Meteorologist Andrew Pritchard says he saw his first tornado from his back door in Urbana. Since that day in 1996, Illinois has seen its fair share of twisters.

Parts of downstate Illinois are under a Winter Storm Watch, a Freezing Rain Advisory and an Ice Storm Warning, as a winter storm moves into the southern Plains.

The National Weather Service has issued a tornado watch for most of central Illinois through 11pm Thursday night. Meteorologist Jeff Frame says the worst storms will likely come just after dark and could include severe storms, damaging winds and tornadoes.