Severe Weather Outbreak Kills at Least 1, Knocks Out Power for 260,000 Across the Midwest

A fast-moving line of severe storms swept through the Midwest on Monday, killing at least one person, triggering tornado warnings across multiple states, and leaving more than 260,000 customers without power from Missouri to Michigan. The storms capped a multi-day severe weather outbreak that has battered the central and southern United States since last week.

What the Storms Left Behind

At least one fatality was confirmed in Kent County, Michigan, where a 39-year-old man was killed when a tree fell on him during powerful winds in Courtland Township. Power outages spread across Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Michigan as the line of storms moved quickly from west to east throughout the day and into the overnight hours.

Tornado warnings were issued in the St. Louis metro area and portions of Illinois as the storms developed. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Storm Prediction Center had placed more than 55 million Americans under a Level 3 out of 5 severe weather risk heading into Monday, with St. Louis in the highest-risk zone. In addition to tornadoes, forecasters warned of large hail and damaging wind gusts throughout the day.