Power Outage in West Frankfort, IL

The tornado tracked from west to east across the far northern part of the city of West Frankfort. The most significant damage was on the west side of Interstate 57, where a few metal structures sustained major damage. These structures were businesses which lost all or part of their roofs. In the residential neighborhoods to the east of the interstate, light roof damage occurred to a few houses, which lost some shingles. Tree limbs and a few trees were blown down. At one point just over 2,000 people were without power. Peak winds were estimated near 95 mph.

The tornado tracked from west to east across the far northern part of the city of West Frankfort. The most significant damage was on the west side of Interstate 57, where a few metal structures sustained major damage. These structures were businesses which lost all or part of their roofs. In the residential neighborhoods to the east of the interstate, light roof damage occurred to a few houses, which lost some shingles. Tree limbs and a few trees were blown down. At one point just over 2,000 people were without power. Peak winds were estimated near 95 mph.

Widespread wind damage occurred across the county. Multiple power poles were down. A downed power pole on State Highway 154 at Rend Lake trapped a person in a vehicle. Numerous trees and power lines were down, causing power outages. Trees up to two feet in diameter were down in Benton.

Numerous trees and power lines were blown down across Franklin County, including Benton and West Frankfort. At least a couple of trees were uprooted. About 4,000 utility customers were without power. Several trees were down throughout the community of Benton. Large branches were also snapped. A large tree was down across a secondary road near Plumfield.

A few trees were uprooted. Several large tree limbs and power lines were knocked down. A camper was damaged.

Numerous trees were blown down across the city. The falling trees caused major damage to at least one vehicle. Several house roofs were damaged. Extensive damage occurred to a building that houses several businesses. A northwest corner wall was blown out. The sheet metal was torn away from the building, and a door was blown off. A loading dock roof was blown off another building and onto a vehicle. Numerous power lines were down. Winds were recorded at 80 mph.

Widespread damage occurred to trees and power lines. Utility poles were snapped along Illinois 154. Twelve utility poles were floating in Rend Lake next to the Route 154 causeway.

In Benton, about one-quarter of the roof of an apartment complex was lifted off. There was extensive rainwater damage to an apartment. At least a dozen trees and power lines were blown down throughout Benton. Three trees fell on power lines or across roadways. Power was restored to most customers within 12 hours. In West Frankfort, numerous trees and limbs were down. A few streets were blocked.

Wind gusts were estimated up to 60 mph by a trained spotter near West Frankfort. A couple of trees and power lines were down just north of Benton.

Power lines and trees were down in Royalton and West Frankfort. Some utility poles were snapped. In West Frankfort, limbs and medium-size branches were down, and lawn furniture was tossed around. A fallen light pole blocked traffic on a West Frankfort main thoroughfare.

Widespread damaging winds across southern Franklin County caused lots of power outages. At the peak of the outages, 49 percent of the county was without power. A state disaster declaration was granted for Franklin County. Among the hardest hit cities was West Frankfort. Peak winds were estimated around 60 mph at Benton, but from 80 to 90 mph around West Frankfort and near the Williamson County line. Thirteen homes were destroyed beyond repair. Damage assessments indicated 184 dwellings sustained damage countywide. Of that number, 114 sustained minor damage, and 70 needed moderate repairs. Numerous trees were blown down, blocking some of the main roads. Near the Williamson County line, trees were blown across the southbound lanes of Interstate 57. Secondary roads stayed blocked for longer periods of time. The hardest hit areas were in and near Royalton, Zeigler, Orient, West Frankfort, and Thompsonville. In Christopher, sheds and carports were overturned, and trees were down on roads and power lines. An uprooted tree landed on a house. The community park in West Frankfort was closed for a little over a week due to downed trees and fences. Some schools were closed for part of the week following the storm.

A number of downed trees and power lines were reported countywide, especially in West Frankfort and Christopher. A tree fell on top of a house in West Frankfort. Other damage in the county included destroyed gazebos, overturned carports, and destroyed chicken coops. Most of the downed power lines were due to trees falling on them.

Numerous trees and power lines were blown down in and around West Frankfort. The southwest portion of the city was hardest hit. About a mile west of West Frankfort, wind gusts estimated near 70 MPH downed trees, including one tree that fell on a house. A couple miles south of Thompsonville, the tin roof of a barn was damaged, and two or three large trees were down.

Large trees were blown down across the county. Lots of damage to trees was visible from Interstate 57 as far south as West Frankfort. In Christopher, a TV antenna fell, several power poles were down on the east side of town, and two large limbs were down. One of the tree limbs fell on a car. In Sesser, large tree limbs and at least one tree were down. In Benton, signs and large trees were blown down. Some of the trees took down power lines, causing road closures and power outages in Benton. Along Highway 149 between West Frankfort and Thompsonville, numerous tree limbs fell across the road, including some large enough to block one lane.

In Christopher, windows were blown out. In Sesser, there was roof damage to a few homes, and a moving vehicle struck a large tree that was over a road. Nobody in the vehicle was injured. In West Frankfort, siding was torn off a house, roofs were damaged, and trees were uprooted. A tree landed on a porch of a house. The damage was most widespread from the west and south sides of West Frankfort to Pershing, where numerous downed trees and power lines resulted in widespread power outages. Power lines fell on a passing car, trapping the driver until a utility crew turned off the power. In Benton, trees were uprooted, some of which fell on houses. At the Benton industrial park, two empty truck trailers were blown into a field. In Zeigler, trees that surrounded the town circle were wiped out. North of Ewing, a 30-by-40 foot pole barn was destroyed, and the roof took down utility lines when it landed.

Damaging wind gusts associated with a cluster of severe thunderstorms spread southeast across Franklin County. Tree and power line damage was reported in many sections of the county. The first report of damage in the county was at Rend Lake, where trees were blown down. In Benton, large limbs and trees were down, and a third floor window was blown out of a building. A couple of trees were downed in Zeigler.

Numerous trees were blown down in and near West Frankfort. Just north of West Frankfort, a few trees were down across Highway 37. In West Frankfort, a two-foot diameter tree knocked down power lines. A large tree limb fell on a car and damaged a roof. A tree fell on the side of a house and damaged the siding. Four power lines were down in the area.

Near Thompsonville, a 40 by 80 foot pole barn was blown down, and two or three trees were down. In the West Frankfort area, several trees were knocked down near the old city lake. A power line was torn down by a falling tree in West Frankfort, causing a brief power outage.