EF0 tornado reported April 3 near Anna
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Stormy spring weather also brings
reports of 9 inches of rain in area
Not all that many weeks ago, Union County Highway Department vehicles were being utilized to clear snow and ice off local roads.
Last Friday morning, a highway department snowplow was being used to clear debris off the State Forest Road between Jonesboro and Wolf Lake.
The debris was on the road following severe spring storms which swept through the region last Thursday night and early Friday morning.
The storms were accompanied by funnel clouds, heavy rain, hail, strong winds and lightning.
The website for the National Weather Service, NWS, at Paducah reported that the storms spawned an EF0 tornado in Union County Thursday night, April 3.
The weather service posted reports about two Union County tornado events on its website.
The first event was reported to have occurred at 8:52 p.m. (The time was estimated.)
The tornado began 4.5 miles northeast of Anna. The twister ended 9.5 miles northeast of Anna.
The tornado had peak winds of 80 miles per hour, a maximum width of 85 yards and a path length of 5 miles.
The tornado damaged trees and downed tree limbs. Shingles also were reported to have been blown off a garage.
The second tornado event was reported at 9 p.m. (Again, the time was estimated.)
The tornado's path began 9.5 miles northeast of Anna and ended 13 miles northeast of Anna.
The tornado had peak winds of 80 mph, a maximum width of 75 yards and a path length of 4.5 miles.
The website for the National Weather Service, NWS, office in Paducah posted that a funnel cloud had been reported at 8:45 p.m. last Thursday 2 miles west of Jonesboro.
The severe weather also resulted in washed out roads and bridges, flooding, downed trees and tree limbs and power outages. No injuries were reported.
During the stormy night, tornado warning sirens sounded in Union County communities. Several rounds of storms struck the area Thursday night and early Friday.
The weather service also posted information which reported that vehicles had been swept off the roadway in Union County at around 9:30 p.m. Thursday. One person was reported to have been rescued.
Union County Sheriff David Livesay reported that rainfall in the amount of anywhere from 4 to 8 inches had been reported.
The sheriff said that the Anna, Jonesboro and Cobden areas appeared to have been hit particularly hard by heavy rain.
"The state forest blacktop was completely under water," the sheriff added. The State Forest Road is between Jonesboro and Wolf Lake.
Several minor traffic accidents were reported. The accidents happened when drivers could not see roads due to the severe weather conditions.
The sheriff said that Cobden Fire Departmentt personnel were called to help a person get out of a car after the vehicle stalled in water on Brumleve Road. The road is east of Cobden.
Livesay said that the storm knocked out power at the Union County Courthouse in Jonesboro. A generator was utilized for power at the courthouse for about four hours.
Union County Highway Department engineer Kevin Grammer said that unofficial reports of as much as 9 inches of rain had been recorded during the storms.
Grammer said the storms caused more than $200,000 in damage to local roads, bridges and culverts.
"It really took a toll on us," Grammer said.
The spring storm damage follows a costly winter for the county. Winter storm costs incurred by the county had topped $150,000.
The storms washed out a bridge on the Kerr Canyon Road east of Cobden. The bridge remained out of commission as of early this week.
One bridge in the county sustained damage, as did numerous culverts and roads.
Grammer said that highway department crews began working last Thursday night in response to the storms. Work continued into the weekend and early this week.
The impact of the storms was felt in an up-close and personal manner by Jerry and Jean Hunter, who live along the State Forest Road in Union County.
High winds – perhaps a tornado – knocked down a huge hickory tree on their property and also caused damage to their house. The winds struck at about 11 o'clock last Thursday night.
Mrs. Hunter said that she and her husband thought a miracle had occurred when they escaped without injury.
A drive through areas west of Jonesboro last Friday morning revealed:
High water on Clear Creek.
Lots of water in ditches and fields along Illinois Route 146 between Jonesboro and Ware.
High water which had isolated at least one residence along the Morgan School Road, just off the Clear Creek Levee Road.
Extensive debris on and alongside the State Forest Road between the Clear Creek Levee Road and Illinois Route 127.