Tornado watch in Illinois
© ABCA tornado watch and severe thunderstorm watch were issued for several parts of Illinois Tuesday night.
Parts of the Midwest were hit with severe weather Tuesday evening, including tornadoes and thunderstorms that are expected to continue into early Wednesday morning. At least two fatalities have been reported.

As of late Tuesday night, a tornado watch was in effect until 4 a.m. for parts of Illinois and Indiana.

Some of the most widespread damage was found in Ottawa, Illinois, southwest of Chicago. The warning for this area described the tornado responsible for the damage as particularly dangerous.

The deputy chief of the Ottawa Fire Department tells ABC News that the city has sustained one fatality.

And according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, an apparent tornado picked up at least 15 cars from a junkyard near I-55, and dumped them on the interstate. One of the junk cars hit an occupied vehicle on the Interstate, killing its occupant, a resident of nearby Perryville.


Multiple warnings are also still in place near Little Rock, Poplar Bluff and Chicago. Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner announced Tuesday evening that the State Emergency Operations Center in Springfield has been activated.

A photo out of central Illinois shows a large tornado forming over farmland.


A Tornado Watch was also issued for northern Missouri until 2 a.m., with damaging winds and hail and isolated tornadoes expected in the area. Flash flooding will also be a concern across the Ohio Valley, where Flash Flood Watches are in effect. From Arkansas to Indiana, there were more than 70 reports of hail, some up to the size of baseballs.