July 2024 Midwest derecho

July 2024 Midwest derecho
	Storm damage in Kewanee, Illinois
Formed	July 15, 2024
Dissipated	July 16, 2024
Highest gust	135 mph (217 km/h); (tornadic); 107 mph (170 km/h); (non-tornadic)
Tornadoes; confirmed	20+
Max. rating1	EF2 tornado
Fatalities	1
Power outages	10,000+
Areas affected	Upper Midwest and Central US
	1Most severe tornado damage; see Fujita scale

On July 15, 2024, a destructive derecho struck the Midwest. One fatality occurred from this storm.

Meteorological synopsis

NOAA risk on the day of the storm.

In the lead up to the storm, the SPC had uncertainty about the storm. Thus, there were no day 4-8 outlook for the storm. As the day of the event arrived, the Storm Prediction Center noted the elevated probabilities for severe weather to materialize, as conditions over eastern Iowa and north-west Illinois were threatening. However, they still had uncertainty about the storm. So, they only issued a marginal (level 1/5) for their day two outlook. On the day of the storm, they had grew more and more certain that there would be a large and wide scale wind event, issuing a slight (level 2/5), then an enhanced (level 3/5), and finally, a moderate risk (level 4/5).

As the evening progressed, the line of storms developed. As such, hundreds of wind reports were received by the SPC over the course of the day, some discussing wind gusts of up to 105 miles per hour (169 km/h), as was the case in Camp Grove, Illinois. At least a person died from the storm. While the event was primarily dominated by the severe derecho that developed, multiple tornadoes were also reported, including a long-tracked EF2 tornado in Illinois.

Impact

The derecho affected portions of eastern Iowa and western and central Illinois. The storm caused a tree to fall on a home in Indiana, killing a 44-year-old woman.^[1] Another person was injured by a falling tree in Chicago.^[1] A wind gust of 105 mph was recorded near Camp Grove, Illinois.^[2] O'Hare International Airport was affected, with 70-80 mph winds at the airport. However, people were still allowed to board, leaving many stranded on the runway.^[3]

References

^ ^a ^b "Derecho, Tornadoes, Flooding All In Week's Weather | Weather.com". The Weather Channel. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
^ Yablonski, Steven (July 16, 2024). "Deadly derecho slams Chicago as storms uproot trees, rip roofs from homes along 500-mile stretch of Midwest". FOX Weather. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
^ "Tornado Did Hit O'Hare, National Weather Service Confirms, as Twister Tally From July Derecho Climbs to Record-Breaking 27". https://news.wttw.com. July 22, 2024. {{cite web}}: External link in |website= (help)

[:0-1] "Derecho, Tornadoes, Flooding All In Week's Weather | Weather.com". The Weather Channel. Retrieved August 2, 2024.

[2] Yablonski, Steven (July 16, 2024). "Deadly derecho slams Chicago as storms uproot trees, rip roofs from homes along 500-mile stretch of Midwest". FOX Weather. Retrieved August 2, 2024.

[3] "Tornado Did Hit O'Hare, National Weather Service Confirms, as Twister Tally From July Derecho Climbs to Record-Breaking 27". https://news.wttw.com. July 22, 2024. {{cite web}}: External link in |website= (help)

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