
By Neil Doyle
LINCOLN – The National Weather Service confirmed that two tornadoes touched down in Central Illinois over the weekend, including in McLean County.
The NWS said a tornado touched down at 11:36 p.m. Saturday in an open field about 1.5 miles north of Bellflower, near N 3850 East Road.
Shortly after it touched down, it destroyed a machine shed, throwing the debris for about a mile downstream. The tornado progressed to the northeast for about 2 miles, damaging several trees, before dissipating as it crossed N 4000 East Road.
Another tornado struck the Pekin area Saturday around 10:20 p.m. a half mile northwest of the intersection of N Deppert Roadd and Christmas Tree Road.
The tornado moved to the E-SE and hit four homes over it’s 2.5 mile path. There was significant tree damage near each of the four homes, with some trees up to 1.5 to 3 feet in diameter snapped off. One shed along Christmas Tree Rd was destroyed, and a garage was completely shifted off it’s foundation. The main home damage was to roofing shingles and siding.
The weather service said nobody was injured during the storms.
Neil Doyle can be reached at [email protected]