The National Weather Service has confirmed three tornadoes in the Springfield area as part of storms that moved through late Wednesday. The official determination came after field surveys.
The first touched down at Lincoln's New Salem State Historic Site and was an EF-1, with maximum wind speed of 107 m.p.h. It was on the ground for 4.8 miles lasting from 10:49 p.m. to 10:55 p.m.
The tornado spun up 3 miles northeast of Tallula, damaging a grain bin and several trees at a farmstead on Reimer Ave, the National Weather Service said. It continued tracking east-northeast, damaging several trees and removing shingles from a home on State Park Rd and Lincoln New Salem Park. It crossed IL Route 97, damaging more trees in a neighborhood just south of the Athens Blacktop Rd. It then lifted 1 mile southwest of Tice.
Another tornado struck the Athens area from 10:59 p.m. to 11:03 p.m. and lasted for 2.5 miles. It was also an EF-1 with peak winds of 105 m.p.h. The tornado touched down along Kent St. west of Athens. It then tracked southeast to Fitschen Rd. on the south edge of Athens. A number of trees were snapped along the path.
The longest-lived tornado of the night was also determined to have caused damage to the Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport and Springfield's Animal Protective League campus across from the Illinois State Fairgrounds on Taintor Road. The APL shelter was destroyed but no animals were hurt. That tornado is considered a higher EF-1 with peak winds of 110 miles per hour.
It lasted from 11:05 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. and traveled more than 20 miles from Springfield to Mechanicsburg, with a width of 250 yards. It started at the airport, where it lofted 6000-pound storage sheds and rolled an enclosed trailer. The tornado continued east-southeast, producing tree and building damage around Camp Butler and continuing east-southeast through Mechanicsburg before ending. Some of the more significant damage in Mechanicsburg was tree and power pole damage, according to the NWS.
In all cases, there were no injuries reported.
Elsewhere in central Illinois, a short-lived tornado was confirmed in Ipava in Fulton County Thursday. It was an EF-0 and caused damage to some crops and solar panels.
A stronger EF-3 tornado developed just east of the Illinois River, then tracked northeast over northwest Woodford County. The tornado strengthened in the Columbia Road area, where several houses lost roofs and extensive tree damage was observed. The tornado reached peak intensity northwest of Washburn in rural areas of southern Marshall County.
A log house had all walls collapsed and a nearby house lost its roof and second floor. Severe tree damage was seen there, where some trees had only trunks and large branches remaining. Extensive crop damage was also noted, with corn leaves ripped off and plants uprooted. Tornado width was measured at 930 yards at this point with estimated peak winds of 155 mph. The tornado continued east, gradually weakening while damaging trees, outbuildings, and damaging roofs of a few more houses. It dissipated in a farm field northeast of Washburn. No injuries were reported.
The state also saw strong storms and tornadoes in northern Illinois Thursday. An EF-3 struck the town of Streator, in LaSalle County, causing heavy damage to homes, buildings and infrastructure. Some minor injuries were reported, but no fatalities.
