Tornado watches and warnings were in effect across the central United States on the evening of March 10 and into the early hours of March 11, as meteorologists tracked a line of severe thunderstorms moving across the country.
Communities in Illinois and Indiana were struck by tornadoes as the storms moved through. Severe hail was reported from Texas to Illinois, and flash flooding was being reported in Michigan.
At midnight Eastern time, more than 4 million people remained under a tornado watch, according to the National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center.
A few tornadoes, including intense tornadoes, remain possible overnight, as well as large hail and high winds, the prediction center said at 10:30 p.m. CT. Tornado watches remained in effect for parts of Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, Illinois, and Indiana.
In evening briefings, Newton County, Indiana, officials confirmed multiple homes were destroyed in Lake Village.
“Lake Village took a direct hit, please stay away from the area,” said Rob Churchill, Lake Township Fire Chief.
“Let the first responders do what they need to do,” said Sheriff Shannon Cothran. He described it as “a lot of damage.” North Newton Junior High School was being opened for people needing immediate shelter, and school officials were sending a bus to the fire department to provide transportation, he said.
More than 2,300 customers – about 44% of the county – were without electricity, according to USA TODAY’s outage tracker. In neighboring Jasper County, roughly 23% of the customers were without electricity.
A large tornado was reported in Kankakee County, Illinois, about 55 miles south of Chicago. The tornado struck near the Kankakee Fairgrounds and appeared to continue northeast, where it crossed the Kankakee River into Aroma Park, where extensive damage is being reported, the Kankakee County Sheriff’s Office posted on Facebook.
Sheriff’s deputies and other emergency responders were canvassing the community to check for injuries and assess the damage. The sheriff’s office urged area residents to limit travel “as much as possible, because of the trees, power lines and damage across roads. The county’s 911 call center was being “overwhelmed with emergency calls,” the Sheriff’s office said.
Late in the evening, the sheriff’s office posted that no injuries or deaths had been reported from the storm, refuting social media rumors.
The weather service reported a spotter observed “significant damage” with entire roofs torn off homes and 12-inch trees uprooted near Aroma Park. More than 7,000 electricity customers were without power in Kankakee County, about 14% of the county.
The storms have been “producing giant hail,” with reports all the way up to grapefruit-sized hail, said Alan Gerard, a weather service meteorologist who publishes the Balanced Weather Substack. “There’s going to be some very significant damage reported,” Gerard said.
Other reports included the following:
Warm temperature records were set in several locations throughout the day, which was expected to help heat up the air and increase the risk for severe weather.
Among the records set on March 10 were the following, according to the weather service:
Nighttime tornadoes are the most dangerous. Here’s how to protect yourself:
Dinah Voyles Pulver, a national correspondent for USA TODAY, writes about violent weather, climate change, and other news. Reach her at dpulver@usatoday.com or @dinahvp on Bluesky or X or dinahvp.77 on Signal.