hall and the Red Cross opened a shelter.
Streator Mayor Tara Bedei said there were no reports of deaths. "We are incredibly grateful for the safety of our residents and the quick action of emergency personnel," she said in a statement.
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Severe storms delayed or disrupted flights at airports in some cities on Thursday, including Chicago, Philadelphia and New York. Parts of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic region also suffered under intense heat and humidity.
The tornadoes came after severe storms swept across the Midwest on Wednesday, knocking out power, damaging buildings and canceling flights.
In Des Moines, Iowa, a 54-year-old man died at a homeless camp in a park on Wednesday after being struck by a tree that "split and fell during the severe thunderstorms," police said in a statement. a statement. There were no immediate reports of other deaths or injuries from the storms.
Maintenance crew removes water from the field after severe storms passed through the Chicago area before a baseball game.
David Banks/AP
Tree branch cuts through roof
Tornado warnings were also in effect in Chicago and parts of Indiana and Michigan on Thursday, according to the National Weather Service. In Chicago, the final game of the series between the White Sox and Atlanta Braves was postponed due to rain.
Jennifer Hall was in her garage in Elkhart, Indiana, when the winds and rain picked up on Thursday night. Suddenly, she said, there was a loud bang and she discovered that a tree branch had gone through the roof of her rented house. She used buckets to catch the rain coming through the hole.
"I'm nervous because it's been one thing after another," Hall said, explaining that she just had surgery and that her husband is traveling.
A house disappears before residents' eyes
Shane Tipton got out of his pickup truck in Unionville, Missouri, on Wednesday afternoon and saw a tornado approaching, his daughter, Kylie Rouse, reported. He rushed to get his 87-year-old father out of their mobile home.
They managed to get back into the pickup, drove to a safe distance and watched as the tornado pulverized the home. Shattered cabinets, furniture and appliances were scattered across the floor. Clothes were left hanging from trees. They believe they have lost one of their hunting dogs, which has been missing since the tornado hit.
"Everything was destroyed," Rouse told The Associated Press in a telephone interview Thursday. "It was all spread out for miles. If my grandfather had been inside, there wouldn't be a chance he would be alive."
Building in Stickney, Illinois, after its roof was damaged by severe storms that hit the Chicago area on Wednesday, June 10, 2026.
AP Photo/Courtesy WMAQ-TV in Chicago
Storm damages animal shelter in Illinois
Residents of Springfield, Illinois, believe a tornado touched down in their area late in the Wednesday. Two buildings at the Animal Protective League shelter in Springfield were severely damaged, but none of the nearly 150 cats and 28 dogs housed there were injured, said Deana Corbin, the group's executive director.
"It practically destroyed our shelter facility, ripped the roofs off both of our buildings," Corbin said. We were very blessed that we did not have any injuries to people or animals."
The community rallied to temporarily shelter all the cats and dogs, including a local animal control center, veterinarians and residents, she said.
Damage was also reported at Capital Abraham Lincoln Airport in Springfield.
Weather Service meteorologist Frank Pereira said the system that produced the storms, including strong winds and hail, was moving toward the east on Thursday, driven by air cold weather from Canada clashes with hot, humid air from the South.
Tree down after storms hit Amherst, Ohio, west of Cleveland, on Wednesday, June 10, 2026.
AP/Courtesy WEWS/NEWS5
Record high temperatures expected on the East Coast
Potentially dangerous heat and high humidity arrived on Thursday and were expected to continue into Friday across a swath of the East Coast, Mid-Atlantic to the Northeast, where daily maximum temperature records could be broken in several locations, the weather service said. Temperatures in the high 35s (mid-90s F) were expected, but with humidity, wind chills could reach 38 degrees C (100 degrees F) or more, the agency said.
Philadelphia declared a heat health emergency for Thursday and Friday, activating cooling centers, home visits by field crews, Homeless assistance and other services. New York City officials also urged residents to take precautions, including drinking plenty of water and finding a cool place to stay if they don't have air conditioning.
Severe weather wreaks havoc on air travel and energy
At various times on Wednesday and Thursday, ground stop orders were issued at O'Hare and Midway International Airports in Chicago and at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. York.
Pittsburgh International Airport suffered a temporary power outage after a storm produced an "extraordinary" power spike, airport management said.
More than 1,000 flights arriving or leaving Chicago were delayed or canceled, according to FlightAware, a flight tracking website.
The Commonwealth Edison Company, which provides electrical services in northern Illinois, said the storms downed utility poles and cables. "80% restoration" of power by the end of Saturday.

Source: G1