Windstorm shoots two-by-fours through walls, crumples grain bins in Midwest, photos show

A derecho, a long-lasting and widespread windstorm, swept across the Midwest, wreaking damage and leaving thousands without power Monday.

The storms forecast to reach Chicago and southeastern Wisconsin by the afternoon had already pummeled parts of Nebraska, Iowa and Illinois with 100 mph winds, weather officials said. Over 400,000 homes lost power in Nebraska and Iowa, The Weather Channel reported.

Photos and videos show wood boards shot into a home, crumpled grain bins, overturned semi-trailer trucks and snapped trees.

Bellevue, Nebraska, police shared video of the storm rolling into the Omaha suburb in the morning.

In Perry, Iowa, the storm blasted wooden two-by-fours through the walls of a home.

Large trees were broken in half or toppled, prompting a Twitter user to wonder if a tornado had torn through the community.

Though the damage can be similar to a twister, a derecho produces straight-line wind damage, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Travel was discouraged in several Iowa cities as storm debris and power outages posed risks to drivers, KCCI reported. Several photos showed trucks toppled over on roadways and interstates.

The storm mangled a couple of grain elevators in Iowa, photos show.

This story was originally published August 10, 2020 at 3:37 PM with the headline "Windstorm shoots two-by-fours through walls, crumples grain bins in Midwest, photos show."