Destructive Derecho Slams Northern Plains with Hurricane-Force Winds

A destructive derecho unleashed hurricane-force wind gusts across the northern Plains this week, snapping trees and knocking out power in a dramatic display of nature's raw power. The storm system brought severe weather conditions that impacted multiple states, with the most significant impacts occurring in South Dakota and surrounding areas where wind speeds reached damaging levels.

The derecho was part of a broader severe weather pattern affecting the central United States. According to AccuWeather meteorologists, a sprawling multiple-day severe weather event has been shifting eastward from the Great Plains toward the Mississippi, Ohio, and Tennessee valleys. This outbreak, which began on Friday and continues through the weekend, represents what may unfold into one of the biggest severe weather and tornado events of the year so far.

The affected region spans over 500,000 square miles and is home to more than 100 million people across the central and southern United States. The severe weather threat extends through portions of the Dakotas, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, and Michigan, with the risk reaching major cities including St. Louis, Chicago, Nashville, New Orleans, and Atlanta.

Powerful wind gusts have been identified as the most common cause of tree, power line, and property damage from the thunderstorms. Meteorologists warn there may be hundreds of incidents of damaging, straight-line wind gusts. Some of the stronger thunderstorms are producing hail ranging from marble to golf ball size, with even larger hail possible in the biggest storms.

The tornado threat extends into the nighttime hours Friday and Saturday nights, adding to the danger for residents across the region. AccuWeather meteorologists indicate that the most favorable zone for a clustering of thunderstorms capable of producing tornadoes may be centered in parts of Missouri, central and southern Illinois, and northern Arkansas, though tornadoes remain possible anywhere within the moderate-risk zones.

As severe weather continues advancing toward the Atlantic coast by Sunday, travel disruptions are expected along busy Interstate corridors and at major airport hubs from Charlotte to Washington D.C., Philadelphia, and New York City. Heavy rainfall poses an additional threat, with one to three inches of rain possible in some areas within twelve hours.

Thank you for tuning in to this weather update, listeners. Be sure to come back next week for more current weather information and severe weather coverage. This has been a Quiet Please production. For more, check out Quiet Please Dot A I.

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