A derecho with at least one 99 mph gust swept the Upper Plains and Midwest, the weather service says

Strong storms that brought hurricane-force winds to an area stretching from the Upper Plains to the Midwest have been preliminarily classified by the National Weather Service as a derecho, defined as a long-lived line of storms with extreme winds.

The weather service's Storm Prediction Center said Tuesday it made the determination based on local storm reports showing straight-line winds gusting well over 60 mph (97 kph) from South Dakota and into Iowa, Minnesota and western areas of Illinois and Wisconsin from late Monday into early Tuesday. A storm is classified as a derecho if its wind damage swath extends more than 240 miles (386 kilometers) and has wind gusts of at least 58 mph (93 kph) or greater along most of the length of the storm’s path.

Many areas reported gusts of over 75 mph (121 kph). The highest reading appeared to be in northwestern Iowa just before 10 p.m. Monday, when a gust clocked at 99 mph (159 kph) was recorded at Sioux Center.

The high winds tore down trees and tree limbs throughout the region, damaged some buildings and left thousands of customers without power by midday Tuesday. But the overnight derecho was not nearly as destructive as others in recent history, like one in 2020 that traveled from eastern Nebraska across Iowa and into Wisconsin and Illinois, reaching wind speeds of a major hurricane and flattening an estimated 100,000 trees in and around Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

A December 2021 derecho in the Great Plains and Upper Midwest spawned at least 45 tornadoes, caused widespread damage and killed at least five people.

The overnight storms didn't drop as much rain as was feared, meteorologists said.

“It looks like everything certainly stayed under 2 inches," or 5 centimeters, said Alexis Jimenez, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Des Moines, Iowa.

That could change, at least for Iowa, Tuesday night into Wednesday, Jimenez said.

“It’s southwest Iowa’s turn for thunderstorms with heavy rain,” Jimenez said. “We're looking at maybe some more damaging winds. Of course, none of the magnitude as we saw last night.”

The weather service said severe thunderstorms are expected Tuesday into Wednesday from southern Montana into the central High Plains and across much of Nebraska and Iowa.

Two large trees are uprooted at Veterans Freedom Park after a storm with extreme winds in La Crosse, Wis., Tuesday, July 29, 2025. (Saskia Hatvany/La Crosse Tribune via AP)

Dawn Sands cleans the parking lot at Robin's Nest Bar & Grill after a storm with extreme winds in La Crosse, Wis., Tuesday, July 29, 2025. (Saskia Hatvany/La Crosse Tribune via AP)

A tree limb is stuck in power lines on Bainbridge Street on French Island after a storm with extreme winds in La Crosse, Wis., Tuesday, July 29, 2025. (Saskia Hatvany/La Crosse Tribune via AP)

Dawn Sands cleans debris off Goddard Street on French Island after a storm with extreme winds in La Crosse, Wis., Tuesday, July 29, 2025. (Saskia Hatvany/La Crosse Tribune via AP)

A downed tree limb blocks the entryway of a house on Copeland Avenue after a storm with extreme winds in La Crosse, Wis., Tuesday, July 29, 2025. (Saskia Hatvany/La Crosse Tribune via AP)

In this image provided by the Lincoln County, S.D., Sheriff's Office, a cell tower sustained damage following strong winds overnight in southern Lincoln County, South Dakota, Tuesday, July 29, 2025. (Sgt. E.J. Colshan/Lincoln County Sheriff's Office via AP)

Two large trees are uprooted at Veterans Freedom Park after a storm with extreme winds in La Crosse, Wis., Tuesday, July 29, 2025. (Saskia Hatvany/La Crosse Tribune via AP)

Dawn Sands cleans the parking lot at Robin's Nest Bar & Grill after a storm with extreme winds in La Crosse, Wis., Tuesday, July 29, 2025. (Saskia Hatvany/La Crosse Tribune via AP)

A tree limb is stuck in power lines on Bainbridge Street on French Island after a storm with extreme winds in La Crosse, Wis., Tuesday, July 29, 2025. (Saskia Hatvany/La Crosse Tribune via AP)

Dawn Sands cleans debris off Goddard Street on French Island after a storm with extreme winds in La Crosse, Wis., Tuesday, July 29, 2025. (Saskia Hatvany/La Crosse Tribune via AP)

A downed tree limb blocks the entryway of a house on Copeland Avenue after a storm with extreme winds in La Crosse, Wis., Tuesday, July 29, 2025. (Saskia Hatvany/La Crosse Tribune via AP)

NEW DELHI (AP) — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz met on Monday in western Gujarat state to push for deeper economic and security ties between the South Asian nation and Europe’s largest economy.

Modi and Merz held talks in the city of Gandhinagar, where the two countries signed various agreements to enhance cooperation in the defense sector, skill development, health and education, as both nations seek to reduce dependence on China and bolster economic ties.

After the bilateral talks, Modi noted that Germany is India’s most important trading partner in the European Union and said both leaders were seeking to expand those ties.

He said the two countries are pursuing new projects in areas such as climate action, energy and mining of rare earth elements, and have also agreed on a road map to boost cooperation between their defense industries for joint development and production.

“We want to elevate the relations between India and Germany to an even higher level,” Modi said.

Germany has not traditionally had close defense ties with India, but the two sides have been trying to boost cooperation in the sector. Germany’s Thyssenkrupp is expected to partner with Indian firms to build six advanced conventional submarines in India, part of New Delhi’s ongoing efforts to modernize its naval capabilities.

Merz said India and Germany share “tremendous economic potential,” and the two countries are working together to strengthen ties in the field of security policy and defense cooperation.

“India is a desired partner, a partner of choice for Germany,” Merz said, according to a live official translation. He added that negotiations on a free trade agreement between India and the EU need to be concluded to fully realize the potential of economic ties between the two countries.

The two sides also signed an agreement that makes it easier for Indians to work in Germany's health care sector.

Merz’s visit to India — also his first to an Asian country since he took office last year — comes ahead of a planned India-EU summit later this month, where leaders hope to make progress on a long-pending free trade agreement. India hopes to deepen economic engagement with Europe in the face of U.S. tariff rates of 50%.

During his visit, Merz toured the Sabarmati Ashram, once home to independence leader Mahatma Gandhi, and attended the International Kite Festival at the Sabarmati riverfront. Modi and Merz flew kites during the event.

Merz, who is accompanied by a large business delegation, is later scheduled to travel to southern Bengaluru city to meet Indian and German business and technology leaders.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, left, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi fly a kite during the inauguration of International kite festival in Ahmedabad, India, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi ride together in a vehicle during the inauguration of International kite festival in Ahmedabad, India, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, left, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi waves as they arrive for the inauguration of the International Kite Festival in Ahmedabad, India, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, left, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi prepare to fly a kiteduring the inauguration of International kite festival in Ahmedabad, India, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, right, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz fly kites during the inauguration of International kite festival in Ahmedabad, India, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)