Power Outage in Mount Carmel, IL

A severe thunderstorm produced a narrow swath of large hail west through south of Mt. Carmel. Ping-pong ball size hail was reported on Highway 15 just east of Bellmont. Quarter-size hail was reported on the south side of Mt. Carmel near the power plant.

Several power lines and trees were down. At least one tree landed on a house. Numerous tree limbs were down. A downed power line blocked Illinois Route 1 and 15.

The tornado touched down near Keensburg and moved northeast, passing across the southeast portion of Mount Carmel and across the Wabash River into Indiana. A few homes lost large portions of roofing, mainly shingles. Outbuildings and small sheds were destroyed. Numerous power lines were down. Many trees were snapped or uprooted. Many trees landed on homes and structures, causing some structural damage. Dozens of power poles were snapped off. A large machine shed lost small sections of metal roof and wall panels. Several pivot irrigation systems were flipped. Peak winds were estimated near 115 mph in Wabash County. The tornado crossed the Wabash River into Gibson County, Indiana.

This damaging wind event continued east from Edwards County into Wabash County. Scattered straight-line wind damage was observed across much of central Wabash County from Mount Carmel west. Within the overall area of scattered damage, more concentrated damage was located in Bellmont. Hundreds of tree limbs and about a half-dozen trees were blown down. Downed trees and limbs damaged a couple of homes, barns, and garages. Several power poles were blown over. The only damage in Mt. Carmel itself consisted of a few large limbs down on the western edge of the city. Peak winds were estimated near 80 mph.

Some trees were blown down, causing power outages.

A wind gust to 66 mph was measured at the Mount Carmel Municipal Airport. In Mount Carmel, the roof was blown off of the middle school gym. About 500 gallons of rainwater was removed from the gym. Numerous trees and power lines were down throughout the city. Portions of the city were without power.

A wind gust to 66 mph was measured at the Mount Carmel Municipal Airport. In Mount Carmel, the roof was blown off of the middle school gym. About 500 gallons of rainwater was removed from the gym. Numerous trees and power lines were down throughout the city. Portions of the city were without power.

Numerous power lines were blown down in the city, along with many trees. Some metal debris was wrapped around a telephone pole.

A couple of power poles were down.

Trees and power lines were brought down in at least three places. The majority of the east side of Mount Carmel was without power.

Numerous tree limbs and a couple of trees were blown down. One uprooted tree fell onto the back end of a school bus. Tree limbs fell on power lines, causing scattered power outages.

Three steel towers carrying high-voltage power lines were bent or partially collapsed. A single wide mobile home was demolished. The frame was blown about 50 yards but was not bent. There was curvature in the debris field. A grain bin was blown one mile into a tree line, and three other grain bins were destroyed. Machine sheds were unroofed, with some walls collapsing. Barns were destroyed, and hundreds of trees were uprooted or snapped. Power poles were snapped. There was minor to moderate damage to house roofs. The tornado reached EF-2 intensity in sparsely populated areas. Where it crossed through the north and west part of Mount Carmel near the end of its path, the tornado weakened to EF-1 intensity. The damage in Mount Carmel consisted of numerous uprooted and snapped trees, moderate roof damage to at least 4 or 5 houses, and destroyed sheds. In the vicinity of where the tornado crossed Route 15, damage was minimal, consisting of just a few downed trees. Peak winds were near 125 mph. The average path width was about 100 yards.

A trained spotter estimated a wind gust to 60 mph on the west side of town. A power line was down across a street. Tree limbs were blown down across the city, and some of them landed on power lines. Some of the limbs were three to four inches in diameter. Power was out for 12 to 24 hours in some cases. A tree limb fell on a gas line, causing a leak.

Major flooding of the Wabash River occurred. At Mount Carmel, the river crested at 33.24 feet on the 14th. Flood stage there is 19 feet. This crest was almost one foot below the record flood crest that occurred in January of 2005. Sandbagging operations were conducted at the public utility company's substation. Debris floating in the river snapped a utility pole, causing a power outage over two hours long that affected the whole city of Mount Carmel. All unprotected flood plain areas were flooded, including the northern outskirts of Mount Carmel and eastern Wabash County. Three streets were impacted by backwater flooding of Greathouse Creek. Numerous local roads were impassable. A few evacuations were necessary. Agricultural losses were near 100 percent in areas that were not protected by levees.

Major flooding of the Wabash River occurred. At Mount Carmel, the river crested at 33.24 feet on the 14th. Flood stage there is 19 feet. This crest was almost one foot below the record flood crest that occurred in January of 2005. Sandbagging operations were conducted at the public utility company's substation. Debris floating in the river snapped a utility pole, causing a power outage over two hours long that affected the whole city of Mount Carmel. All unprotected flood plain areas were flooded, including the northern outskirts of Mount Carmel and eastern Wabash County. Three streets were impacted by backwater flooding of Greathouse Creek. Numerous local roads were impassable. A few evacuations were necessary. Agricultural losses were near 100 percent in areas that were not protected by levees.

Wind gusts to 60 mph were reported on the east side of town. No electrical power was on the east side of the community.

Power lines were blown down.

Wind gusts were estimated to 70 MPH at Allendale, where numerous trees were blown down. In Mount Carmel, winds estimated to 65 MPH downed tree limbs, mostly on the north side of town. Some of the limbs landed in power lines, and an intersection was blocked. Fallen tree limbs damaged a house, a vehicle, and a fence. Several power poles and numerous power lines were down from Mount Carmel to Allendale.

Trees and power lines were blown down.

Power lines were blown down along Ladue Drive, and a few trees were down across the county.

Large trees were blown down in Wabash County, specifically in the communities of Mount Carmel, Keensburg, and Bellmont. In Keensburg, several large trees were uprooted, and numerous large limbs over 6 inches in diameter were down. There was some minor structural damage. One car was damaged by a very large falling tree limb. Numerous trees and limbs were blown down in Mount Carmel, where power was not fully restored until the following day. One man was injured when a tree fell on his boat while he was boating in the Wabash River. The tree trapped him on his pontoon boat, which began floating down the river. The boat was towed ashore after floating for half a mile, and the man was taken to a local hospital with minor injuries. In Bellmont, a tree took down live power lines that landed on an occupied pickup truck, but there were no injuries.

Tree limbs and power lines were blown down.

Trees and power lines were down throughout the county. A woman received minor injuries from being struck by flying debris. A tree landed on a mobile home, causing moderate damage but no injuries.

Tree limbs were down on power lines.