A line of severe storms spawned tornadoes across Illinois and Indiana, putting a string of communities under tornado warnings as forecasters and storm trackers followed the system in real time. At least one tornado caused significant damage on the ground, while several other warnings were issued along the same line of storms as it pushed east through the two states.
One of the clearest tornadoes touched down near Effingham, Illinois. According to the coverage, it began on the north side of Effingham and then moved east into the community of Teutopolis, knocking down trees along its path. As it tore through, the tornado destroyed a house, though no one was inside at the time, sparing the occupants from what could have been a deadly hit.
A short distance farther down the road, a second house was wiped off its foundation. In that case, at least one person was hurt, suffering a broken ankle. While the injury was described as minor, observers noted the outcome could have been far worse given the force needed to lift a home from its base.
As the storms advanced, tornado warnings were posted for a series of counties. In Illinois, Edwards, Wabash and Wayne counties were placed under warnings, while in Indiana the alerts covered communities such as Gosport, Spencer and Bean Blossom, near the city of Bloomington. Residents in the warned areas were urged to take shelter as the rotating storms approached.
A tornado was also confirmed earlier on one of the storms, farther to the west near Clay City, though it did not stay on the ground for long. Elsewhere, strong straight-line winds added to the danger: a gust of around 70 miles per hour was reported in Greencastle, Indiana, and winds topping 60 miles per hour were measured around Bloomington as the system passed south of Indianapolis.
The latest round of tornadoes came only days after a separate, more violent outbreak on Wednesday night that struck buildings in the region. Forecasters continued to track the line of storms as it moved across Indiana, warning that additional tornadoes could form before the threat moved out of the area.