Tornadoes and Baseball-Sized Hail Slam Midwest, Cut Power to 400,000

A wave of destructive weather swept across the Midwest on Thursday afternoon and night, bringing multiple tornadoes, baseball-sized hail, and straight-line winds that left over 400,000 customers without electricity. The storm system is part of a multi-day outbreak that continues to pose a serious threat.

The most intense activity Thursday centered on Wisconsin, where a confirmed tornado hit New Richmond, about 40 miles northeast of Minneapolis. Local residents captured video of the swirling funnel, though the full extent of the damage remains under investigation. The region saw at least 11 reported tornadoes.

Further south, storms disrupted a Beyoncé concert in Chicago, where heavy rain and lightning forced fans to take shelter as the system rolled through.

After sunset, the threat shifted into Michigan. A powerful line of thunderstorms swept across the state, producing straight-line winds estimated between 60 and 80 mph. The high winds snapped trees and downed power lines, causing widespread outages.

By Friday morning, over 400,000 customers were without power, including more than 250,000 in Michigan alone, according to PowerOutage.us. Numerous schools across Michigan were closed due to the outages and storm damage.