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Four Suspected Tornados Hit Central Illinois

UNC-Greensboro

Surveyors are expected to head to Mechanicsburg and Pana Friday to review damage firsthand from Thursday's storms.

The National Weather Service says four possible tornadoes touched down in central Illinois, causing minor damage.  

Officials with the agency's office in Lincoln say they're reviewing preliminary reports of four twisters that struck Thursday afternoon.  

The tornadoes were reported near the Cass County town of Arenzville, about 50 miles west of Springfield; east of Mechanicsburg in Sangamon County; near Pana in Christian County; and west of Shumway in Effingham County.  

The storms reportedly destroyed several outbuildings and snapped utility poles. No injuries were reported.

The outages in Mechanicsburg, site of the WUIS transmitter, knocked the station off of the air for a few hours.  

Listeners are reminded that when such incidents happen they can hear WUIS programming at wuis.org

Meteorologist James Auten (AH'-tuhn) says the number of tornadoes could change as scientists review data and storm reports.

Bill is a former general manager, economy reporter, Harvest correspondent and Statehouse Bureau Chief for NPR Illinois. He has won several awards including the Associated Press Best Investigative Reporter.
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