Tornadoes Hit Central and Southern Illinois
A series of tornadoes tore through the Midwest on Sunday, primarily damaging areas of central and southern Illinois.
A series of tornadoes tore through the Midwest on Sunday, leaving six people dead and many others injured. The tornadoes hit parts of central Illinois the worst, destroying homes and cars and uprooting trees in cities such as Pekin, Ill., Nashville, Ill., and Washington, Ill.
The tornadoes left towns in complete ruins and also left thousands of people without power. CNN reported that one tornado struck Washington, Ill. (a city close to Peoria) at around 11 a.m. and left numerous houses in ruins. Many of the town's residents were at church when the tornado ripped through. Dozens of homes were destroyed.
Two people died in Nashville, Ill. (southeast of St. Louis) when a tornado tore through with estimated peak winds of 166 mph. Pekin also was hit by a tornado, and almost 50 homes there were destroyed. Though officials delayed the Chicago Bears/Baltimore Ravens game and flights were delayed at O'Hare airport, no tornadoes touched down in Chicago or the northern part of the state.