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Confirmed tornadoes were reported successful Illinois and Iowa Wednesday nighttime arsenic terrible upwind brought the hazard of thunderstorms and prompted a flurry of tornado warnings for a ample swath of the Midwest.
According to the National Weather Service, a confirmed tornado was reported adjacent the tiny northeast Iowa assemblage of Harpers Ferry astatine 5:10 p.m., portion a 2nd confirmed tornado rolled done Charleston successful cardinal Illinois astatine astir 6:40 p.m. section time.
Both tornadoes were flagged by the upwind work arsenic a "particularly unsafe situation," a rare designation utilized by the upwind work for environments successful which "strong and convulsive tornadoes" are possible.
Photos and videos obtained by CBS News showed extended harm successful Charleston, with downed trees and powerfulness lines. Hail that measured 2.75 inches was besides reported successful the Charleston area, according to the upwind service.
"There are a ample fig of trees blocking roadways passim Charleston astatine this time," Charleston constabulary said successful a Facebook post. "Unless it is an implicit emergency, bash not thrust oregon effort to spell anywhere."
Damage aft a tornado struck Charleston, Illinois, connected June 17, 2026.
Cameron Craig
One compartment telephone video captured the terrifying moments what appeared to beryllium a ample tornado tore done Effingham, Illinois, which is located astir 40 miles southwest of Charleston.
Larry Thies, coordinator for the Effingham Emergency Management Agency, told CBS News that archetypal accusation indicated damaged buildings, trailers, and downed powerfulness lines and trees. He said officials were moving to acceptable up an exigency operations center, but were facing challenges due to the fact that net was down successful the area.
Cell telephone video of a tornado successful Effingham, Illinois, connected June 17, 2026.
Laura Gaynor / Chris Chittick
The grade of the harm to portion was inactive unclear. There was nary contiguous connection of injuries oregon fatalities. CBS News elder meteorologist Rob Marciano said determination were astatine slightest 7 reported tornadoes during the upwind event.
According to inferior tracker PowerOutage.us, astatine slightest 55,000 customers were without powerfulness successful Illinois.
Earlier Wednesday, Marciano reported that 125 cardinal Americans were facing terrible upwind advisories, including the Gulf Coast states, which were nether flood alerts due to Tropical Storm Arthur. On "CBS Evening News," Marciano said specified ripe tornado conditions were uncommon for June.
"This is unsocial for June, this is antithetic to person specified a beardown pitchy watercourse conscionable screaming crossed the country, past you've got the summertime tropical moisture coming in…and past immoderate acold aerial coming in," Marciano said. "And winds coming astatine antithetic direction, astatine antithetic levels, creating that spin. So what that equates to is truly the precocious probability of seeing, not conscionable tornadoes, but aggravated tornadoes of EF2 spot oregon higher connected the crushed for a agelong time. And besides damaging winds astatine 75 mph oregon higher, and of people large clip hail."
Nikki Nolan contributed to this report.
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Tropical Storm Arthur rolls done the Gulf
Tropical Storm Arthur rolls done the Gulf
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