An apocalyptic 'wall of dust' is set to blanket Chicago after severe storms ripped through the Midwest leaving at least 23 people dead and millions without power. 

A terrifying dust cloud descended onto the Chicago area as residents were choked and blinded by the 100-mile line of dust from southwest Chicago to northern Indiana. 

The rare event shocked forecasters and locals after a dust storm warning was issued by the National Weather Service for only the second time in history. 

'This looks like a bad thunderstorm coming through, but you can tell that it's just not a thunderstorm. It's dust. It's straight up dust,' resident Thomas Jean-Mastej told CBS News. 

After numerous incidents occurred due to the severe lack of visibility, NWS urged residents to stay indoors and only travel when 'absolutely necessary.'

The whipped up dust and debris picked up from dry farmland by nearly 70mph winds was pictured by photographer Brian Siegel who said he had never seen anything like it. 

'In case you were wondering what a dust storm looks like in Chicago. This isn't fog,' he told Metro. 'The sun is gone and five minutes after taking this video, I am at zero visibility.' 

The video showed the alarming cloud rolling toward a calm suburb, as trees began to whip in the fierce winds. 

'That's Lincoln Park with the lake in the background and I was trying to find the Hancock building at the end,' he said.

'Dust is down my throat and in my eyes. Haven't seen this before.'

A time-lapse of the ominous cloud sweeping over the windy city showed the sun disappearing in a matter of moments before visibility was nearly completely obscured. 

Satellite footage revealed how the enormous dust cloud sweeping across the area was visible from space, meanwhile fierce storms whipped across the Midwest. 

On Friday night, Kentucky saw a tornado twisting through the southeast of the state killing at least 14 people and severely injuring several others. 

'The search is continuing in the damaged area for survivors,' Laurel County Sheriff John Root said in a statement on social media.