A series of severe storms triggered tornado warnings and tornado watches in much of central and northern Illinois on March 19, moving out of the area by late evening. The storms caused a smattering of power outages in northwest Indiana and widespread damage across the Chicagoland area.

A powerful storm system blasted through portions of the Plains and Upper Midwest on Wednesday, putting communities south of Chicago on alert for powerful thunderstorms.

Strong tornadoes are possible near Chicago, while blizzard conditions have been blasting Nebraska and Kansas. Farther south, Oklahoma and Texas are facing critical wildfire danger.