The Lake Township Fire Department confirms two people were killed and several others were injured by the intense tornado that ripped through Lake Village, Indiana on Tuesday night.
Newton County Sheriff Shannon Cothran says the two fatalities were an elderly male and female from the same family.
Lori Postma, Public Information Officer for the Lake Township Fire Department, says firefighters located several "very injured" people in the immediate aftermath. Fewer than ten people were officially transported to area hospitals, with some residents choosing to self-deploy for medical care.
This morning, officials noted that no one is currently reported missing.
The devastation also hit home for the first responders themselves; Postma revealed that four firefighters had their homes severely damaged or destroyed while they were out saving others.
Search and rescue operations have been tireless, with a primary search of all damaged areas completed by 4:00 a.m. CT. Indiana Task Force 1 is expected on the ground today to perform a secondary, more technical survey of the debris fields to ensure no survivors were overlooked.
Amidst the heartbreak, Postma highlighted "miraculous" stories of survival, including one man who walked away unscathed after massive trees crushed his vehicle.
The severe storm threat is rapidly expanding eastward this morning as a powerful line of thunderstorms charges through the Ohio Valley, bringing the risk of damaging winds and large hail to Ohio, West Virginia, and Kentucky.
This activity marks the first of two waves expected today, with FOX Weather meteorologists warning that these morning storms are setting the stage for a more intense second round this afternoon.
The Storm Prediction Center says the current Tornado Watch may need to be expanded farther east if the storms hold their strength.
{{#rendered}}The National Weather Service says it is tracking a tornado near Macune, Texas this morning.
A Tornado Warning is in effect for Nacogdoches and San Augustine Counties until 8:00 a.m. CT.
Recovery efforts following Tuesday’s destructive tornado outbreak have slowed this morning as heavy rain prevents the Indiana State Police (ISP) from deploying drones and aircraft to survey the damage.
ISP Sgt. Glen Fifield confirmed that Governor Mike Braun has been briefed on the situation as the state moves into an "evolving recovery process."
While the most severe destruction remains centered in Newton County, officials expanded the list of impacted areas to include Jasper, Starke, Lake, Porter, and LaPorte counties, with a damage path stretching nearly 50 miles east from the Illinois-Indiana state line.
Newton County Sheriff Shannon Cothran provided a heartbreaking update on the casualties in Lake Village, confirming that the two fatalities were an elderly male and female from the same family. Their names are being withheld pending a formal release from the Newton County Coroner.
While Jasper County reports houses destroyed and significant structural damage, Sgt. Fifield noted there have been no other reported deaths at this time. For those displaced, an emergency shelter is fully operational at North Newton Junior High School in partnership with the American Red Cross.
The severe weather threat that devastated the Midwest last night has evolved into a complex, multi-stage event for the eastern half of the country.
Unlike a single line of storms, meteorologists are tracking two distinct waves of energy that will keep the Ohio Valley and Mid-Atlantic on high alert through the late evening hours. A powerful cold front is acting as the primary trigger, but record-warm air surging ahead of it is providing the fuel for widespread instability.
The first wave (Late morning – early afternoon)
A surge of energy ahead of the front is already sparking scattered clusters of thunderstorms across Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. While these storms may appear disorganized on radar, the high-altitude winds are strong enough to support sudden, damaging gusts and large hail.
This initial round will primarily impact the midday commute and lunch hour for cities like Columbus, Charleston, and Pittsburgh.
The second wave (late afternoon – tonight)
The more potent threat arrives later today as the actual cold front slams into the volatile air mass. This second round is expected to form into a fully-fledged squall line, pushing from the Great Lakes down to the Gulf Coast.
As this line crosses the Appalachians into the Mid-Atlantic, the risk shifts to intense straight-line winds and isolated tornadoes.
People in Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C. should prepare for the most significant weather to arrive during the evening hours, with the potential for flash flooding in urban areas where 1–2 inches of rain could fall in a very short window.
{{#rendered}}Millions of Americans across the South are on high alert today for the threat of severe weather, including tornadoes.
