Damage assessments are underway in several central Illinois communities after a powerful storm system dropped tornadoes in several counties Saturday evening (December 1, 2018). Taylorville, located southeast of Springfield in Christian County, was apparently the hardest hit area. Dozens of homes were heavily damaged and emergency personnel spent the evening looking for people who may have been trapped. There were some injuries and at least three Taylorville area residents were reported to have suffered serious injuries.
There were no reports of damage from the thunderstorms in the Vermilion County area Saturday evening.
Illinois State Police issued an advisory Saturday evening saying that all non-resident traffic should avoid the town of Taylorville due to storm damage and closed roads. It also said all residents of Taylorville were being urged to stay in their homes and off the streets as first responders respond to multiple calls.
The American Red Cross has opened an emergency shelter at the Apostolic Christian Church at 212 Jaycee Drive in Taylorville. Residents affected by the severe weather were being encouraged to report to the shelter. If possible, they were being asked to take any medications or medical equipment needed by family members with them. The Red Cross shelter will remain open as long as needed.
The National Weather Service in Lincoln says it received its first report of the Taylorville tornado at 5:20 p.m. The Weather Service is sending out two teams Sunday to analyze the damage. One will concentrate on the Taylorville tornado track, and the other will be reviewing damage in west central Illinois near the Illinois River. There were 22 tornadoes reported in Illinois on Saturday, and the Weather Service assessment will attempt to determine the exact tornado count, strength and damage.
Residents in affected areas should use extreme caution as they navigate through areas affected by the storm.
The National Weather Service says tornadoes were reported Saturday evening in the following Illinois counties:
- Christian
- Macon
- Fulton
- Cass
- Pike
- Schuyler
- Mason
- Mclean
- Maccoupin
- Montgomery
The storm system moved off to the east, northeast….and at one point Saturday night a tornado warning was issued for Warren County, Indiana. Sheriff’s Police there, however, say they received no reports of any damage.
The National Weather Service says the supercell that caused the damage in Taylorville took a long path from the eastern fringes of the St. Louis metropolitan area, to east of Bloomington. Other supercells tracked up the Illinois River valley in west central Illinois.
