Tornadoes in Illinois, Indiana leave two dead

Multiple tornadoes whipped through Illinois and Indiana Tuesday. Major supercell storms spawned at least four tornadoes that struck in northern Illinois and northwestern Indiana, according to the National Weather Service, or NWS. The twisters leveled homes and killed at least two people, officials in Lake Village, Ind., said in a Wednesday morning news conference. The two people who perished were an elderly man and woman from the same family, the Newton County coroner said.

The storms also produced local hail ranging from 3 to 5 inches in diameter, with one hailstone in Kankakee, Ill., having a diameter of 6 inches, according to the NWS. The hailstone may be a state record, the NWS said.

The risk for tornadoes and severe storms will continue Wednesday for Texas and across the Midwest up to parts of New York, the NWS said.

What damage has been reported so far? Lake Village officials said the storm damage trapped many families under wreckage in their homes while fallen trees blocked off multiple roads. Additionally, at least 70 utility poles were knocked down, officials said. As of Wednesday, officials said that they believe the number seriously hurt to be fewer than 10 people. More than 2,800 people were without power in Newton and Jasper counties in Indiana as of Wednesday morning, according to PowerOutage.us.

Another tornado struck near Kankakee, Ill., which is about 60 miles south of Chicago. While the twister caused extensive damage, no injuries had been reported as of Tuesday night, according to the Kankakee County Sheriff’s Office. Around 4,400 people were without power in Kankakee County, Ill., on Wednesday morning.

Dig Deeper: Read Christina Grube’s report on the damage from tornadoes in Michigan.