Tornado and thunderstorm warnings have been lifted for the Peoria area

PEORIA — Tornado sirens sounded. Cellphones buzzed and pinged as the National Weather Service issued a tornado warning Tuesday night for the cities of Peoria, East Peoria and Pekin, which has since expired.

The warning, which meant forecasters believed a tornado was very possible, was issued at 8:02 p.m. after a severe storm moved through St. David. A meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Lincoln said they had reports of a handful of tornadoes in Fulton County and a confirmed one in Bryant, Illinois, which was south of Canton. That warning, which included Bartonville, lasted until 8:45 p.m.

Earlier on Tuesday night, the cities of Peoria and East Peoria were under a tornado watch and a severe thunderstorm warning as well. The weather service believed the storm could have golf ball-sized hail.

A warning means conditions are ripe for a severe weather event while a warning is where forecasters expect something to happen.

It's the second round of severe weather in the past week. On Friday, central Illinois saw torrential downpours and tornado outbreaks throughout the region.

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Tornado warnings for Pekin, Peoria, East Peoria