The FOX Forecast Center is tracking a disturbance currently moving through West Texas that is expected to undergo a dramatic energy shift this afternoon. Meteorologists call this becoming negatively tilted. Think of it like a spinning top that suddenly gains a second burst of speed; as the storm system "leans" back toward the northwest, it acts like a giant vacuum, pulling warm, moist air off the Gulf and forcing it upward with incredible force.
This setup is particularly concerning because an 80 mph jet streak is screaming overhead. This high-speed "river of air" provides the spin needed for storms to rotate.
As this system tracks along the Sabine River Valley and across Louisiana and Mississippi tonight, forecasters expect a powerful squall line to form.
The main threats will be damaging straight-line winds, but because the atmosphere is so "twisted" by that jet streak, tornadoes are a very real possibility—especially if individual storm cells can break away from the main line or form out ahead of it.
FOX Weather meteorologists are closely monitoring the overall forecast trends this morning as an upgrade in the threat level is possible later today.
According to PowerOutage.com , thousands of residents across the Midwest and South are waking up in the dark this morning as utility crews scramble to repair massive infrastructure damage left behind by Tuesday's deadly tornado outbreak.
The hardest-hit areas are concentrated in Northwest Indiana and Northern Illinois, where high-tension utility poles were snapped like toothpicks and hundreds of individual lines were brought down by falling trees and record-breaking hail.
In Kankakee County, nearly 10% of the community remains without electricity as ComEd and local cooperatives prioritize clearing live wires from major roads like US Route 45.
Farther east in Newton County, Indiana where at least two fatalities have been confirmed, the darkness is complicating secondary search and rescue operations.
As severe storms charge toward the East Coast, power outage numbers are expected to fluctuate throughout the day, particularly as high wind gusts hit the saturated soil and weakened trees of the Ohio Valley.
{{#rendered}}Lake Township Fire Chief Rob Churchill described a scene of "total devastation" in Lake Village, Indiana, as crews worked through complete darkness Tuesday night to reach residents trapped in their homes.
Churchill noted that the situation was compounded by loose livestock wandering through debris-filled streets and a loss of power that made navigation nearly impossible.
Despite the structural destruction, including houses that completely collapsed, Churchill credited a multi-day warning period for saving lives.
This was reported days before. The National Weather Service, all the Chicago stations (TV), all the weather people were reporting this. I think if it wasn't for that, I really truly think that our injuries and fatalities would be considerably higher — I think people were well warned.
The fire department’s proactive stance played a critical role in their response. By coordinating directly with the National Weather Service and emergency management, the department positioned spotters in Illinois the moment the tornado was confirmed in Kankakee.
This early intelligence allowed Lake Township crews to be ready and in position before the vicious twister even crossed the state line into Indiana.
{{#rendered}}National Weather Service meteorologists are working to verify a massive 6-inch hailstone recovered during Tuesday night’s violent supercell.
If officially confirmed, this monster stone would shatter the current Illinois state record of 4.75 inches, set in Minooka back in 2015.
To put that size into perspective, a 6-inch hailstone is roughly the size of a honeydew melon or a large grapefruit, capable of falling at speeds exceeding 100 mph.
The NWS survey team will assess the stone’s dimensions to ensure it meets the rigorous criteria for the state record books.
The National Weather Service is deploying survey teams this morning to officially rate the intensity of the tornadoes that tore through Kankakee, Newton, and Jasper counties in Illinois and Indiana.
In addition to assessing structural damage in hard-hit areas like Lake Village, experts will also evaluate the historically large 5.2-inch hail reported near Kankakee to determine if it sets a new state record for Illinois.
The American Red Cross has mobilized in the wake of Tuesday's destructive tornadoes, opening an emergency shelter at North Newton High School to provide food, water, and support to displaced families.
Teams are also working alongside local officials in Kankakee, Illinois to ensure that residents in hard-hit communities like Aroma Park have access to essential recovery resources and medical supplies.
{{#rendered}}The sheer scale of the destruction in Newton County is becoming clear this morning as utility crews report hundreds of downed power lines and at least 70 snapped utility poles following the violent tornado.
These severe infrastructure hits have left thousands in the dark and created "death traps" on local roadways, complicating the ongoing search and rescue efforts in the hardest-hit areas.
