Severe Midwest Storms Cause Widespread Damage, Outages

Severe storms struck the Midwest on May 15 and 16, 2025, causing widespread damage, major power outages, and at least one confirmed tornado in Dodge County, Wisconsin. In Wisconsin, particularly Milwaukee and Racine counties, hundreds of emergency calls were reported as downed trees damaged homes and knocked out power for thousands. Central Illinois, including Springfield and Decatur, also experienced destructive weather, leading to thousands of outages and disrupted infrastructure. Missouri and Illinois together faced over 127,000 outages due to extreme winds, hail, and possible tornadoes, while Northwest Indiana saw more than 44,000 without power and extensive damage to power lines and trees. Eastern Cuyahoga County in Ohio was also impacted, with over 7,000 customers losing power. Cleanup and restoration efforts are ongoing as emergency officials warn of potential additional storms.