Tornado Hits Mattoon & Gays IL Damage Recap December 10th Severe Weather

Power crews are repairing downed lines, families are finding new places to live and business owners are assessing the long-term damage in parts of Moultrie and Coles counties after a severe storm passed through the area Friday night. Preliminary reports from the National Weather Service in Lincoln indicate tornadoes may be to blame for much of the damage, citing information from trained spotters and emergency officials. The first report of a tornado came at 9:52 p.m. two miles west of Gays in southern Moultrie County and a separate sighting one minute later. This tornado is being blamed for trees being down and power poles bent along Illinois 16, silos being blown down, damage to homes and a FS plant west of Gays being destroyed. At 10 p.m., the weather service had a report of high winds in the area of the Rural King Distribution Center along Illinois 121 in Mattoon, that resulted in a truck being overturned. At 10:02 p.m. a trained weather spotter reported a tornado in southeast Coles County and at 10:04 p.m. a tornado was reported in northwest Coles County that resulted in a family being trapped in a damaged home. Illinois 121 west of Mattoon, U.S 45 north of Mattoon and County Road 1100N were closed to traffic Saturday afternoon to allow for repairs to downed power poles in the area. A dispatcher at the Mattoon Police Department said Illinois 121 will be closed for an extended period of time. Asked about other damage, the dispatcher indicated there were some homes that were severely damaged, as well as the Alton Warehouse facility at 6201 Alton Way. Damage also was reported to the former LSC Communications building. Additional information about the structural damage wasn’t available. The region was under a National Weather Service Wind Advisory until 3 a.m. Saturday following a series of powerful storm systems moving through the area. Pockets of damage have been reported across Central Illinois, with the largest concentration around Coles County. #tornado #severeweather #Christmastornados Other Channels to go check out DJ Fire    / @djfire2020   New Horizon Lawn Care    / @newhorizonlawncarelandscaping   Mom Chat With Jess    / @momchatwithjess   DJ Mike James    / @djmikejames