Midwest power outages affect over half a million customers amid severe storms

Around 540,000 residences and businesses in the U.S. Midwest lost power on Thursday as a series of intense thunderstorms and strong winds swept the region, according to data from PowerOutage.us. Indiana recorded the highest impact, with more than 267,000 customers—about 8% of its total—without electricity.

AccuWeather warned that the storm system would continue to threaten the Plains, Midwest and Eastern states with damaging wind gusts and repeated heavy rain that could cause flash flooding. First-responders rescued numerous individuals from rising waters on Wednesday, while utility crews worked to clear downed trees and power lines.

A four-year-old boy died when a tree fell on a home in Geneva, Indiana, officials said. In Ohio, Governor Mike DeWine reported a resident died during a health emergency after flood-blocked roads delayed emergency response. Authorities in Portage, Indiana, are investigating a house explosion that also resulted in a fatality.

Northern Indiana Public Service Company, a unit of NiSource, was the most affected utility in Indiana, reporting outages for roughly 258,885 customers, or 55% of its service area. The company said extensive damage to electric infrastructure would likely prolong restoration efforts.

Duke Energy deployed about 1,000 workers to restore power for more than 171,000 customers in the greater Cincinnati area. "They’ll work alongside our employees and contractors in Ohio and Kentucky to safely restore service for our customers as quickly as possible," said Andy Cassidy, the company's storm director.

In Ohio, about 46,200 customers—6% of the utility’s base—remained without power. State and local authorities, including the Ohio National Guard, have been assisting with water rescues and emergency response across Ohio and western Pennsylvania.