A stretch of destruction was seen across large parts of the United States on Saturday as strong winds and reported tornadoes tore through communities, ripping off roofs, uprooting trees and blocking rural roads with debris.
Another wave of severe thunderstorms is expected to hit parts of the southern Plains, Mississippi Valley and Great Lakes Saturday afternoon and continue into the night, the National Weather Service said. About 28 million people are at risk of severe weather Saturday, according to CBS News.
The primary threat comes from strong, damaging winds, although the storms may also bring isolated hail, flash flooding and the possibility of a tornado. The system is forecast to move toward the East Coast overnight.
More than 70,000 customers in the Midwest and Great Lakes regions were without power as of Saturday morning, with most outages reported in Illinois and Missouri, according to PowerOutage.us.
Despite the intensity of Friday’s storms, which swept across the Upper Midwest and brought another wave of severe weather to the region, no fatalities were reported. But officials warned that some rural areas could face a long recovery process.
“We are extremely fortunate that there was no loss of life or serious injury from this storm,” Stephenson County Sheriff Steve Stovall said of the storm that hit Lena, Illinois, on Friday, according to the AP.
Debris is scattered across a yard where a home once stood after a tornado hit Tuesday along Raese Road, April 15, 2026, in Union Center, Wisconsin. (Getty Images via AFP)(Getty Images via AFP)Debris and downed tree limbs cover the ground after a violent storm swept through the upper Midwest in Rochester, Minn., Friday, April 17, 2026. (Hollie Bennett Piotrowicz via AP)(AP)
Officials in Wisconsin and Minnesota shared similar concerns. In central Wisconsin, a suspected tornado that tore through the communities of Kronenwetter and Ringle caused significant damage to homes and briefly trapped some residents in their basements, Ringle Fire Chief Chris Kielman said.
Marathon County Sheriff Chad Billeb noted that in his 34 years in law enforcement, he had never seen such extensive destruction. “A lot of people are going to need a lot of help,” Billeb said, referring to the storms in Wisconsin.
Tornadoes deal “multiple levels” of damage
In Olmsted County, Minnesota, sheriff’s officials reported that the tornado caused “multiple levels” of damage. At least 30 homes in Marion Township were affected, with several sustaining what officials described as significant damage. Authorities also conducted door-to-door checks to ensure residents were safe.
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The NWS said the destruction was likely the result of tornado activity and said a detailed assessment of the affected areas would be conducted over the weekend.
In Illinois, 14-year-old Leo Zach said he had just arrived at a high school music room for a music competition when the building started shaking and the power suddenly went out.
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He added that the room was packed with students, many of whom were extremely frightened, with some experiencing panic attacks. “I’m definitely on the happier side of how it could have happened. I was just trying to stay calm, help others,” he said.
Pictures and videos shared online showed extensive damage, including a destroyed garage, bricks ripped from buildings and fences knocked down.
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Lena, a village of approximately 3,000 residents, is located approximately 117 miles (188 kilometers) northwest of Chicago.
Rachel Nemon said she was on her way to pick up her stepson from Lena’s high school when she pulled into a car wash to seek shelter from the storm. From there, she witnessed a large tree being uprooted and sparks flying just a few meters away. “That’s something you see online, not in real life, especially in a small town in Illinois,” she said.
