Chicago Severe Thunderstorm Derecho on June 29, 2012

A shelf cloud in a severe thunderstorm develops around 11:45am in Matteson, IL south of Chicago. This type of storm is known as a derecho and in this particular storm, the cells grew in Illinois and caused a devastating path of destruction across the eastern United States all the way to Washington DC and north through New Jersey. This photo was taken not long after the storm formed in western Illinois.

This photo was taken near I-57 and US 30 (Lincoln Highway). Click the photo to enlarge and see full resolution version.

View more of my weather photography!

NEWS AGENCIES: I give you permission to use this photo. Please credit JoeyBLSPhotography.com when using in print or broadcast.

UPDATE: This video was featured on Good Morning America on June 30, 2012.