Since Monday, rounds of heavy rain have slammed the Midwest and Ohio Valley, triggering dangerous flooding, and more storms are expected. FOX Weather Meteorologist Haley Meier breaks down the forecast and the flooding that has swamped parts of Indiana and Ohio.
This week has been nothing short of extreme across the Midwest and Ohio Valley, and it’s barely halfway over.
A deadly derecho, catastrophic flooding and more than one million customers left without power were just the beginning, as more rounds of severe weather threaten the region and much of the eastern U.S.
An entire community swallowed by floodwater. Jaw-dropping drone video reveals the staggering scale of destruction in Cambridge City, Indiana, after catastrophic flash flooding turned streets into raging rivers and inundated entire neighborhoods. One lifelong resident called it
After rounds of powerful severe storms swept through the region Monday into Tuesday, a widespread flood threat followed Wednesday, swamping parts of Indiana as the FOX Forecast Center warns the active weather pattern isn’t over yet.
Flash flooding swamped Muncie, Indiana, Wednesday, triggering a Flash Flood Emergency, one of many areas across the state impacted by devastated flooding.
(Aaron Brogan/LiveStormChasers.com)
On Thursday, a Level 1 out of 5 severe storm threat stretches from the Central Plains into the Midwest and southern Ohio Valley, including parts of Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky and already-inundated Indiana.
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Damaging wind gusts will be the primary threat from any severe thunderstorms that develop.
Widespread storm damage is seen across the Midwest after a powerful derecho tore through the region Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026, producing destructive straight-line winds. The storm downed trees and power lines, damaged homes and left hundreds of thousands without power as it swept from the Midwest into the Ohio Valley. Wind gusts reached 99 mph in Gary, Indiana, with other locations reporting gusts above 90 mph.
(Governor Mike Braun)
While severe weather will be a concern Thursday, flooding will pose an additional threat across the region through Friday morning.
Repeated rounds of heavy rain will become a major concern, especially where storms repeatedly track over the same locations.
FLASH FLOOD EMERGENCIES ISSUED ACROSS INDIANA AS LIFE-THREATENING FLOODING LASHES THE STATE
Flood Watches are in place across portions of Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, northeast Kentucky, western Virginia, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and east Tennessee.
Thursday Flash Flood Alerts.
Portions of the region carry a Level 2 out of 4 flash flood risk through Friday morning and includes major cities such as Chicago, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh.
According to the FOX Forecast Center, widespread rainfall totals of 1 to 2 inches are likely, with locally 2 to 3 inches or more possible.
Rain still to come.
Deadly derecho slams the Midwest, Ohio River Valley
The threat began on Monday and ramped up into the day on Tuesday, when a damaging derecho was confirmed across the Midwest and Ohio Valley as intense winds knocked out power for over a million customers across half a dozen states.
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The FOX Forecast Center said Tuesday’s storms were confirmed to be a derecho. In order to be classified as a derecho, a storm needs to stretch at least 250 miles long and be at least 60 miles wide.
At its peak, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio all had over 300,000 customers without power each, while Kentucky was also impacted enough to knock out power to over 100,000 customers.
A destructive derecho slammed the Midwest, leaving hundreds of thousands of customers without power across the region. In Chester, Indiana, the storm changed one resident’s life in an instant. Jill Huneryager joined FOX Weather to describe the terrifying moments the dangerous storm destroyed her home.
The strongest wind reports were concentrated across northeastern Illinois and the Chicago area, with several gusts approaching 100 mph through midday Tuesday. Sugar Grove recorded the highest gust at 97 mph, followed by Shorewood at 96 mph, while Bradley and Mokena each reported gusts of 91 mph.
Damaging winds swept into Illinois, triggering Tornado Warnings across several areas Tuesday afternoon — including Aurora, Joliet, Naperville and downtown Chicago.
A 4-year-old was killed when a tree fell on a home in Geneva Township, Indiana, during severe storms on Tuesday, according to the Jennings County Sheriff’s Office.
Widespread storm damage is seen across the Midwest after a powerful derecho tore through the region Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026, producing destructive straight-line winds. The storm downed trees and power lines, damaged homes and left hundreds of thousands without power as it swept from the Midwest into the Ohio Valley. Wind gusts reached 99 mph in Gary, Indiana, with other locations reporting gusts above 90 mph.
(Governor Mike Braun)
Flash Flood Emergencies
Torrential rain prompted the National Weather Service (NWS) to issue several Flash Flood Emergencies for life-threatening flash flooding across east-central Indiana late Wednesday morning.
Top Rain Totals in the East.
The NWS also issued Flash Flood Emergencies in Indiana in parts of Delaware, Fayette, Union, Wayne and Franklin counties Wednesday, with some remaining in effect through the afternoon.
Some of the highest rainfall totals since Monday have been reported across Indiana and Ohio, where several locations have received more than half a foot of rain.
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Flash flooding swamps Cambridge City, Indiana, on Aug. 12, 2026.
(Cambridge City Indiana Police Department/Facebook)
In Perry County, Ohio, more than 6.5 inches of rain fell in just a few hours, flooding numerous roads, including in downtown Crooksville, triggering a Flash Flood Emergency.
The flooding turned deadly, on Wednesday, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine confirmed one person was killed after emergency responders were unable to reach the individual during a flooding emergency.
