Destructive Derecho Sweeps Northern Plains, Leaving Widespread Damage

A destructive derecho swept through portions of the Northern Plains and Upper Midwest this past week, unleashing hurricane-force winds, widespread power outages, and significant damage from South Dakota through Iowa and into Minnesota. The violent line of storms began developing late Monday and intensified overnight into early Tuesday, with the National Weather Service confirming derecho criteria due to the storm’s long track and severe wind gusts. According to Fox Weather and multiple meteorological sources, the highest measured gusts were 99 mph in Sioux Center, Iowa, and 92 mph in Spencer, Iowa. Other hard-hit locations included Irene and Parker in South Dakota, where winds exceeded 85 mph. Tornadoes were also reported in the Gregory and Watertown areas of South Dakota, compounding the destructive impact.

FOX Weather Storm Tracker Brandon Copic documented some of the intensity on the ground, showing streets blocked by downed trees and power lines in Hudson, South Dakota. The system, fueled in part by a powerful heat dome over the central U.S., organized rapidly into a dense line of severe thunderstorms, unleashing winds equivalent to a Category 2 hurricane. These straight-line winds are particularly dangerous, as emphasized by FOX Weather meteorologist Stephen Morgan, who cautioned that many underestimate the power of derechos compared to tornadoes, despite the massive swaths of damage they produce.

Throughout the event, power infrastructure suffered extensively. At the height of the storm, more than 100,000 outages were reported in Minnesota, and nearly 30,000 in Iowa, leaving tens of thousands in darkness as crews worked around the clock to restore service, according to multiple reports, including coverage from AOL and local news affiliates. In addition to infrastructure damage, the derecho felled countless trees across urban and rural landscapes, and officials in several states urged residents to remain alert for falling debris and unstable power lines in the storm’s aftermath.

Meteorologists with NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center classified this event as potentially the second major derecho to strike the Northern Plains just this summer. In late June, a similar storm system impacted North Dakota and northern Minnesota, further highlighting an active severe weather pattern for the region this year. Derechos are relatively rare but most likely across the Great Plains and Midwest in late spring and summer, often forming in association with strong cold fronts and high atmospheric instability.

The National Weather Service advises that while tornadoes and hail are significant dangers in these systems, the vast majority of widespread damage from derechos comes from the straight-line winds themselves, which can level trees, damage homes, overturn vehicles, and down power lines along paths hundreds of miles long. In response, officials urge everyone in high-risk zones to have multiple methods for receiving weather warnings, avoid travel during severe events, and always seek sturdy shelter immediately when warnings are issued.

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