Home debris in Unionville, Missouri, on Wednesday, June 10, 2026, after a tornado passed through. Kylie Rouse via AP At least three tornadoes lashed communities around Chicago on Thursday, destroying homes and uprooting trees and power poles, while storms grounded flights in some places and left hundreds of thousands of people without power in the Midwest and Northeast. As a large column of air descended on Merrillville, Indiana, a city about 33 miles (53 kilometers) southeast of Chicago, local police warned residents to seek shelter. By early evening, downed trees and power lines blocked streets, homes were destroyed and part of the roof of a high school was ripped off. Meanwhile, emergency crews were in the nearby town of Streator, Illinois — an industrial and agricultural hub — as the community tried to recover from the damage caused by the tornado. A reunification center for displaced residents was set up at city hall and the Red Cross opened a shelter. Streator Mayor Tara Bedei said there were no reports of deaths. “We are incredibly grateful for the safety of our residents and the quick action of emergency personnel,” she said in a statement. Now on g1 Severe storms delayed or disrupted flights at airports in some cities on Thursday, including Chicago, Philadelphia and New York. Parts of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic region also suffered under intense heat and humidity. The tornadoes came after severe storms swept through the Midwest on Wednesday, knocking out power, damaging buildings and canceling flights. In Des Moines, Iowa, a 54-year-old man died at a homeless encampment in a park on Wednesday after being struck by a tree that “split and fell during severe storms,” police said in a statement. There were no immediate reports of other deaths or injuries caused by the storms. Maintenance crew remove water from the field after heavy storms pass through the Chicago area before a baseball game. David Banks/AP Tree branch passes through roof Tornado warnings were also in effect in Chicago and parts of Indiana and Michigan on Thursday, according to the National Weather Service. In Chicago, the final game of the series between the White Sox and Atlanta Braves was postponed due to rain. Jennifer Hall was in her garage in Elkhart, Indiana, when the winds and rain picked up on Thursday night. Suddenly, she said, there was a loud bang and she discovered that a tree branch had gone through the roof of her rented house. She used buckets to catch the rain that came in through the hole. “I'm nervous because it's been one thing after another,” Hall said, explaining that she just had surgery and her husband is traveling. A house disappears before the eyes of the residents Shane Tipton got out of his pickup truck in Unionville, Missouri, on Wednesday afternoon and saw a tornado approaching, his daughter, Kylie Rouse, reported. He rushed to get his 87-year-old father out of his mobile home. They managed to get back into the pickup, drove to a safe distance and watched as the tornado pulverized the home. Shattered cabinets, furniture and appliances were scattered across the floor. Clothes were left hanging from trees. They believe they have lost one of their hunting dogs, which has been missing since the tornado hit. “Everything was destroyed,” Rouse told The Associated Press in a phone interview Thursday. "Everything was spread out for miles. If my grandfather had been in there, there would have been no chance of him being alive." Building in Stickney, Illinois, after its roof was damaged in the severe storms that hit the Chicago area on Wednesday, June 10, 2026. AP Photo/Courtesy WMAQ-TV in Chicago Storm damages animal shelter in Illinois Residents of Springfield, Illinois, believe a tornado touched down in their area late Wednesday. Two buildings at the Animal Protective League shelter in Springfield were severely damaged, but none of the nearly 150 cats and 28 dogs sheltered there were injured, said Deana Corbin, the group's executive director. “It pretty much destroyed our shelter facility, took the roofs off both of our buildings,” Corbin said. "It's a miracle. We were very blessed to not have any injuries to people or animals." The community rallied to temporarily take in all the cats and dogs, including a local animal control center, veterinarians and residents, she said. Damage was also reported at Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport in Springfield. Weather Service meteorologist Frank Pereira said the system that produced the storms, including strong winds and hail, was moving eastward Thursday, driven by cold air coming from Canada clashing with warm, moist air from the South. Tree down after storms hit Amherst, Ohio, west of Cleveland, on Wednesday, June 10, 2026. AP/Courtesy WEWS/NEWS5 Record maximum temperatures expected on the East Coast Potentially dangerous heat and high humidity arrived on Thursday and was expected to continue into Friday across a swath of the East Coast from the Mid-Atlantic to the Northeast, where daily records for maximum temperatures could be broken in several locations, the weather service said. Temperatures in the region of 35°C (mid-90°F) were expected, but, with humidity, the thermal sensation could reach 38°C (100°F) or more, the agency said. Philadelphia declared a heat health emergency for Thursday and Friday, activating cooling centers, home visits by field crews, homeless assistance and other services. New York City officials also urged residents to take precautions, including drinking plenty of water and finding a cool place to stay if they don't have air conditioning. Severe weather wreaks havoc on air travel and energy At various times on Wednesday and Thursday, ground stops were issued at O'Hare and Midway International Airports in Chicago and at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. Pittsburgh International Airport suffered a temporary power outage after a storm produced an "extraordinary" power spike, airport management said. More than 1,000 flights arriving or leaving Chicago were delayed or canceled, according to FlightAware, a flight tracking website. The Commonwealth Edison Company, which provides electrical services in northern Illinois, reported that the storms knocked down utility poles and cables. In the X, the company wrote that it expects "80% restoration" of power by the end of Saturday.