Suspected tornadoes and severe storms devastate Indiana and Illinois, damaging homes and facilities.
Communities were left with widespread damage after what meteorologists believe were multiple tornadoes embedded within powerful thunderstorms. Footage from storm chaser and photojournalist Brian Emfinger shows extensive destruction near Flat Rock, Illinois.
Damage to homes from an observed tornado in Flat Rock, Illinois, on Feb. 19, 2026. According to Emfinger, multiple people were trapped and injured inside damaged homes before first responders arrived. Emergency crews worked through the night to assist residents.The National Weather Service office in Indianapolis deployed storm survey teams on Friday to Sullivan and Monroe counties to determine whether tornadoes touched down and to assess the strength of any confirmed twisters.In Bloomington, Indiana, damage was reported after a tornado-warned storm moved through the region. Local outletThe Monroe County Humane Association campus also sustained significant damage.Monroe County Airport reported substantial damage to the facility. Several outbuildings were destroyed and multiple hangars suffered heavy damage. “An air traffic controller who was working in the control tower had to leave his position and take shelter during the storm but remained safe and unharmed,” airport officials said in a statement.AccuWeather Storm Chaser Tony Laubach was in Sullivan, Indiana, chasing a tornado-warned storm on Feb. 19. Much of the area was left covered in hailstones in the storm’s aftermath. AccuWeather Meteorologist Tony Laubach said a tornadic supercell also produced several inches of hail across southern Indiana. Video from Sullivan, Indiana, shows rivers of hail covering the ground. Satellite imagery from NOAA’s GOES East, including the Advanced Baseline Imager and Global Lightning Mapper instruments, captured the powerful storm system as it intensified and raced across the Midwest Thursday evening. Severe thunderstorms roll across the Midwest this afternoon and evening, producing large hail, strong wind gusts, and several tornadoes.
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