At least two dead after tornadoes, large hail and damaging winds pummel central US

INDIANAPOLIS – At least two people were killed Sunday after severe weather battered the central U.S. FOX Weather continues to track the threat of more destructive storms on Monday.

The powerful storms stretched from lower Michigan down to eastern Texas and northern Louisiana, unleashing damaging winds, large hail and tornadoes. 

Sunday saw an intense period of activity, with over 70 tornado warnings issued and more than 400 storm-related incidents reported. This made it the second-most active day for severe weather this year, behind only March 14 when there were over 600 reports. 

As of Monday morning, hundreds of thousands of residents across the nation were without power, and they were bracing for the possibility of additional thunderstorms.

Tragically, a man was killed in Valparaiso, Indiana, on Sunday afternoon when his tractor-trailer encountered severe crosswinds and tipped, according to Sgt. Benjamin McFalls with the Porter County Sheriff’s Department. 

Another death was reported in Middlebury, Indiana, when thunderstorm winds blew over an Amish buggy at a highway intersection, the Elkhart County Sheriff’s Office told FOX Weather.

Tornadoes were spotted in several states, and the NWS received hundreds of wind and hail reports on Sunday.

Severe storms produced wind gusts as high as 96 mph in Jackson, Michigan, 85 mph near Hoopeston, Illinois, 81 mph in Cascade Township, Michigan, and 81 mph in Valparaiso, Indiana.

Additionally, Flash Flood Emergencies were issued Sunday afternoon for parts of northern Jackson County in southern Mississippi after emergency management reported that roads were impassable. According to the NWS, between 6 and 8 inches of rain had fallen, and an additional 2-4 inches was expected.