Apocalyptic Storm System Unleashes Giant ‘Softball-Sized’ Hail and Tornadoes Across Midwest as Two Killed and Communities Devastated

A violent storm system tore across parts of the American Midwest on Tuesday, unleashing a terrifying barrage of tornadoes, destructive winds, and massive hailstones so large they may shatter long-standing state records.

Officials say at least two people were killed and several others injured after the powerful weather outbreak struck parts of Illinois and Indiana, leaving a trail of destruction, downed power lines, and shattered homes in its wake.

The deaths occurred in the small town of Lake Village, where emergency crews worked through the night searching damaged neighborhoods after a large tornado ripped through the area around 7 p.m. Tuesday.

“It hit us hard,” said Lori Postma, a spokesperson for the Lake Township Fire Department, during a morning press conference as officials assessed the scale of the disaster.

“We will be working feverishly to bring our little town back to where it once was,” she said.

Meteorologists say the same monstrous storm system also unleashed gigantic hailstones, some measuring up to six inches in diameter, large enough to rival or potentially break the state record for the largest hailstone ever documented in Illinois.

Before Tuesday’s storm, the state’s official record stood at 4.75 inches, a massive hailstone recorded in Minooka on June 10, 2015.

But a storm chaser captured photographs of a colossal hailstone that appeared to measure up to six inches across, which has now been submitted to the National Weather Service in Chicago for verification.

If confirmed, the icy projectile would become the largest hailstone ever recorded in Illinois history.

The apocalyptic hail barrage was reported across parts of Kankakee, where residents described hailstones between three and five inches in diameter smashing into homes, vehicles, and rooftops.

Elsewhere in northern Illinois, residents near Lena reported hailstones roughly 2.75 inches wide, about the size of a baseball, a strikingly intense event for that part of the state, particularly this early in the severe weather season.

Meteorologists say the destructive conditions were fueled by powerful rotating thunderstorms known as supercells.

One particularly dangerous supercell produced at least four separate tornadoes, which tore through counties in both states. According to the National Weather Service, tornadoes were reported across Livingston and Kankakee counties in Illinois as well as Newton, Jasper, and Starke counties in northwestern Indiana.

Another powerful supercell hammered the southern and western Chicago metropolitan area with hail measuring between two and four inches, damaging property and sending residents scrambling for cover.

In Darien, a hailstone measuring 4.8 inches in diameter was discovered after the storm, nearly matching the state record on its own.

Meanwhile in Indiana, the tornado that struck Newton County left widespread damage, tearing apart structures and snapping utility poles across the region.

According to Northern Indiana Public Service Company, roughly 12,000 customers lost power as the storm ravaged parts of the electrical grid. Officials reported at least 70 damaged utility poles and “hundreds of locations with downed wire,” leaving crews scrambling to restore electricity.

Search and rescue teams from the Lake Township Fire Department and several other agencies remained in the field until nearly 4 a.m. Wednesday, conducting primary searches through devastated areas to ensure no victims were trapped in the wreckage.

The destruction was so widespread that even first responders were not spared. Four firefighters from Lake Township suffered damage to their homes during the storms, with one property sustaining such severe destruction that officials say it will need to be demolished.

Meteorologists warn that the outbreak serves as a stark reminder of how quickly severe weather in the Midwest can escalate into life-threatening conditions, particularly when powerful supercell storms develop capable of producing both tornadoes and record-breaking hail.

As officials continue to survey the damage and verify storm reports, residents across the region are left confronting the aftermath of a storm system that delivered a frightening combination of deadly winds, monster hailstones, and tornadoes powerful enough to devastate entire communities in a matter of minutes.