Storms have been ripping through the Midwest Friday and Saturday and there are reports that there may be as many as 30 people dead. Severe weather is forecast throughout the weekend with about 50 million people from Texas to New York at risk for tornadoes and thunderstorms.

St. Louis, Missouri has been particularly hard hit:

Tragic situation in St. Louis and eastern Missouri after severe weather ripped through yesterday.

Thanks to our First Responders working day and night to save lives and keep Missourians safe. pic.twitter.com/UOncoKVGQ8

— Eric Schmitt (@Eric_Schmitt) May 17, 2025

The devastation in the Gateway City is extensive, and videos are showing just how powerful the winds were:

Top floor of my daughter’s apartment building blown off just now in St Louis tornado. pic.twitter.com/2op2RXeF0n

— Martha Husain (@MarthaHusain) May 16, 2025

Other states from Wisconsin to Kentucky have also seen powerful storms, tornadoes and destruction.

Most people know that Chicago is known as “the Windy City,” meanwhile, and don’t imagine dust storms engulfing the third-most populated U.S. metropolis in the nation. That’s exactly what happened Friday, though, as a wall of sand made daytime turn into night.

A time-lapse of the Dust Storm rolling over Chicago, IL. pic.twitter.com/HTvvOShbrZ

— Midwest Millennial (@MillennialVerse) May 17, 2025

It was an extremely rare event:

A terrifying dust cloud descended onto the Chicago area as residents were choked and blinded by the 100-mile line of dust from southwest Chicago to northern Indiana. 

The rare event shocked forecasters and locals after a dust storm warning was issued by the National Weather Service for only the second time in history. 

'This looks like a bad thunderstorm coming through, but you can tell that it's just not a thunderstorm. It's dust. It's straight up dust,' resident Thomas Jean-Mastej told CBS News. 

It was so big, it could be seen from outer space:

From space, watch strong winds blow dust off freshly tilled farmers' fields onto Chicago today.
video: @NOAA pic.twitter.com/J2NbTPEoVY

— Chris Hadfield (@Cmdr_Hadfield) May 17, 2025

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Chicago resident Thomas Jean-Mastej described the eerie and terrifying experience: “That's Lincoln Park with the lake in the background and I was trying to find the Hancock building at the end,” he said. 'Dust is down my throat and in my eyes. Haven't seen this before.'

Just a warning on my phone about a dust storm. I looked out my office window at the dust storm in the Loop. Are you kidding me? Dust storm? In Chicago? pic.twitter.com/ZXzpXhPF8R

— Jack Lydon (@JackLydon63) May 16, 2025

It’s an amazing sight, but it reminds us of the awesome and sometimes terrible power of nature. We pray for all those affected by these storms slamming huge swaths of the country, and we’ll keep bringing you updates as needed.