Severe thunderstorms bring hurricane-force wind gusts, tennis ball-sized hail to Great Lakes region (2024)

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Crews working to restore more than 300,000 power outages after severe weather slams Great Lakes

Crews are continuing to work to restore power to hundreds of thousands of utility customers after severe weather barrels across portions of the Great Lakes region and the Midwest on Tuesday.

DETROIT – A line of severe weather blasted across Michigan and the Great Lakes region Tuesday afternoon and evening, plunging more than 400,000 utility customers into darkness as thunderstorms with hurricane-force wind gusts and tennis ball-sized hail wreaked havoc in parts of the Midwest.

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Hurricane-force wind gust slams Detroit International Airport

More than 100 damage reports as a result of the storms were received from the Midwest to Great Lakes region Tuesday, including a 76-mph gust at Detroit International Airport – which is as strong as a Category 1 hurricane.

Numerous reports of wind gusts between 60 and 70 mph were also received, including 66-mph wind gusts at Oakland County International Airport and 63 mph wind gusts in Flint, Michigan.

Wind gusts between 50 and 60 mph also slammed the Chicago area and its northern suburbs, with an unofficial wind gust of 80 mph reported in Wauconda, Illinois.

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Watch: Vivid lightning illuminates sky above Joliet, Illinois

A video shared from Joliet, Illinois, shows vivid flashes of lightning illuminating the sky on Tuesday night as severe weather blasted across portions of the Great Lakes region and Midwest.

Those winds were powerful enough to topple trees and bring down electrical lines across the region.

The debris from the downed trees and utility lines was scattered in all directions, blocking roads and impacting travel, as well as falling onto homes and businesses.

One tree reportedly fell onto a home in Perry, Michigan, while a car was hit by a falling tree on the campus of Michigan State University in East Lansing.

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Watch: Trees snapped like twigs after severe weather blasts across Michigan county

A video shared from St. Clair County in Michigan shows numerous trees that were brought down when powerful thunderstorms blasted across areas of the Great Lakes and Midwest on Tuesday night.

A video shared from St. Clair County in Michigan shows some of the damage left behind after the severe weather on Tuesday.

The video shows countless trees and branches that were brought down during the storm, with debris covering trees and even dangerously close to homes.

Crews have been out working to clear the debris and open up blocked roads, but a lot of work remains to be done.

Tennis ball-sized hail falls in Illinois

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Watch: Hail pelts pavement as severe weather blasts across Illinois

A video shared from Harvard, Illinois, shows hail falling from the sky and slamming into the pavement as severe weather pushed through portions of the Great Lakes region and Midwest on Tuesday.

In addition to the wind, large hail was also reported in numerous communities.

The largest hail report of 2.5 inches, which is as large as a tennis ball, was received from the Woodstock area in Illinois, while several reports of hail larger than 1 inch were received elsewhere in Illinois, as well as in Michigan.

After the storms rolled through, work began and continued into the overnight hours to restore power to more than 400,000 utility customers in several states.

As of Wednesday afternoon, more than 300,000 customers remain in the dark in Michigan, and more than 16,000 outages remain in Illinois.

MINNESOTA STATE FAIR FAIRGOERS FLEE FOR SAFETY AS SEVERE WEATHER BLASTS ACROSS MIDWEST

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Watch: Flash flooding at Minnesota State Fair

Heavy rain led to flash flooding at the Minnesota State Fair in St. Paul on Monday. A video shared from the fair shows people running for safety as heavy rain fell and water covered sidewalks and walkways.

Power outages also remain in Minnesota days after powerful storms slammed the area on Monday.

Those storms left tens of thousands of utility customers in the dark and sent fairgoers at the Minnesota State Fair in St. Paul scrambling for safety as torrential rain fell and led to flash flooding.