UPDATE: Traffic still snarled on I-57 southbound

Jun. 29—Large healthy tree down right by my home completely blocking an intersection in Urbana, IL. #ilwx @NWSLincolnIL pic.twitter.com/7MUClxtKyC

— Scott James (@DelDotScott) June 29, 2023

The latest on Thursday's storms moving through Illinois:

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Traffic remains at a standstill on Interstate 57 southbound nearly four hours after high winds caused several semi tractor trailers to roll over near Tuscola.

Meanwhile, downed power poles closed U.S. 45 just south of Tolono.

Gusts also took a toll on trees, corn fields and power poles throughout East Central Illinois.

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In Sidney, Vanda and Richard Duncan said they'd never seen any weather in town quite like what rolled across their home in the southwest part of town about 1 p.m.

"We watched it come across the field. We live next to a cornfield and it was pretty bad and all of a sudden it got really bad," said Vanda Duncan as she watched a decorative metal chair get picked up by strong winds and blown into a neighbor's yard.

She and her husband, who were sitting in the dark three hours later, estimated the high winds and rain that moved from west to east lasted about 10 minutes.

"We have power lines down and all the trees in our whole block are down," she said, adding her husband had already been out helping neighbors move and cut downed limbs.

The high winds even snapped their fence posts, which are set in concrete, and their house was plastered with leaves.

She said the rain that accompanied the storm was horizontal: "You could see it blowing east and west."

Just north of their home, winds took the top off a grain bin at the Premier Cooperative elevator.

"I've lived in Champaign County all my life and 15 years in Sidney. I've never seen the wind and the rain like it was here," she said.

— Mary Schenk

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How soon Willard Airport can reopen will depend on how soon its terminal roof can be shored up and power is restored, airport Executive Director Tim Bannon said.

Damage to terminal roof due to high winds and the loss of power both occurred around 1:15 p.m. Thursday, leading to a substantial amount of water leaking in, he said.

Water clean-up was underway. There were no injuries.

The damage to the roof appears to be substantial, Bannon said. UI crews were on site.

"We're working on it," he said about 3:15 p.m. "We are not operational at the moment."

Bannon said mid-day flights that were set to arrive from Chicago and Dallas won't be arriving, and the status of evening arrivals from both those locations were uncertain.

***

Champaign public works spokesman Kris Koester said the city has had about 100 storm-related calls for service related to trees and limbs down and traffic light issues, and by later afternoon was nearing completion addressing high-priority issues.

He expected public works crews to continue working for a few more hours, then resume work Friday.

Koester said the city may be getting more calls as people head home to work.

The highest priority is getting streets open, he said.

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A message from Danville Public Works Department:

Due to the severe weather conditions on Thursday, collection of storm debris will begin on Monday through July 13. Residents must call 217-431-2288 to report addresses with storm debris for collection. The city will not collect debris if the address has not been called in.

All materials are to be cut to lengths no longer than 4 feet and placed at the curb for collection. Smaller materials are to be bundled with twine and may be placed in the same location. Paper yard waste bags may be used for this special collection and should be placed in the same manner. No single limbs, bags or bundles may exceed 50 pounds.

***

In Monticello, Police Chief Rob Bross said there are trees down but the city's public works crews did a great job of clearing them quickly. One road was partially blocked but was in the process of being cleared.

Bross said he was unaware of any injuries and had heard of a couple homes where power lines had been pulled away from the houses by falling trees.

Meanwhile, Illinois 32 between Cerro Gordo and Cisco has been closed due to multiple broken utility poles and power lines across the highway.

***

Ameren crews were scrambling to address multiple power outages throughout the region, including power lines down on County Road 2100 E and 200 N just north of Longview in southern Champaign County.

Among the many area towns and villages without power: St. Joseph, where at Meier Field along U.S. 150, winds toppled the outfield fence.

Main Street was closed just north or Briarcliff Drive because of a fallen tree.

***

The Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District remained operational throughout the storm, but "certainly everything was behind schedule and we've had to reroute," said Chief of Staff Amy Snyder.

Buses encountered a lot of flooding and downed tree limbs on the roads, she said.

"We sent supervisors and maintenance teams out to enable our buses to keep moving," she said.

MTD staff also brought chainsaws to break up tree limbs blocking roads, Snyder said.

It was still unknown whether any buses were damaged, she said.

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Parts of Farmer City received heavy damage from high winds which toppled a number of trees and power poles throughout the DeWitt County village.

Power is out with reports of streets being flooded, according to Farmer City Police Department.

The DeWitt County Emergency Management Agency hasn't confirmed that a tornado has touched down, but the agency has people out checking now, just before 2:30 p.m.

Also, Interstate 74 eastbound near Farmer City is closed due to a rolled-over semi tractor trailer.

***

Heavy winds caused several semi-tractor trailers to roll over along I-57 near Tuscola.

Illinois State Police are on scene as traffic is being diverted at the Tuscola exit.

Minor injuries being reported at this time. Please avoid this area.

Meanwhile, much of Tuscola is without power. According to the city's Facebook page, there are "several downed power lines and tree limbs in the road. Many roads are impassable."

***

A severe thunderstorm warning has been issued until 2:15 p.m. for Champaign, Urbana and Danville.

The National Weather Service in Lincoln said the storm "will contain wind gusts to 80 MPH."

Severe Thunderstorm Warning including Champaign IL, Urbana IL and Danville IL until 2:15 PM CDT. This destructive storm will contain wind gusts to 80 MPH! pic.twitter.com/Llhg1SOR5d

— NWS Lincoln IL (@NWSLincolnIL) June 29, 2023

Severe line of storms approaching Champaign-Urbana pic.twitter.com/v4sesnrm0T

— Jeff Frame (@VORTEXJeff) June 29, 2023

Parts of Savoy are without power as the storm swept across Champaign County after 1 p.m.