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On This Day in 1965: Midnight Derecho Wreaks Havoc in Chicago
August 25, 2021 at 11:27 PM EDT
By WeatherBug's Ali Husain
From the late hours of August 26, 1965 to the early morning hours of August 27, 1965, the Chicago area was battered by a fearsome derecho with triple-digit winds.
The derecho 56 years ago formed ahead of a cold front in the Upper Midwest during the afternoon and evening on August 26, 1965. The storm raced eastward at more than 50 mph, causing a path of destruction from Iowa to Ohio.
The storm produced torrential rainfall, hail, 15 confirmed tornadoes and damaging winds, causing around $60 million in damages in today’s currency. Winds as high as 100 mph swept through Chicago, downing thousands of trees.
Countless homes were damaged or destroyed, with power and telephone outages lasting for days. Several airports were hit hard, with Lewis University Airport just north of Joliet, Ill., reporting that 30 small planes were either wrecked or heavily damaged.
There were no deaths reported in Chicago, but the massive storm killed five and injured 146 along its path from the Upper Midwest to the Ohio Valley.
Source: The Chicago Tribune, WGN9
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Story Image via Pixabay
The derecho 56 years ago formed ahead of a cold front in the Upper Midwest during the afternoon and evening on August 26, 1965. The storm raced eastward at more than 50 mph, causing a path of destruction from Iowa to Ohio.
The storm produced torrential rainfall, hail, 15 confirmed tornadoes and damaging winds, causing around $60 million in damages in today’s currency. Winds as high as 100 mph swept through Chicago, downing thousands of trees.
Countless homes were damaged or destroyed, with power and telephone outages lasting for days. Several airports were hit hard, with Lewis University Airport just north of Joliet, Ill., reporting that 30 small planes were either wrecked or heavily damaged.
There were no deaths reported in Chicago, but the massive storm killed five and injured 146 along its path from the Upper Midwest to the Ohio Valley.
Source: The Chicago Tribune, WGN9
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Story Image via Pixabay