Tornadoes rip through central US while extreme heat and humidity creep into the north-east

A large tornado moves through Livingston county, Illinois, on 11 June 2026. Photograph: Brandon Eliott/Reuters View image in fullscreen A large tornado moves through Livingston county, Illinois, on 11 June 2026. Photograph: Brandon Eliott/Reuters Tornadoes rip through central US while extreme heat and humidity creep into the north-east One man died in Iowa after a tree fell on him as nearly 700 severe weather events were recorded over three days Sign up for the Breaking News US newsletter email An Illinois man whose home was destroyed by a tornado on Thursday was pulled from the rubble by a police officer and a photojournalist, who captured the terrifying storm and subsequent rescue in dramatic video footage . Scott Lasker, who describes himself as a storm chaser, recorded the tornado ripping through the town of Streator and was filming the damage it inflicted when he came across the man trapped in the debris of his house. “A lady maybe about a hundred yards away was screaming for help,” he told CBS News. “I ran over there and her husband is stuck beneath the rubble in their leveled house. Weather tracker: heat, humidity and thunderstorms a danger at World Cup Read more “I tried to lift a heavy door off the man’s leg, and gave him a little comfort, and then the police showed up.” The man’s condition was not known on Friday morning, but Lasker said he was bloodied, and that he suspected the victim had sustained broken limbs. Chicago’s ABC7 News showed scenes of widespread destruction, and interviewed Streator residents who said the tornado’s quick arrival gave them no time to prepare. “It was the scariest things I’ve witnessed,” one resident, Clint Stevens, said. “I mean, being this close to me and actually watching the funnel cloud. It was definitely scary.” The tornado that struck Streator was one of a series of devastating tornadoes that tore through several Illinois and Indiana communities late on Thursday, fueled by high heat and humidity that have also reached into several north-eastern states over the last few days. At least one death was reported in Iowa , after a man was struck by a falling tree. Hundreds of thousands were without power, authorities said, with active tornado warnings stretching to Michigan. More than a thousand flights were grounded, mostly in Pennsylvania , Illinois and New York. According to AccuWeather, almost 700 severe weather incidents , with close to two dozen tornadoes, have been recorded over the last three days in the central US, with drenching thunderstorms forecast for eastern states through the end of the week. Some of the worst damage was in areas south of Chicago , where at least three tornadoes destroyed several homes and tore down trees and power poles. In Merrillville, Indiana , police told residents to take emergency cover as a large column of wind swept through and pulled the roof from a high school. Residents emerged to roads blocked by dozens of fallen trees. The nearby manufacturing and farm city of