A line of severe thunderstorms is currently charging through the Ohio Valley this morning, marking the first of two expected waves of severe weather today.
Residents across Illinois, Indiana, and Kentucky are experiencing frequent lightning, torrential downpours, and wind gusts up to 60 mph as the storms track eastward.
FOX Weather Meteorologist Ari Sarsalari breaks down the dangerous severe storm that ripped through the Kankakee, Illinois area, spawning numerous tornadoes that caused significant damage in impact areas, triggering the first Tornado Emergency of the year.
{{#rendered}}A Tornado Warning has been issued for Cumberland, Effingham and Jasper counties in Illinois through 06:30 a.m. CT.
This includes portions of the Interstate 70 and Interstate 57 corridors.
The National Weather Service has issued a Tornado Watch until 12:00 p.m. ET for southeastern Illinois, central and southern Indiana, the Outer Bluegrass region of Kentucky and western Ohio.
Thunderstorms are expected to increase over the next few hours, and with warm, moist, and unstable air and strong wind shear in place across much of the Ohio Valley, severe thunderstorms capable of producing a few tornadoes, damaging winds, and large hail are expected.
Drone footage captures the immediate aftermath of a destructive tornado that ripped through Kankakee, Illinois, demolishing several structures on its path through the northeastern Illinois city.
The footage reveals the staggering scope of destruction left behind after a powerful tornado that tore through Kankakee before crossing into Indiana.
From above, entire rooftops are peeled back or torn away, walls lie collapsed and debris is strewn in every direction — an area left flattened in the path of a dangerous tornado.
{{#rendered}}Following last night’s destructive tornado outbreak in the Midwest, the massive storm system responsible for it all is shifting east today, placing over 100 million people under a severe weather threat.
The Storm Prediction Center has outlined an expansive risk zone that sweeps from the Gulf Coast through the Ohio Valley and into the Mid-Atlantic.
While damaging straight-line winds are the primary concern as the cold front marches east, the atmosphere remains volatile enough to support isolated tornadoes and large hail, particularly in parts of Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia this afternoon.
Farther south, the threat extends deep into the Lower Mississippi Valley, where moisture from a record-warm Gulf of America is fueling a renewed round of intense thunderstorm development.
Residents from East Texas and Louisiana through Mississippi and Alabama should remain weather-aware for quick-developing cells capable of producing brief twisters and torrential rain.
As the line of storms pushes toward the Eastern Seaboard tonight, the risk of flash flooding will also increase, especially in urban corridors from Pittsburgh to Washington, D.C., where heavy downpours may overwhelm drainage systems already saturated by early spring rain.
Kankakee County officials have officially filed an Emergency Declaration with the State of Illinois following the destructive tornado that tore through the region Tuesday night.
In a joint statement released by Sheriff Mike Downey, County Board Chairman Matthew Alexander-Hildebrand, and Mayor Chris Curtis, the county confirmed that the Emergency Operations Center has been fully activated to coordinate the response.
I want to remind area residents to check on their neighbors and loved ones but to avoid unnecessary travel, if at all possible.
Right now, emergency personnel are currently on the ground performing damage assessments and search and rescue operations. And fortunately, officials report there have been no reported injuries or loss of life as of Wednesday morning.
Residents are being urged to avoid all unnecessary travel as heavy debris, downed power lines, and fallen trees have made many local roads impassable and hazardous.
Dramatic video from FOX Weather Storm Tracker Brandon Copic captured the raw power of a violent tornado as it tore through the Kankakee, Illinois, area on Tuesday evening.
The intense video shows the massive twister illuminated by frequent lightning strikes and power flashes as it tore through the south side of the city.
{{#rendered}}As we shift our focus to the rising threat on the East Coast, we are continuing to process the sheer scale of the destruction left behind in the Heartland.
Last night’s coverage was marked by the first Tornado Emergency of 2026, as a violent long-track twister tore through Kankakee, Illinois, and Lake Village, Indiana.
Our team at FOX Weather provided nonstop, minute-by-minute analysis as the storms exploded:
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