Six Years Ago, Powerful Derecho Unleashed Billions in Damage Across Midwest
A significant derecho event on August 10, 2020, caused widespread damage across the Midwest with winds nearing 100 mph. The storm system, which included multiple tornadoes, resulted in over $11 billion in damages, making it the costliest thunderstorm event in modern U.S. history.
Key takeaways
- A significant derecho occurred on August 10, 2020, causing widespread damage across the Midwest.
- The storm system produced winds approaching 100 mph and traveled over 240 miles.
- The event resulted in an estimated $11 billion in damages, the costliest thunderstorm event in modern U.S. history.
- Eleven tornadoes were confirmed in Illinois from the same storm system.
Six years ago, on August 10, 2020, a massive derecho swept through the Midwest, leaving a path of destruction marked by winds reaching approximately 100 miles per hour. This complex of thunderstorms, which traveled across Nebraska, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan, is defined by the National Weather Service as a weather phenomenon producing a continuous swath of wind damage of at least 240 miles with gusts exceeding 58 miles per hour. The 2020 derecho featured winds nearly double the threshold defined by the NWS.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration estimated the economic impact of this single day of severe weather at over $11 billion. This figure led the NWS to characterize it as the most expensive thunderstorm event in modern U.S. history. The storm system also spawned 11 confirmed tornadoes within Illinois, including an EF-1 tornado that touched down in Chicago's Rogers Park neighborhood. Other EF-1 tornadoes were reported in Yorkville and Plainfield, Illinois, with additional touchdowns confirmed in Grant Park, Park Forest, Lombard, Wheaton, Marengo, Rockford, Ottawa, and in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.
Sources reviewed
Project Chintan independently synthesized and analyzed information cross-checked across the sources listed above.
