Several tornadoes, large hail region wide; one dead in Poplar Bluff

A a powerful and massive front from Iowa to Texas marched across the Mississippi River Friday night and early Saturday morning, spawning several tornadoes, one deadly in southeast Missouri.

Strong thunderstorms boiled up Friday night resulted in 19 twisters across Missouri. Later that front moved into Illinois and Kentucky around midnight. 

Dozens of storm reports were called in to the National Weather Service office in Paducah, including:

At 11:35 pm, a tornado west of Poplar Bluff caused major damage to a church and neighboring trailer park. First responders had to hike into the damaged area where one fatality was reported so far.

Just before 12 am, a tornado hit the south side of Perryville, Missouri. Multiple buildings received major damage. Another tornado was spotted in Stoddard County.

At 12:40 am, a tornado was reported north of Carterville, Illinois.  At the same time, a tornado was spotted near Benton, Missouri in Scott County. Winds topping at 77 miles per hour were measured at Cape Girardeau.

Extensive damage was reported in Perry and Franklin counties in southern Illinois, including the cities of DuQuoin and Sesser.

At 1:30, a tornado was reported from north of Vienna at the I-24/US 45 interchange destroying several homes and structures, to New Burnside in Johnson County that cause severe damage to a home on Gilead Church Road. No injuries were reported.

1:30  golf ball size hail near Ledbetter.

2:45 am  tree down blocked North Friendship Road at Guyline Drive in Paducah. A tree came down on a house in Brookport.

At 3 am in Sturgis, a double wide trailer was knocked off its foundation, the front porch and roof both ripped away. Golf ball sized hail fell in Daviess County, KY.

At 5:11 a roof was blown off building near Evansville. Wind measured at 67 miles per hour in Warrick, IN

After daylight, a stretch of power poles and lines near The Hill retail district along I-57 in Marion, IL had to be repaired. Traffic on roadways and exits had to be restricted for much of the morning.

(Photo: early damage survey at Poplar Bluff, Missouri, where several buildings were damaged and one fatality was reported)