Photo by Dave Hoefler on Unsplash

Severe Storms Threaten 90 Million in US Midwest

natureJun 12, 2026·294 words·3 min read

Severe storms are set to hit the central United States this week, putting more than 90 million people at risk. The National Weather Service warns of large hail, damaging winds, tornadoes, and flash flooding across the Midwest and northern Plains. The U.S. broadcaster CBS News reports that up to 4 inches of rain could fall in parts of the region on Tuesday.

A deep dip in the jet stream — a fast band of wind high in the sky — is helping to create the storms. Warm, wet air gives them energy to grow. Earlier storms already soaked the South. Tennessee got up to 9 inches of rain. A flash flood emergency was declared near Huntsville, Alabama. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) warns of a "significant" severe weather event for the Upper Midwest.

The storms have already turned deadly. In Queens, New York, an 85-year-old man died when a tree fell on him. Winds reached 64 miles per hour in Brooklyn, and more than 250 trees fell across the city. In Pittsburgh, a man said strong winds pushed his house off its supports. By Thursday, more than 26 million people in Chicago, St. Louis, and Milwaukee will face risk as the storms move east.

Read at other levels

A1Beginner89w A2Elementary143w B1Intermediate216w

B2Upper-Intermediate294w(current · Pro)

C1Advanced351wPro