Deaths reported as severe storms unleash tornadoes, flash flooding in Midwest

Key Points:

• Severe storms including tornadoes and heavy rains swept across the Midwest, causing widespread damage, downed trees and power lines, and leaving over 700,000 customers without electricity in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, and West Virginia.
• A 4-year-old boy died in Indiana after a tree fell on his home, and another resident in Ohio died during a health emergency when flooded roads delayed first responders; a fatal house explosion in Indiana is also under investigation for possible weather-related causes.
• Lightning struck a prison near Cleveland, injuring 16 incarcerated individuals who were hospitalized, though their conditions remain unknown.
• The National Weather Service confirmed three tornadoes south of Chicago and identified the storm system as a derecho, characterized by prolonged, damaging straight-line winds reaching up to 99 mph in Gary, Indiana.
• Flooding and severe weather prompted water rescues, deployment of National Guard troops in Ohio, and temporary airport shutdowns in Chicago, with forecasters warning of continued severe thunderstorms and flood risks through early Friday.