"Derecho Devastation Sweeps Across Northern Plains"

Listeners, this week has seen significant weather threats regarding derechos, those intense, long-lived windstorms spawned by fast-moving lines of thunderstorms. Meteorologists at AccuWeather and FOX Weather raised a heightened alert for the nation’s midsection with a particular focus on the northern Plains—including the Dakotas and Minnesota. Early this week, NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center highlighted a serious threat: a derecho was projected to blast through the region Monday, driven by a powerful cold front and setting up the potential for extensive destruction. FOX Weather reported that forecasters were particularly concerned about hurricane-force wind gusts topping 75 miles per hour, with tornadoes and large hail also possible along the storm’s track.

According to FOX Weather, storms developed over western South Dakota Monday afternoon and began racing eastward through the overnight hours. The severity of the situation prompted NOAA to issue a Level 4 out of 5 risk for parts of eastern South Dakota and southwestern Minnesota. Derechos are notorious for their vast and intense swaths of wind damage, and this event fit the bill. Multiple communities reported widespread downed trees, snapped power lines, and structural damage, while utility companies scrambled to restore power to tens of thousands who lost electricity.

The event was particularly hazardous for drivers, campers, and anyone outdoors, with mobile homes and rural areas at the highest risk from falling debris and severe winds. By Tuesday morning, numerous reports emerged of semi-trucks overturned on highways, roofs peeled off rural homes and barns, and crops flattened across hundreds of miles—a scene reminiscent of other infamous derechos in recent memory. AccuWeather explained that the straight-line winds associated with derechos can behave much like those of an inland hurricane, causing major disruptions to travel, utilities, and essential infrastructure.

This week’s derecho underscores the unpredictable and destructive power of summer convective systems. These storms are most common in the warm season, fueled by hot, humid, unstable air—a recipe that’s often in place across the Midwest and Plains this time of year. Weather officials are urging residents to stay alert to evolving forecasts, especially as conditions remain favorable for additional rounds of severe storms through this weekend. Authorities emphasize the importance of having multiple ways to receive warnings, a plan for shelter, and ample supplies should power and basic services be lost for days, as many experienced just this week.

Thanks for tuning in and be sure to come back next week for the latest on America’s most extreme weather. This has been a Quiet Please production and for more, check out Quiet Please Dot A I.

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