A powerful storm chain has brought blizzard conditions to the Upper Midwest, with dangerous winds elsewhere and the threat of severe storms heading east. Heavy snow piled up in portions of Minnesota and Wisconsin. Forecasters also are tracking strong winds across the Plains, raising concerns about travel and wildfires. And the National Weather Service is warning about the threat of severe thunderstorms, damaging winds and likely tornadoes starting in the mid-South late Sunday and along the East Coast on Monday, particularly from Maryland to South Carolina.

Officials say several tornadoes have torn through parts of Illinois and Indiana, killing at least two people. The deaths in Lake Village, Indiana, were confirmed at a news conference Wednesday morning held by local officials. Fewer than 10 people were hurt in Tuesday's storms. The Kankakee County Sheriff’s Office says a tornado struck down near the Kankakee fairgrounds before traveling northeast into Aroma Park, where it caused extensive damage. In video shared on social media, the twister is seen ripping across a field of farmland near an airport while cars lined the road. Parts of Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio were under a tornado watch Wednesday as more storms moved in.

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FILE - Children play on an uprooted tree along a beach in Mele, Vanuatu, July 19, 2025, that was once lined with vegetation, now largely lost to storms, erosion and other environmental pressures. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag, File)