Severe Storms Sweep from Midwest to Northeast, Tornado and Flood Risks Rise

Forecasters warn a new wave of severe storms could sweep from Texas to New England on Thursday, with Chicago and Milwaukee at the center and a heightened risk of tornadoes, hail and damaging winds as a hot, humid air mass fuels the system; heavy rain could trigger flash flooding in cities. More than 250,000 Midwest customers remained without power after Wednesday’s outages, and a Des Moines man died when a tree fell on him; the main threat is expected to move from the Midwest by Friday but linger into the Northeast.