(Photo Credit: Tracy Cannon-Boyleston area) (Photo Credit: Aiden Eckleberry)
(Bluford Tornado) (Photo Credit: Victoria Rose Steele- Fairfield)
(Photo Credits: Tornado on the ground in the Texico/Dix area of Jefferson County. Courtesy of Nena Johnson and Randy Olson
Severe weather swept across Southern Illinois Sunday evening, prompting tornado watches, tornado warnings, and a Flood Watch and Warning across the region.
The National Weather Service in Paducah issued a Tornado Warning just after 5 p.m. for parts of Jefferson County as a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado moved east from the Mt. Vernon area.
At 5:12 p.m., the National Weather Service confirmed a tornado on the ground about eight miles northwest of Bluford, moving east at 25 miles per hour. By 5:29 p.m., the large tornado remained on the ground in western Wayne County, approximately three miles north of Wayne City. At 5:51 p.m., the tornado was reported near northwest Fairfield as it continued eastward.
According to authorities, the tornado passed north of the Sims Crossroads and behind the former Wayne County Landfill before continuing east. As of Sunday night, there were no reports of injuries or major structural damage in Wayne County, although trees and power lines were reported down near County Highway 7 and County Road 1800 East north of Fairfield.
The storm continued eastward, with storm chasers confirming another tornado in the air near Mt. Erie. Numerous storm chasers, including crews seen on the Discovery Channel, were observed throughout Wayne and Edwards County during the event.
The supercell then moved into northern Edwards County, prompting a Tornado Warning for the Bone Gap area before approaching Mt. Carmel around 7:50 p.m. Also last night, authorities say there was a tornado in the air just north of Enfield.
The most significant damage occurred in northeastern Jefferson County.
According to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department, a tornado touched down shortly after 5 p.m. and moved in a northeasterly direction. The county’s 911 center received numerous reports of damaged homes, downed trees and power lines, and missing persons.
Multiple agencies responded to assist with search and rescue efforts, including the Mt. Vernon Police Department, Illinois State Police, Mt. Vernon Fire Department, Jefferson Fire Protection District, Waltonville, Woodlawn, Webber, Irvington, and Kell fire departments, along with Litton Ambulance and United Medical Response.
As of 9 p.m., Jefferson County Sheriff Jeff Bullard reported that three residences had been completely destroyed, with many other structures sustaining varying degrees of damage.
Two people were killed as a direct result of the storm in separate destroyed single-wide mobile homes. Their identities have not yet been released.
Five additional people were transported to local hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries.
Officials also reported several roads blocked by fallen trees and multiple downed power lines in Jefferson County. Most power had been restored by late Sunday, but authorities urged residents to avoid the affected area unless necessary.
The National Weather Service continues to assess storm damage and determine the tornado’s strength and path.