Tornadoes Strike Midwest, including Champaign County

The storms that struck the Midwest Tuesday night brought tornadoes to parts of Illinois, causing damage, but no injuries.

One tornado was reported in Champaign County around sunset. The National Weather Service says it took a northeasterly path that brought it near Thomasboro, Rantoul and Gifford.

Meteorologist Andrew Pritchard of Chambana Weather says the tornado caused some minor damage in rural areas.

“I think there was only one little location – rural,” said Pritchard. “Outside of Thomasboro and Rantoul, there was a farm that, I think, they just lost some sheet metal off of a farm outbuilding. I saw some trees were snapped off at the base. Minor damage, yeah, but it did produce some confirmed damage.” 

The Weather Service office in Lincoln Illinois has requested reports of any damage from the storm.

Farther north, the Weather Service reported a tornado in Will County near the small town of Manhattan. It caused building damage and power outages. Another tornado was reported near Maple Park in Kane County, but no damage was reported.

Officials also reported a tornado causing damage Tuesday night in Missouri, east of Kansas City.

More severe damage was reported in in the small town of Eureka, Kansas, which was struck by a tornado that injured eight people and damaged several buildings, including the town’s high school.