Published: May 14, 2009 08:20 pm      

Small tornado touches down briefly

DANVILLE — National Weather Services officials in Lincoln say a small tornado touched down at 12:23 a.m. Thursday in southwestern Vermilion County.

The touchdown was about ¼-mile east of the intersection of Vermilion County Roads 100E and 1050N, according to the weather service. It stayed on the ground for about 100 yards, and was about 50 yards wide.

The tornado destroyed a 30-foot by 80-foot farm machinery shed and broke several utility poles. It was on the ground for about 2 minutes, the weather service said. Its winds were estimated at 80 mph

Ted Fisher, director of the Vermilion County Emergency Management Agency, said in a press release that damage assessment teams inspected the site Thursday. The information was forwarded to the National Weather Service in Lincoln.

Fisher reported a large debris field near the building as well as damage to trees and power lines. Roads in the area were closed to allow cleanup.

Ameren listed as many as 10 county residents without power early Thursday, but that number had been reduced to a single residence by early afternoon.

Damage to trees and power lines also were reported down near Georgetown and Ridge Farm.

A damage assessment team continued to investigate a report of a barn destroyed near Hoopeston.

The storms developed along a cold front that swept across the state Wednesday night and early Thursday. The county already had received 1.3 inches of rain by 6 p.m. Wednesday according to measurements by Aqua Illinois.

The wet weather will cause more delays for farmers, who already are behind in spring planting due to a wet April.

“There was a lot of corn planted Monday and Tuesday,” said Tom Fricke of the Vermilion County Farm Bureau. “But obviously that stopped Wednesday.”

Fricke said farmers can expect to see reduced yields on corn planted this late in the season, but the crop remains an option.

“From May 25 through the end of the month, you’ll see farmers have to start deciding about planting something other than corn,” he said.

Even the seed that did make it into the ground could experience problems.

“It rained so hard and heavy,” Fricke said. “If the weather does get hot, the ground will crust over and what is planted can‘t come up.”

Fricke said farmers need several dry days in a row with a good breeze to dry out their fields so they can get to work.

The heavy rain also pushed local stream and rivers higher Thursday.

As of midmorning Thursday, Fisher reported the North Fork had hit a depth of almost 11 feet and was falling. The Vermilion River stood at almost 14 feet and was still rising. Its minor flood stage is at 18 feet.

The high water caused Illinois Department of Natural Resources officials to close the Middlefork River to boats until further notice. The restrictions apply from the northern boundary of the Potomac City Park to the southern boundary of Kickapoo State park.

Even more rain is headed toward the county today and Friday. The National Weather Service in Lincoln forecasts a 40 percent chance of rain today, a 60 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms tonight, and a 40 percent chance on Saturday.

The forecast then calls for dry weather at least through Wednesday.