4 Twisters Confirmed in Central Illinois

May 5, 2021

Four tornadoes touched down in the evening on May 3 in central Illinois but no damage was reported as the storms swept across farm fields and open areas, the National Weather Service said.

One tornado touchdown was confirmed Arenzville in Cass County, while three others were confirmed in Sangamon County — one near Pleasant Plains, a third in Mechanicsburg and a fourth in Dawson near Interstate 72.

Because the storms produced no reported damage as they swept across farm fields and other open areas, the weather service will not be dispatching a survey team to assess the EF ratings of the four storms, said Alex Erwin, a meteorologist with the weather service’s Lincoln bureau.

He said all four tornadoes were produced between about 5 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Monday by the same severe thunderstorm. That storm also pelted the region with large hail up to 2 inches (5.1 centimeters) in diameter.

Topics Illinois

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