The National Weather Service at Lincoln has found seven tornado paths from the severe weather system that moved across Central Illinois Wednesday evening.
The most serious of the storms was an EF3 that was on the ground for 26.2 miles through Effingham County. The top speed of the storm was 150 miles per hour with a maximum width of 500 yards. The tornado was on the ground for 32 minutes beginning at 7:56 Wednesday evening.
The tornado that had a 13.8-mile path through the Mattoon and Charleston area was rated an EF2 tornado with a peak wind speed of 116 miles per hour. It’s maximum width was 800 yards and was on the ground for 17 minutes.
Both storms caused damage to numerous buildings and homes. Two minor injuries were reported from the Effingham tornado and one from the Mattoon-Charleston tornado.
The other five tornadoes were smaller. The first of the afternoon was a 24.1 mile EF1 tornado that pushed through the Springfield area. It was rated EF1. Another EF1 tornado with a 10.7 mile path moved through the Blue Mound area. Another EF1 tornado hit the Bethany area and was on the ground for 3.4-miles. An EF0 tornado was on the ground in the Pawnee area for 5.7 miles. The final tornado of the evening was an EF1 tornado that was on the ground in Grove Township for 5.2 miles.
