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Severe Storms Threaten 90 Million Across US Midwest

natureJun 12, 2026·351 words·3 min read

Severe storms are expected to affect more than 90 million people across the central United States this week, with the National Weather Service warning 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 some areas on Tuesday, following more than half a foot of rain on Monday that triggered 65 flash flood reports across nine states, including Arkansas, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, and Texas.

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.

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