Tornado watches and warnings were in effect across the central United States on the evening of March 10 and into the early hours of March 11, as meteorologists tracked a line of severe thunderstorms moving across the country.
Communities in Illinois and Indiana were struck by tornadoes as the storms moved through. Severe hail was reported from Texas to Illinois, and flash flooding was being reported in Michigan.
At midnight Eastern time, more than 4 million people remained under a tornado watch, according to the National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center.
A few tornadoes, including intense tornadoes, remain possible overnight, as well as large hail and high winds, the prediction center said at 10:30 p.m. CT. Tornado watches remained in effect for parts of Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, Illinois, and Indiana.
Lake Village, Indiana, takes ‘direct hit’
In evening briefings, Newton County, Indiana, officials confirmed multiple homes were destroyed in Lake Village.
“Lake Village took a direct hit, please stay away from the area,” said Rob Churchill, Lake Township Fire Chief.
“Let the first responders do what they need to do,” said Sheriff Shannon Cothran. He described it as “a lot of damage.” North Newton Junior High School was being opened for people needing immediate shelter, and school officials were sending a bus to the fire department to provide transportation, he said.
More than 2,300 customers – about 44% of the county – were without electricity, according to USA TODAY’s outage tracker. In neighboring Jasper County, roughly 23% of the customers were without electricity.
Tornado strikes Kankakee County, Illinois
A large tornado was reported in Kankakee County, Illinois, about 55 miles south of Chicago. The tornado struck near the Kankakee Fairgrounds and appeared to continue northeast, where it crossed the Kankakee River into Aroma Park, where extensive damage is being reported, the Kankakee County Sheriff’s Office posted on Facebook.
Sheriff’s deputies and other emergency responders were canvassing the community to check for injuries and assess the damage. The sheriff’s office urged area residents to limit travel “as much as possible, because of the trees, power lines and damage across roads. The county’s 911 call center was being “overwhelmed with emergency calls,” the Sheriff’s office said.
Late in the evening, the sheriff’s office posted that no injuries or deaths had been reported from the storm, refuting social media rumors.
The weather service reported a spotter observed “significant damage” with entire roofs torn off homes and 12-inch trees uprooted near Aroma Park. More than 7,000 electricity customers were without power in Kankakee County, about 14% of the county.
Developments:
- A tornado was also reported in Wheatfield, Indiana. To the east, in Knox, Indiana, the weather service issued “a tornado emergency,” saying a “confirmed large and destructive tornado” was over Knox, moving east at 30 mph.
- In Illinois, possible tornadoes were also reported in Hopkins Park and Pontiac. A garage and dock were reported damaged near Pontiac, Illinois.
- A tornado was reported by storm chasers near Clyde, Texas, and baseball-sized hail.
- Flash flooding was reported in Grand Rapids, Michigan. A trained spotter told the weather service that 6 to 10 inches of water covered the entire roadway on I-196 at Exit 76, with multiple vehicles stranded.
Huge hail stones
The storms have been “producing giant hail,” with reports all the way up to grapefruit-sized hail, said Alan Gerard, a weather service meteorologist who publishes the Balanced Weather Substack. “There’s going to be some very significant damage reported,” Gerard said.
Other reports included the following:
- In Kankakee, Illinois, a storm chaser shared a photo of 5.2-inch hail with the weather service.
- 4.5-inch hail was reported near Camp Wood, Texas.
- Bigger than baseball-sized hail (3.5 inches) fell in Lake Waukomis, Missouri, and near the Aroma Park, Illinois, tornado
- Hailstones of 3 inches or more were reported near Campus, Illinois, about 80 miles southwest of Chicago.
Unseasonably warm temperatures
Warm temperature records were set in several locations throughout the day, which was expected to help heat up the air and increase the risk for severe weather.
Among the records set on March 10 were the following, according to the weather service:
- The 80 degrees in Central Park in New York City was the earliest 80-degree reading on record, dating back to 1869. It beat its existing record, set in 1990, by three days, and its average first 80-degree day by nearly six weeks.
- Bangor, Maine, beat its earliest 70-degree day by eight days, according to records that date back to 1926.
- Additionally, sea surface temperatures have been on the rise in the Gulf of America, formerly known as the Gulf of Mexico, further heating things up and contributing to the moisture available for storms.
Tornado safety tips
Nighttime tornadoes are the most dangerous. Here’s how to protect yourself:
- Pay attention to local weather warnings.
- Protect yourself from flying or falling debris, the single biggest life-threatening hazard.
- Seek shelter in the closest, safest interior or underground room.
- Avoid windows. Don’t go to the windows or doors to look outside.
- Cover yourself with thick protective coverings, such as a mattress, sleeping bags, thick blankets, or other protective coverings.
- Wear a helmet if you have one to protect your head from debris.
What to do if you’re in a building away from home
- Locate bathrooms, storage rooms, and other interior spaces without windows.
- Go to a small center room, such as a bathroom, closet, or interior hallway on the lowest floor. Interior hallways and stairwells can be good places to seek shelter.
- Cover yourself with thick padding, mattresses, and blankets.
- Crouch as low as possible to the floor, face down.
- Cover your head with your hands or wear a helmet if you have one.
Dinah Voyles Pulver, a national correspondent for USA TODAY, writes about violent weather, climate change, and other news. Reach her at [email protected] or @dinahvp on Bluesky or X or dinahvp.77 on Signal.
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