A powerful storm system sweeping through the Midwest on Thursday killed at least one person in Des Moines, Iowa, and forced the cancellation of hundreds of flights at Chicago airports as severe weather continued for a second consecutive day.

In Des Moines, a man died after a tree broke apart and fell on him as storms moved through the area, according to reports. The fatality occurred as part of a multi-day severe weather outbreak affecting the region.

Chicago found itself at the center of the storm system for the second day running, with severe weather conditions leading to widespread flight disruptions at the city's airports. Hundreds of flights were cancelled as storms pounded the metropolitan area.

Tornadoes were reported in Illinois as the severe weather system moved across the state. The National Weather Service had issued warnings for the widespread storm threat affecting the region.

The severe weather outbreak represents the third day of a multi-day threat pattern, with meteorologists tracking dangerous conditions across a broad swath of the Midwest. More than 120 million people were reported to be in the path of the potentially dangerous storm system.

Weather forecasters continued to monitor the storm system's progress as it moved through the region, with additional severe weather conditions possible in the coming hours.