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Follow us:  Derecho: Understanding the Term  What does the
newest weather buzzword really mean? Related: Derecho, Earth  As
severe storms moved from the Plains into the Midwest and Ohio
Valley Wednesday, strong winds battered houses and knocked down
trees and power lines from Minnesota to Illinois. Numerous
tornadoes and funnel clouds were reported. In the late evening,
the complex barreled toward Chicago, knocking out power to
thousands and resulting in hundreds of cancelled flights.  By
Thursday morning, severe storms had crossed into the east,
plowing forward to heavily populated areas such as Philadelphia,
New York City and Atlanta with the same destructive energy.
After a similar, but stronger event, officially declared a
derecho, occurred last year, many are wondering what defines the
term. Does strict criterion exist, or ha