Apocalyptic ‘wall of dust’ engulfs Chicago as 23 are killed in tornado

An apocalyptic ‘wall of dust’ is set to blanket Chicago after severe storms ripped through the Midwest leaving at least 23 people dead and millions without power. 

A terrifying dust cloud descended onto the Chicago area as residents were choked and blinded by the 100-mile line of dust from southwest Chicago to northern Indiana. 

The rare event shocked forecasters and locals after a dust storm warning was issued by the National Weather Service for only the second time in history. 

‘This looks like a bad thunderstorm coming through, but you can tell that it’s just not a thunderstorm. It’s dust. It’s straight up dust,’ resident Thomas Jean-Mastej told CBS News. 

After numerous incidents occurred due to the severe lack of visibility, NWS urged residents to stay indoors and only travel when ‘absolutely necessary.’

The whipped up dust and debris picked up from dry farmland by nearly 70mph winds was pictured by photographer Brian Siegel who said he had never seen anything like it. 

‘In case you were wondering what a dust storm looks like in Chicago. This isn’t fog,’ he told Metro. ‘The sun is gone and five minutes after taking this video, I am at zero visibility.’ 

The video showed the alarming cloud rolling toward a calm suburb, as trees began to whip in the fierce winds. 

A terrifying dust cloud descended onto the Chicago area as residents were choked and blinded by the 100-mile line of dust from southwest Chicago to northern Indiana

‘This looks like a bad thunderstorm coming through, but you can tell that it’s just not a thunderstorm. It’s dust. It’s straight up dust,’ resident Thomas Jean-Mastej said

Satellite footage revealed how the enormous 100-mile long dust cloud sweeping across the area was visible from space

‘That’s Lincoln Park with the lake in the background and I was trying to find the Hancock building at the end,’ he said.

‘Dust is down my throat and in my eyes. Haven’t seen this before.’

A time-lapse of the ominous cloud sweeping over the windy city showed the sun disappearing in a matter of moments before visibility was nearly completely obscured. 

Satellite footage revealed how the enormous dust cloud sweeping across the area was visible from space, meanwhile fierce storms whipped across the Midwest. 

On Friday night, Kentucky saw a tornado twisting through the southeast of the state killing at least 14 people and severely injuring several others. 

‘The search is continuing in the damaged area for survivors,’ Laurel County Sheriff John Root said in a statement on social media. 

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear wrote on X: ‘Kentucky, we’re starting today with the tough news that we lost at least 14 of our people to last night’s storms,  but sadly this number is expected to grow as we received more information.’ 

In Virginia, at least two people were killed on Friday night after storm toppled trees led to two separate crashes, Fox Weather reported. 

On Friday night, Kentucky saw a tornado twisting through the southeast of the state killing at least nine people and severely injuring several others

The whipped up dust and debris picked up from dry farmland by nearly 70mph winds caused a series of accidents as NSW advised residents to stay indoors

Reports flooded in from across the metropolitan area of people unable to see beyond a few feet, with motorists stranded on highways and residents confined to their homes for safety

In Missouri, at least seven people have been confirmed dead while authorities continue to search for any survivors trapped inside buildings following severe weather. 

The storm tore up the area on Friday afternoon, ripping the roofs off buildings and pulling trees from the ground. 

Five casualties were confirmed within St. Louis, according to the city Mayor Cara Spencer, who said more than 5,000 homes were affected by the weather. 

Around 10,000 people were also left without electricity on Friday night, NPR reported. 

Spencer described the event as ‘devastating’ and added that the city was in the process of declaring an emergency.

Around 20 to 30 patients were received by Barnes-Jewish Hospital, spokesperson Laura High told Associated Press, and a further 15 were received at St. Louis Children’s Hospital. 

Stacy Clark told NPR that his mother-in-law Patricia Pendleton died after the Centennial Christian Church collapsed in the severe storms. Clark said that she was a very active church volunteer who had been part of the choir. 

A friend of Pendleton wrote on Facebook that ‘her passing has left a deep void in the hearts of many.’ 

