Chasing Destructive Winds & Rain-Wrapped Tornadoes in Illinois

Yesterday delivered as advertised... a fast-moving, broken line of severe thunderstorms producing destructive winds and potentially rain-wrapped tornadoes as they ripped through eastern Illinois.

Over the course of the morning my desire to chase the southern zone across eastern Arkansas and the Missouri bootheel rapidly began to decrease. I wasn't anymore convinced I could find my way into documenting a visible tornado down there than I was back closer to home, and the risk for significant severe weather close to home seemed to be on the increase. Through the mid-morning, high resolution guidance began to lock onto a fast-moving cluster of storms producing significant wind damage and perhaps a few tornadoes through east-central Illinois and eventually into Indiana.

I left home shortly after Noon to slide south of town ahead of the cluster of storms that was now coming to fruition as it quickly erupted to my southwest.

Here are some video highlights of the next few hours as I provided live coverage for the Champaign-Urbana as rain-wrapped tornadoes and destructive winds caused damage area wide: