A high-profile weather expert has just posted an ominous prediction for how damaging a series of storms could be for the Midwest. They warned about the potential for extremely costly damage caused by a series of thunderstorms and "hurricane-force wind gusts" reaching "up to 100 mph."
The Midwest Is Facing Thunderstorms and Tornadoes With 100 MPH Winds That Could Create a 'Billion-Dollar Disaster'
On X, Colin McCarthy operates the account @US_Stormwatch, which has more than 159,000 followers. The account tracks "extreme weather, natural disasters, and climate worldwide." Recently, he announced that he had graduated from the University of California, Davis, "with a B.S. in Environmental Policy Analysis and Planning, specializing in climate change policy." Additionally, his website states that his work had been featured by several high-profile outlets. "His work has been featured in some of the largest news and media outlets, including The Washington Post, NFL, ESPN, The Guardian, Bleacher Report, and CBS."
On August 11, 2026, McCarthy posted on his account about severe weather that the Midwest is facing and began with an ominous prediction: "This is going to be a billion-dollar disaster across the Midwest." He then went on to describe the conditions, including thunderstorms and hurricane-force winds reaching as high as 100 mph, that he believes could cause such destruction.
"View from space shows a violent line of storms, with embedded tornadoes roaring through Chicago with severe thunderstorm warnings, including hurricane-force wind gusts up to 100 mph. Winds as high as 130 mph were detected just above the surface. The complex of storms, which developed over eastern Iowa this morning, will continue racing southeast into Indiana and Ohio and is expected to be classified as a derecho."
This is going to be a billion-dollar disaster across the Midwest.
— Colin McCarthy (@US_Stormwatch) August 11, 2026
View from space shows a violent line of storms, with embedded tornadoes roaring through Chicago with severe thunderstorm warnings including hurricane-force wind gusts up to 100 mph. Winds as high as 130 mph were… pic.twitter.com/krTM4Xb9SI
On the same day, The Weather Channel published a live article that currently has the headline: "Dangerous Midwest storms threaten Illinois, Indiana." The outlet's coverage also stated that "a derecho tore through the Midwest" six years ago and "caused over $11 billion in damage, according to the NWS." Furthermore, it detailed that "multiple radar-confirmed tornadoes have touched down across the greater Chicago region." Most notably, the coverage described the following reports of high-speed winds:
"The main threat from these storms is expected to be damaging wind gusts, some in excess of 80 mph. Unofficial stations have already reported wind gusts up to 85 mph and radar has suggested that wind gusts over 100 mph may have reached the ground in northern Illinois or northern Indiana." Additionally, The Weather Channel hinted at another threat that McCarthy's post didn't mention. "As this second cluster nears the upper Ohio Valley later today, the flood threat will also grow."
The Weather Channel didn't predict how expensive the damages from the storm will likely be, as McCarthy did. However, its coverage noted conditions that clearly could be costly and dangerous.
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