The National Weather Service has confirmed that at least 11 tornadoes touched down across portions of central Illinois during a severe weather outbreak on Wednesday, June 18. The storms swept through the region from late morning through the afternoon, causing damage to homes, trees, power lines, and farmland across several counties.
The strongest of the tornadoes was an EF-2 that touched down just east of the Jacksonville Airport in Morgan County around 12:07 p.m. Packing winds of up to 125 miles per hour, the twister stayed on the ground for nearly seven miles and 12 minutes, damaging homes, trees, and power poles along its path.
Morgan County was hit especially hard, seeing a total of four tornadoes throughout the day. An EF-1 tornado near Lynnville with 100 mph winds caused damage to power poles and tore roofing from a home. Another EF-1 tornado west of Jacksonville traveled more than three miles and damaged a power company outbuilding and sports complex. Later that night, just before midnight, an EF-0 tornado tracked over four miles east of Lynnville, damaging trees and a farm outbuilding before lifting on the outskirts of Jacksonville.
In Sangamon County, an EF-1 tornado touched down south of Pleasant Plains around 12:30 p.m. It carved a path more than seven miles long, snapping large trees, tossing grain bins, and peeling shingles off a home.
Menard County also saw an EF-1 tornado north of Tallula that destroyed multiple grain bins and caused tree and roof damage.
Other tornadoes were reported across Mason, De Witt, Tazewell, and McLean counties. These included several EF-0 and EF-U tornadoes — the latter being short-lived touchdowns confirmed by video but with no observable damage.
The National Weather Service classified most of the tornadoes as either EF-0 or EF-1, with wind speeds ranging from 75 to 110 mph. Fortunately, no injuries or fatalities have been reported at this time.
Storm surveys and damage assessments are ongoing. Authorities continue to urge residents to have multiple ways to receive weather warnings and to stay prepared as severe weather season continues.
