Illinois caught in severe storm and tornado

Illinois was caught amid severe storm and tornadoes on late Thursday, 20.02.14, with massive power cut, spawning floods and buildings getting damaged. The conditions are quite severe in

the region.

National Weather Service reported that winds swept across Tennessee on Thursday night, pelting Nashville with rain and hail and putting thousands in the dark. Midwest and South were under tornado watch as powerful and fast-moving storms pushed through the region, with flooding and building damage in Illinois.

Seven outbuildings were reported destroyed along with one house with minor damage as the Weather Service had preliminary reports of as many as eight tornadoes in central Illinois.

About 24,000 people in Illinois lost power at one point on Thursday afternoon and night. Effingham and Champaign counties in Illinois reported flooding .

There have been no reports of injuries but the power lines have been down in some areas and water has clogged in some roads. A portion of State Route 150 between Mohamet and the county line was shut down. Flooding was caused by the 3 inches of rain Thursday coupled with the snow melt. The National Weather service said radar indicated rainfall of 3 to 4 inches per hour. A flash-flood warning was also issued

The Illinois State Police reported that fog caused a serious wreck on Interstate 57 in northeast Illinois, involving at least 27 tractor trailers and passenger cars. Authorities said they received reports of multiple injuries, but nothing life-threatening.

In Tennessee, Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division reported that 4,450 customers lost power at the peak of outages in Shelby County, Tennessee, which includes the city of Memphis. Winds knocked down dozes of trees as the storm moved eastwards. 1-inch hail and 95 mph winds were reported by trained weather spotters. There have been no reports of injuries so far.