Deadly storms and tornadoes slam Midwest, leaving hundreds of thousands without power

Severe weather slammed the Midwest Tuesday, spawning tornadoes and causing widespread power outages. At least two storm-related deaths were confirmed in the region. 

A 4-year-old boy was killed in Jennings County, Indiana, when a tree fell on his family's mobile home on Tuesday afternoon, according to local authorities. 

In Ohio, Gov. Mike Dewine said a person died during an emergency in Roseville, after crews were unable to reach them. The storm system there dumped up to 8 inches of rain in the area.  

Just south of Cleveland, 16 people were hospitalized after lightning struck a state prison. 

More than 220,000 customers in Ohio were still without power early Wednesday, while another 450,000 remained in the dark across Indiana and Illinois, according to utility tracker PowerOutage.us. Outages were also reported across West Virginia and Kentucky.

The National Weather Service confirmed that at least three tornadoes touched down in Chicago's south suburbs during the midday hours Tuesday. Photos from the Chicago area posted on social media showed flooded roads, trees tangled in power lines and homes with gashes in their roofs.

All flights were temporarily stopped at Chicago's two major airports, and officials warned of delays as the backlog was cleared.   

Amid the storms, a home exploded in Portage, Indiana — erupting into flames after it was hit by wind gusts up to 99 miles per hour.  At least one person was killed, and officials are still working to determine the exact cause and whether it was related to the severe weather. 

National Weather Service meteorologist Scott Baker said the Midwest was on the outer edge of what is known as a "ring of fire," which brings waves of excessive moisture, instability and storms. A ring of fire occurs when a large zone of high atmospheric pressure forms and triggers heavy rain and thunderstorms along its edges.

In the south Chicago village of Flossmoor, there were several downed power lines and trees.

"Wind started blowing, and you can hear debris hitting all sides of the house at the same time. I couldn't see more than 2 feet from outside the window. It got pretty bad. So I'm like, 'Let's get downstairs,'" Flossmoor resident Gilbert Casillas told CBS News Chicago.

Javid Jenkins, 54, of Homewood, a Chicago suburb, said he was driving around for gas to fire up a generator to preserve food in his refrigerator.

"No power. It was very scary. We were down in the basement," Jenkins said. "We're built for snow. We're built for cold. We're not built for this."

There were numerous reports of wind gusts of 80 mph or more at personal weather stations.

"Total devastation. No roof," said Kerry Hourigan, standing outside her home of 25 years in the Chicago suburb of Tinley Park. "Stupid thing, but my focus was I just bought a new barbecue grill, and I have no idea where that is. It's disappeared."

In Crown Point, Indiana, homeowners were cleaning up significant tree damage. Hailey Mogan told CBS News Chicago that she and her co-workers barricaded themselves in a bathroom waiting for the storm to pass.

"The next thing you know, like, not even 5 seconds later, just wind," Mogan said. "Literally about to blow our door open. We were holding it shut and we had to padlock it. It's crazy. I don't even know if I'm going to get home because they're saying everywhere around here is closed, can't get through."

The fifth day of the 10-day Lake County, Indiana, Fair was canceled, disappointing fans who were hoping to see a professional wrestling event involving people under 5 feet tall.

Nearby in LaPorte County, Indiana, there was a "tremendous amount of tree damage," Commissioner Joe Haney said.

In Ohio, Gov. Mike DeWine said a resident of Roseville died during a health emergency when first responders, faced with flooded roads, couldn't get there. He warned that flood dangers would persist.

"This is not something that will end tonight," DeWine said of the severe weather.

Indeed, forecasters said multiple rounds of rain would cause flood hazards in the Ohio Valley through early Friday.

Officials in Columbus, Ohio, sent local government workers home early ahead of another round of storms. The library in Westerville, Ohio, closed after rain poured into the atrium.