What is a derecho?

We saw a derecho yesterday morning, it started in Iowa as a cluster of thunderstorms, and then due to certain factors and favorable environments, “bowed out” and caused damage through Iowa, Illinois and here. They are usually associated with heavy wind damage, and have to be over 240 miles long, with wind gusts of 58mph or more to be classified as a derecho. This part of the Midwest usually sees a derecho every year, but any area east of the Rockies could experience a derecho.

There are six categories of tornados, each with a specific extent of damage, but here are some indicators that you could see with the different types of tornadoes. The damage in Elkhart was determined to be caused by an EF1, with uprooted trees and broken branches that did damage to homes. We have more details at this link.