As the National Weather Service continues to survey storm damage in southern Illinois, they have determined that Johnson County experienced an EF-2 tornado with estimated winds of 115 miles per hour.
According to the Paducah NWS, preliminary information shows the tornado started at 1:15 a.m. Saturday two miles west of Vienna just south of IL 146. It traveled north of the city and crossed I-24 just north of the US 45 interchange. The tornado continued past the rural community of Bloomfield to the northeast and ended at 1:31 a.m. east of Ozark near the Johnson/Pope County line.
The path was 15.9 miles long and 100 yards wide.
According to the Johnson County Sheriff’s Department, multiple homes were damaged, but there were no reports of major injuries or missing people.
Later on Sunday, meteorologists also completed a survey that confirmed an EF-2 tornado struck Perry County. Peak winds reached 135 miles per hour as it traveled more than 13 miles just after midnight Saturday.
ORIGINAL STORY:
A likely tornado early Saturday in Johnson County, Illinois, destroyed multiple mobile homes and buildings, flipping and sweeping them off their foundations.
Aerial footage captured by WFCN’s drone showed the devastation in areas north of Vienna, near the intersection of US 45 and I-24.
According to the Johnson County Sheriff’s Department, multiple homes are damaged, but as of Saturday morning there were no reports of major injuries or missing people.
The sheriff’s department advises the public to stay out of the areas where there is debris.
More likely tornado damage occurred in Perry and Franklin counites, including near DuQuoin and Sesser.
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