Powerful Derecho Sweeps Through Plains, Midwest, Leaving Damage Across Multiple States

Listeners, this week brought another intense episode of severe weather to the United States as a sprawling and destructive wind event swept through the Plains and Midwest. AccuWeather reported that a powerful derecho struck on April 29, evolving from a band of thunderstorms that first erupted in the Southern Plains and stretched all the way to upstate New York, leaving a path of damage over 400 miles long. In the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area, meteorologists from the National Weather Service warned of hail as large as two inches, wind gusts reaching up to 70 mph, and tornadoes, all brought on by a stalled frontal boundary and deeply saturated soil. USA TODAY added that areas from Texas to Pennsylvania dealt with deadly impacts, including two storm-related electrocutions in Pennsylvania and flash flooding across the southern and eastern United States.

Storm spotters with Texas Stormchasers tracked one severe thunderstorm moving east from Denton on the evening of September 5, clocking a 63 mph gust at the Denton Municipal Airport and bringing damaging winds, dangerous cloud-to-ground lightning, and flash flooding threats as it moved toward towns like Pilot Point and Little Elm. Other storms rumbled across North Texas with gusty outflow winds reaching 40 mph even in locations seeing no direct rainfall. The Texas Stormchasers team emphasized the risk—damaging winds, small hail, and dangerous lightning—reminding everyone to head indoors when thunder roars.

Overnight, waves of thunderstorms moved into Lamar County after damaging Denton and Collin counties, with additional cells developing west and south of the Dallas-Fort Worth area, threatening more wind damage, flash flooding, and delays for air travelers. Forecast models showed the severe line creeping south, bringing heavy rain and intense lightning to Houston, Austin, and San Antonio as the cold front advanced.

According to FOX Weather, planes were flipped and property was damaged as gusts up to 75 mph tore through parts of Texas under repeated rounds of severe storms. The sheer speed and coverage of these winds matched classic derecho criteria as defined by NOAA, with sustained winds over 58 mph, damage paths hundreds of miles long, and peak gusts exceeding 100 mph.

As the derecho roared east, cities along the Mississippi River stayed under flood warnings from historic rainfall, while Oklahoma and Missouri saw tornado touchdowns and hail as large as five inches. AccuWeather’s Director of Forecasting Operations, Dan DePodwin, described the event as “an inland hurricane,” with near-constant severe wind and dangerous thunderstorms running along its route.

Listeners should stay tuned for more updates, especially as cool fronts continue to spark new rounds of thunderstorms into next week. Whether it’s dangerous lightning, flash floods, or destructive wind gusts, weather awareness is crucial.

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