Severe storms moved through Wayne County and surrounding areas Saturday afternoon, bringing strong winds, downed trees, power outages, and hazardous travel conditions.
Severe weather warnings were issued across the region as the storms passed through. Reports included trees and power lines down in several locations, with some roadways temporarily blocked by debris.
Wayne-White Electric Cooperative reported power outages affecting parts of Boyleston and Fairfield during the storms.
The line of storms that prompted severe thunderstorm and tornado warnings across Southern Illinois later weakened below severe limits and moved out of the area.
A rotating wall cloud was reported near the Fairfield Airport, along with estimated wind gusts of 60 miles per hour. At this time, no tornado touchdown has been confirmed. However, weather officials said the storm did contain a rotating couplet as it developed near the Wayne-Jefferson County line and tracked east-southeast before weakening in southeastern Wayne County.
The Xenia Fire Department also reported estimated wind gusts near 60 miles per hour. In Marion County, the local Emergency Management Agency reported tree and power pole damage.
The National Weather Service said Southern Illinois is expected to continue experiencing breezy south winds and unusually warm temperatures through today and Tuesday, with highs climbing into the mid to upper 80s and some locations potentially reaching the lower 90s.
Forecasters said the warm weather pattern is developing ahead of additional thunderstorm activity expected across the region.
According to the National Weather Service, another chance of thunderstorms is expected Monday afternoon, especially across Southern Illinois and southeast Missouri. Some storms could become severe, with damaging winds and large hail listed as the primary threats.
More widespread showers and thunderstorms are forecast for Tuesday afternoon and Tuesday night, with locally heavy rainfall becoming a major concern.
Cooler weather is expected to arrive from Wednesday through Friday, bringing continued chances for showers and thunderstorms. Temperatures are then expected to rebound heading into the holiday weekend, along with renewed chances for scattered storms.