Stacy Clark said that his mother-in-law Patricia Pendleton (pictured right) died after the Centennial Christian Church collapsed in the severe storms. Clark said that she was a very active church volunteer who had been part of the choir

Two people were pulled from the Centennial Christian Church (pictured) in St. Louis on Friday night, a third person, Pendleton, died in the church as it collapsed

In Missouri, at least seven people have been confirmed dead while authorities continue to search for any survivors trapped inside buildings following severe weather

In Missouri, at least seven people have been confirmed dead while authorities continue to search for any survivors trapped inside buildings following severe weather. 

Jeffrey Simmons Sr., who lives across from the church, said he received an alert on his phone before the lights went out. 

‘Next thing you know, a lot of noise, heavy wind,’ he said, explaining that he and his brother retreated to the basement before emerging later on to find ‘everything was tore up.’ 

Despite the haunting destruction left in wake of the severe weather, National Weather Service meteorologist Marshal Pfahler said that they ‘can’t definitively say whether to not it was a tornado – it likely was.’

In Scott County, Sheriff Derick Wheetley posted: ‘Today, our county was struck by a devastating tornado in the southern region, causing significant damage to several rural areas.’ 

‘The tornado moved from the eastern part of the county, leaving behind a trail of destruction, with multiple homes completely lost and areas left unrecognizable,’ Wheetley continued. 

He said at the time that at least two people from the county had been killed during the first tornado. 

‘Our first responders acted swiftly, even while the tornado was still active, putting themselves in harm’s way to provide immediate assistance and care to those injured,’ Wheetley added. 

Faith Borden, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said that middle Tennessee could expect ‘all types of weather. Winds up to 70 mpg. Were talking seriously large hail up to 3 inches, which for us is big hail’ Pictured: A tornado in New Richmond, Wisconsin

Pictured: Residents inspect their home after a tornado completely tore off the back wall of a two-story house in St. Louis, Missouri

In Illinois, video footage showed some of the terrifying weather facing residents in the Midwest.   

The video captured a menacing twister of dark clouds swirling across Marion, Illinois, as trees were whipped up in the winds. 

Forecasters confirmed the tornado in Marion as life-threatening. 

No injuries have been reported in the area as crews continue to search through the damage caused.

The Midwest and Appalachia continue to face weather warnings as forecasters expect possible tornados, hail and hurricane-force winds. 

Faith Borden, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Nashville, said that middle Tennessee could expect ‘all types of weather. Winds up to 70 mpg. Were talking seriously large hail up to 3 inches, which for us is big hail.’ 

A dust storm warning was issued around the Chicago area on Friday night, as residents across Kentucky, southern Indiana, southern Illinois, parts of Tennessee, Missouri, Arkansas and Ohio are warned to brace for more storms.  

The National Weather Service also warned of baseball-sized hail. 

The Midwest and Appalachia continue to face weather warnings as forecasters expect possible tornados, hail and hurricane-force winds

Before the storms hit on Friday night, Appalachian Power, serving 1 million customers across West Virginia, Virginia and Tennessee, said it asked for 1,700 additional workers to aid with service restoration, AP reported. 

Meanwhile, Texas was hit with  a heat advisory for San Antonio and Austin as temperatures reached 95 to 105 degrees Fahrenheit. The East Coast, from Virginia to Florida experienced heats in the 90s. 

Humidity was expected to make the temperatures feel hotter, the National Weather Service Office for Austin and San Antonio warned on Friday. 

‘There are concerns of heat exhaustion for people that aren’t taking proper precautions when they’re outdoors,’ meteorologist Jason Runyen said.

Several tornadoes also touched down in Wisconsin on Thursday. At the time, Timm Uhlmann, a meteorologist for NWS in Green Bay, said: ‘We’re still gathering reports. We’re assessing some of the damage and still getting video and pictures.

‘The damage that we have is fairly widespread. There was a lot of large hail. In Eau Claire was one report of softball-sized hail.’ 

Mayville Mayor Rob Boelk said in a statement on Thursday night: ‘The south side of the city has undergone substantial damage from a potential tornado. Residential homes and factories have sustained significant destruction.’ 

By Friday night, around 190,000 customers in Michigan were left without electricity, NPR reported. 

The storms in the area also delayed Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter Tour show by two hours for tens of thousands of fans on Thursday night at Chicago’s Soldier Field.