Fatality confirmed in Vermont flooding amid extreme weather nationwide

At least one person was killed by the raging floodwaters in Vermont this week, state authorities announced Thursday.

Stephen Davoll, 63, of Barre City, Vermont, died Wednesday as a result of a drowning accident in his flooded home, according to the Vermont Department of Health. It's the first confirmed fatality related to this week's storms and flooding in the Green Mountain State.

The grim announcement came as extreme weather continued to batter the United States, with severe storms and heat waves across the country.

Storms spawned multiple twisters across northern Illinois on Wednesday evening that knocked down trees, ripped off roofs and disrupted hundreds of flights in the Chicago area. At 11 tornadoes were confirmed to have touched down in the Chicago area alone, including some near the city's main international airport, according to the National Weather Service.

More than 170 flights departing O'Hare International Airport were canceled while over 500 were delayed on Wednesday, according to the flight tracking service FlightAware.