Severe storms tearing through the Midwest left three people dead, including a 4-year-old Indiana boy crushed when a tree collapsed onto his bedroom, as nearly one million residents remain without power and emergency crews struggle to navigate debris-choked roads.

Victims Include Child and Explosion Casualty

The deadly weather struck Indiana hardest with two fatalities on Tuesday. In Portage, a home exploded and caught fire around 12:20 p.m. in what authorities believe was weather-related, killing one resident. Just hours later at 3:30 p.m., a tree crashed through a Jennings County home in Geneva Township, killing the young boy in his bedroom. Jennings County Chief Sheriff’s Deputy Cody Low attributed the child’s death to wind and storms that ravaged the area throughout the day.

Ohio recorded the third fatality when a person died in Roseville. Governor Mike DeWine reported that emergency response crews could not reach the victim due to catastrophic conditions. The state declared an emergency after widespread flooding left 16 million people under flash flood warnings through Wednesday as storms continued battering the region.

Wind Gusts Exceed 80 MPH, Block Emergency Response

Weather gusts surpassed 80 mph across the Midwest, flipping vehicles and tearing the roof off a gas station captured in video footage. In Portage, located 30 miles southeast of Chicago, the extreme weather delayed firefighters responding to the house explosion. Police Chief Mike Candiano described officers parking a mile away and running toward emergencies because fallen trees blocked every road. Fire Chief Chris Crail said finding passable routes proved nearly impossible with countless downed trees and power lines.

Police Captain Rob Maynard, a 50-year Portage resident, called the event “probably the most severe weather event that any of us here can remember.” Mayor Austin Bonta signed an emergency declaration as the city became impassable. The National Weather Service serving Chicago warned of potential 100 mph winds and urged Porter County residents to seek immediate shelter.

Mass Power Outages and Prison Lightning Strike

Nearly 800,000 electricity customers across Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky lost power by Wednesday morning, with Ohio and Indiana bearing the worst outages. Utility provider AEP reported Columbus experienced gusts exceeding 80 mph with trees falling on power lines, deploying over 2,000 workers from multiple states for restoration efforts. Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther warned residents to expect “disaster-like conditions” for days, stating full restoration would take significantly longer than expected.

In Grafton, Ohio, lightning struck a prison as inmates returned from their evening meal, sending 16 people to outside hospitals including one airlifted by medical helicopter. Illinois confirmed two EF1 tornadoes near Chicago in southern Cook County and eastern Will County, both causing significant damage. The Weather Service documented the twisters as part of the widespread severe weather system devastating the region.