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WEATHER ALERT: Hurricane Beryl’s to bring heavy rainfall and potential flooding to Illinois

Severe Storms Bring Tornadoes And Heavy Rain To Central Illinois

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On July 15, 2020, Meteorologist Andrew Pritchard took this picture of a large tornado near Divernon, Illinois.
  • Photo: Andrew Pritchard/Chambana Weather

CHAMPAIGN – Severe thunderstorms in Illinois caused tornadoes and other hazards on Wednesday afternoon.

Meterorologist Andrew Pritchard captured a picture of a large tornado around 5:20 p.m. in Divernon, a small community 16 miles south of Springfield in Sangamon County.

“This was a large tornado that developed very quickly,” said Pritchard. “There was a little brief touchdown… and within 20-30 seconds this was a significant tornado. The wind shear is very high in southwestern Illinois. These storms have been able to rotate quite easily.”

Around the same time, the National Weather Service issued Tornado Warnings for Ford and Iroquois counties north of Champaign. 

We’re still waiting for damage reports following both tornado reports.

The National Weather Service issued a Tornado Watch for Champaign, Coles, Douglas and Vermilion Counties until Wednesday at 11:00 p.m.

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Reginald Hardwick

Reginald Hardwick is the News & Public Affairs Director at Illinois Public Media. He oversees daily newscasts and online stories. He also manages The 21st Show, a live, weekday talk show that airs on 7 NPR stations throughout Illinois. He is the executive producer of IPM's annual environmental TV special "State of Change." And he is the co-creator of Illinois Soul, IPM's Black-focused audio service that launched in February 2024. Before arriving at IPM in 2019, he served as News Director at WKAR in East Lansing and spent 17 years as a TV news producer and manager at KXAS, the NBC-owned station in Dallas/Fort Worth. Reginald is the recipient of three Edward R. Murrow regional awards, seven regional Emmy awards, and multiple honors from the National Association of Black Journalists. Born in Vietnam, Reginald grew up in Colorado and is a graduate of the University of Northern Colorado. Email: rh14@illinois.edu Twitter: @RNewsWILL

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