A large severe weather system that spawned deadly tornadoes in Iowa brought dust storms and power outages to the Chicago area after a day of near-record temperatures.
Authorities in Iowa have confirmed several tornado deaths with “at least a dozen injured” as the storm tore through the small town of Greenfield, about 55 miles north of Des Moines.
The tornado carved a dark landscape of destroyed homes and businesses, torn trees, smashed cars and widely scattered debris.
In the aftermath of the storm, parts of Greenfield appeared devastated. Mounds of broken wood, branches, car parts and other debris littered the lots where homes once stood. Cars were smashed and bent while damaged houses stood lopsided against the gray, overcast sky. The trees were – barely – devoid of branches or leaves. Residents helped each other salvage furniture and other belongings from piles of debris or barely standing homes.
Several tornadoes were reported across the state, and one apparently also destroyed several 250-foot wind turbines. Des Moines, Iowa, television station KCCI-TV showed at least three wind turbines toppled by an apparent tornado in southwest Iowa, and at least one was on fire with black smoke billowing from the curved structure.
Wind farms are built to withstand tornadoes, hurricanes and other powerful winds. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, wind turbines are designed to shut down when winds exceed certain thresholds, typically around 55 mph (88.5 km/h). They also lock their blades and feather them, and turn into the wind to minimize tension.
Although the Chicago area avoided the worst possible thunderstorms and tornadoes, high winds were likely the main factor in the widespread power outages, which left more than 12,000 ComEd customers without power in northern Illinois.
While more than 4,000 outages were reported outside the Chicago area in Stephenson County, hundreds remained in the dark in Lake and DuPage counties, and hundreds of outages were also reported in Cook County.
The threat of “widely dispersed storms” will persist for the remainder of Tuesday evening, with gusty winds and hail posing the primary threat for most of the region.
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Some western suburbs were also hit earlier Tuesday by dust storms, with freshly plowed farmland and windy conditions contributing to extremely dangerous conditions on some Chicago-area roads.
The storms caused greater problems in upstate Illinois, with closures on I-55 in McLean County, and closures were also reported on I-74.
The Chicago area will get a respite from the heat and severe weather Wednesday, with high temperatures dropping back to the mid-70s with sunny skies and a limited chance of rain.
Temperatures will warm up a bit as the week ends, with highs in the 80s expected for Thursday and Friday under sunny skies.
NBC Chicago
