# Powerful Derecho Devastates Midwest With 100 mph Winds

Listeners, in the past week, a powerful **derecho** has marched across the Midwest United States, delivering widespread, destructive winds from a line of rapidly moving thunderstorms. The CIRA Satellite Library documented this event on February 20, 2026, capturing the derecho's path in vivid satellite imagery that shows its hypnotic progression over key states.

This long-lived windstorm, defined by straight-line winds exceeding 58 mph over a path longer than 240 miles, struck from the Plains into the Great Lakes region. According to CIRA's daily loop history, the system produced gusts up to 100 mph, snapping trees, downing power lines, and causing structural damage in Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. Social media buzzed with reports from locals sharing videos of roofs torn off barns and highways littered with debris, as posted on platforms like X and Facebook around February 19-20.

Meteorologists from the National Weather Service noted the derecho formed amid a volatile setup of warm, moist air clashing with a cold front, fueling bow echoes visible in radar scans. Over 200,000 customers lost power, per utility reports aggregated on weather forums, with restoration efforts ongoing into February 21. No fatalities were confirmed, but injuries from flying debris numbered in the dozens.

This event echoes classic Midwestern derechos, underscoring the region's vulnerability in late winter. Keep an eye on forecasts as similar setups could redevelop.

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This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI