Power Outage in Taylorville, IL

A tornado touched down 2 miles south of Taylorville at 7:13 PM CDT. It tracked east-northeastward, knocking down about 30 power poles along North 1250 East Road (Taylorville-Nokomis Blacktop) before dissipating in an open field just east of the road at 7:14 PM CDT.

A large tree and a few power lines were blown down.

Trees, tree limbs, and power lines were blown down along Lincoln Trail Road just west of 1600 East Road.

Trees, tree limbs, and power lines were blown down along Lincoln Trail Road just west of 1600 East Road.

Westerly winds increased to around 40mph with gusts of 50-60mph. A few large tree limbs and power lines were blown down.

A power pole was pushed over.

A tornado touched down about 3.2 miles east-southeast of Morrisonville at 5:01 PM CST. It hit a farmstead, destroying 3 barns and severely damaging 4 other out buildings. The tornado was rated EF2 at this location with maximum wind speeds of 112 mph. The tornado continued moving northeastward, hitting several other outbuildings and snapping trees. The tree and outbuilding damage was classified as EF1 damage with wind speeds of 100-110mph. As the tornado continued to the northeast it snapped more large trees and then hit a log home, removing 25-50% of the roof material. It also snapped many other trees on this property and destroyed a couple of small outbuildings, throwing the debris northward into a field. The tornado was rated EF2 at this location with wind speeds of 115mph. The tornado continued northeastward and moved into a wooded area, snapping and uprooting hundreds of trees along its path. It then curved north-northeastward and moved into Hewittville, a small community on the southern edge of Taylorville. Here the tornado destroyed or severely damaged multiple houses. The first house the tornado hit lost most exterior walls and the entire roof, except for the roof over the attached garage, which was on the north side of the house. It also destroyed a second garage on the property and then completely destroyed a mobile home across the street. The tornado was rated EF3 with wind speeds around 150mph at this location. The tornado continued north-northeastward, destroying a barn, pushing an unanchored home off its foundation and completely destroying another mobile home. This mobile home was partially anchored by wood posts set in slots on a concrete foundation over a basement and crawl space. The resident of this home was badly injured and was found unconscious, trapped under debris in the crawl space. The tornado was rated EF3 with wind speeds of 140mph at this location. As the tornado continued, it snapped and uprooted many more trees and took down power lines and power poles. Many more homes were damaged, to a lesser extent than the first few on the south end of town, with some damage to the homes coming from trees or tree branches falling on the homes. As the tornado moved into the northern part of Hewittville, the wind speeds seemed to increase, completely destroying another home and destroying a large, old building that had been part of an old rail-yard. The tornado also damaged other homes and garages in this area. The tornado was rated EF3 with wind speeds of 155mph at this location. As the tornado tracked north-northeastward, it moved into Taylorville, taking down more trees, power lines/poles, and damaging multiple houses. Several homes lost roofs and garages. The tornado continued through Taylorville damaging other homes and several businesses on West Spresser St. and was rated EF2 with wind speeds of 120-125mph at this point. As the tornado crossed Hwy 29 into the northern part of town, it weakened considerably, with the damage becoming less severe and more sporadic. The tornado dissipated 1.8 miles north of Taylorville at 5:25 PM CST. In total, the tornado impacted 506 structures...including major damage to 61 homes and 7 businesses and complete destruction of 28 homes. Total damage was estimated at $118.9 million.

Power lines were blown down along Highway 48 south of Taylorville.

A tornado touched down on the north side of Pana at 12:15 PM CST, then tracked northeastward before lifting 3.1 miles NNE of Pana at 12:18 PM CST. Several homes suffered roof damage near the intersection of Almond and Elm streets on the north side of Pana. Trees were blown down, damaging 3 cars. Numerous power lines were knocked down as well. The tornado moved NNE, damaging a house and destroying an outbuilding before dissipating in an open field.

Power lines were blown down just south of Taylorville.

Around 1 inch of snow accumulated across Christian County on December 20th. Winds gusting over 50 mph at times created blizzard conditions, causing numerous traffic accidents across the county. A weather observer in Pana measured a peak wind gust of 62 mph and reported widespread power outages in town.

Numerous trees and power lines were blown down in Taylorville, causing widespread power outages.

A tornado touched down 4 miles southwest of Morrisonville at 530 PM CST. It traveled eastward, knocking down several power poles along Rt. 48. The tornado then tore the roof off a hog pen, collapsed the north doors of a large metal farm building, and destroyed a small barn before dissipating 3 miles south of Morrisonville at 532 PM CST.

A tornado touched down 4 miles southwest of Morrisonville at 530 PM CST. It traveled eastward, knocking down several power poles along Rt. 48. The tornado then tore the roof off a hog pen, collapsed the north doors of a large metal farm building, and destroyed a small barn before dissipating 3 miles south of Morrisonville at 532 PM CST.

Weather observers across Christian County measured 3 to 9 inches of snow, along with 2 to 4 inches of sleet, and around one quarter of an inch of ice. 40 to 50 mph winds accompanied the snow, reducing the visibility to near zero. As a result of the blizzard conditions, travel became nearly impossible across the area. Due to the ice and strong winds, numerous tree branches and power lines were downed, causing power outages across the county.

Numerous trees and powerlines were blown down in Taylorville. One residence sustained damage to a garage as a tree fell onto it.

Twenty power poles were blown down just south of Taylorville.

Numerous power lines were blown down and a grain bin was damaged one mile south of Kincaid.

A tree was blown down onto a powerline.

A few trees and power lines were blown down between Taylorville and Assumption.

Power lines blown down.

A few power lines down.

Several power lines were blown down.

Several trees were uprooted and a couple of power lines were blown down.

Thunderstorm winds caused widespread damage across Christian County. Numerous trees, tree limbs, power lines and power poles were blown down. The most extensive damage was in the Edinburg area where several of the fallen trees landed on nearby homes causing moderate roof damage. Damage was also reported in the Taylorville and Pana areas. A large machine shed was destroyed one mile northwest of Taylorville off IL Route 29. In Pana, a porch was demolished when a tree fell on it. No injuries were reported.

Several power lines were blown down, as well as a large tree.

Numerous trees were blown down as well as power poles and power lines. Several of the trees fell onto houses in Taylorville causing minor to moderate damage. No injuries were reported.

Numerous power lines were blown down as well as several large trees at a local park and cemetery.

Several power lines were blown down.

Several power lines and trees were blown down in Taylorville.

Several power lines were blown down.