DES MOINES, Iowa – A destructive derecho snapped trees and knocked out power to tens of thousands of people as it tore across portions of the northern Plains and Upper Midwest with hurricane-force wind gusts late Monday night and into early Tuesday morning.
The line of damaging thunderstorms first developed across portions of southern South Dakota, bringing reports of tornadoes and some large hail.
A dramatic video shared by FOX Weather Exclusive Storm Tracker Brandon Copic shows lightning illuminating the sky above Hudson, South Dakota, as he maneuvered around countless trees and large branches that were brought down by the storm’s fierce winds.
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Another video he shared earlier in the evening showed a tornado moving across the Gregory area.
Later Monday night and into early Tuesday morning, the line of storms intensified and brought powerful winds that swept across South Dakota and Iowa.
Some of those destructive wind gusts were as high as a Category 2 hurricane.
Sioux Center, Iowa, has reported the highest gust so far, reaching 99 mph. In Spencer, Iowa, a 92-mph wind gust was reported.
Irene and Parker in South Dakota reported wind gusts of 87 and 85 mph, respectively.
The extreme weather and powerful winds also plunged residents across the region into darkness.
At one point, more than 100,000 power outages were reported in Minnesota, while just under 30,000 outages were reported in portions of Iowa. Those numbers have since been dropping as crews are deployed to make repairs and restore power.
