On March 10, a powerful storm system swept across the Midwestern United States, bringing a series of destructive tornadoes. One of the strongest twisters struck the small town of Lake Village, Indiana, as an EF3 tornado tore directly through residential neighborhoods. Footage from the scene shows streets where homes were literally ripped apart, with debris from roofs and walls scattered across yards and roads.
According to emergency services, more than one hundred homes were seriously damaged, and about 30 were completely destroyed. The tornado also knocked down trees and power lines, leaving parts of the town without electricity. An elderly couple was killed, and eleven people were injured.
The same storm system also brought giant hail to Illinois. Some ice chunks reached about 6 inches in diameter — videos show they barely fit in the palm of a hand. The hail damaged vehicles, shattered windows, and punched holes in roofs. Meteorologists say this size could challenge a new state record.
On March 12, a massive storm front stretching more than 1860 miles swept across the western and central United States, affecting around 80 million people. In the town of Centennial, Wyoming, wind speeds reached about 109 miles per hour.
Hurricane-force winds tore roofs off buildings and damaged power lines. At the peak of the storm, more than one million customers in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Michigan were left without electricity. In Colorado, the storm triggered a powerful dust storm that sharply reduced visibility.
Crosswinds overturned dozens of heavy trucks on highways, and about 31 miles of Interstate 25 were closed after multiple crashes.
On March 14, a powerful cyclone formed over the central United States, bringing a sharp deterioration in weather conditions. In Minnesota and Wisconsin, more than 1.5 feet of snow fell within 24 hours. Strong winds caused blizzard conditions and nearly reduced visibility to zero on the roads.
In Minnesota alone, police reported more than one hundred traffic accidents. Severe weather also heavily disrupted air travel: more than 600 flights were canceled at Minneapolis airport, with delays affecting other major airports across the region.
Why have extreme precipitation, storms, and other severe weather events been occurring more and more frequently lately, almost without pause? A mathematical model developed by the ALLATRA scientific group had previously forecast such a rapid escalation of natural disasters. Learn more about the causes in the video “Why Is the Ocean Warming Up So Fast.”