The Midwest is infamous for derechos, the widespread, long-lasting, destructive windstorms generated by thunderstorms in summer.
On Aug. 26, 1965, 60 years ago tonight, severe thunderstorms spawned three strong tornadoes in central and eastern Iowa. One of these — rated F4 — killed one, injured 17 others and damaged 31 farms in Benton County, near Mt. Auburn, according to the National Weather Service.
These severe thunderstorms then congealed into a squall line ahead of a strong late-August cold front and plowed through Illinois, Indiana and Ohio during the overnight hours.
Damaging thunderstorm winds as high as 100 mph raked through parts of Chicagoland and northwest Indiana, downing numerous trees, damaging some homes and businesses, and knocking out power for days. The winds derailed a train near Crown Point, Indiana, heavily damaged or destroyed 30 small planes in Romeoville, Illinois, and left at least $7 million in damage, according to WGN-TV.
The derecho claimed five lives along its path and injured another 146. Though none of those fatalities were in Chicagoland, it was considered for years the metro's most impactful derecho, until the August 2020 event.
Jonathan Erdman is a senior meteorologist at weather.com and has been covering national and international weather since 1996. Extreme and bizarre weather are his favorite topics. Reach out to him on Bluesky, X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook.
Comments