A relentless six-day stretch of severe thunderstorms battered the Midwest and Great Lakes last week, with repeated bow echoes driving straight-line wind damage across Illinois, Indiana, and neighboring states. All told, nearly two million customers were affected by outages, with roughly 800,000 in the dark at the peak, making it the largest thunderstorm-driven outage event of the year so far.

A Stormier-Than-Normal Summer

The Midwest has seen dramatically more severe storm activity than average this June, and repeated hits to the same territory have compounded the damage. When outages recur week after week, families burn through patience, groceries, and improvised solutions fast. Permanent backup power turns that cycle into a non-event.

Preparing for Possible Impacts

• Inspect your standby generator and ensure it is ready to activate automatically if power is lost.
• Run a test cycle to confirm your system starts and transfers power properly.
• Plan for fuel supply and make sure natural gas or propane systems are fully connected and serviced.
• Consider an upgrade. Whole-home backup solutions from Generac and Kohler deliver seamless power protection during prolonged outages.

Stay Informed

The pattern remains active across the Corn Belt and Great Lakes. Watch each day’s severe weather outlook and keep your generator fueled and exercised.