Round Two Of Severe Storms Expected After Derecho Wallops Midwest

A derecho event on Thursday damaged buildings and vehicles, flattened corn fields, and left hundreds of thousands without power across more than 500 miles from Omaha, Nebraska, to the Ohio River. Weather reports show another round of storms could pound the same area on Friday. 

FOX Forecast Center said severe storms are expected to develop over the Plains and move eastward through the morning and afternoon. Lincoln, Nebraska; St. Louis, Missouri; Louisville, Kentucky; Cincinnati; Nashville; and Knoxville, Tennessee, have an elevated risk of severe strong and damaging straight-line winds today. 

Meteorologists at Fox explained that the weather phenomenon sparking these storms is called a "ring of fire" due to a "ridge parked over the central U.S., forcing storms to move along its northern periphery." 

The severe thunderstorms on Thursday that met the criteria for a derecho have left nearly 300,000 people without power across Indiana and Illinois on Friday morning, according to PowerOutage.us.

Footage of notable damage was posted on Twitter. 

Fox said some weather observers compared "Thursday's event to a historic derecho that moved through the Midwest in 2020, which caused an estimated $11 billion in damage." 

All eyes are on the Midwest today for the possibility of a second round of storms.