Officials said six people were killed and more than 100 others were hurt when a series of tornadoes battered Illinois Sunday, including one that National Weather Service meteorologists said was a strong EF-4 twister.
The preliminary rating of the tornado that struck Washington, near Peoria, means estimated peak winds were between 170 and 190 MPH. As many as 30 tornadoes may have touched down across the state Sunday, officials said.
Two fatalities were reported in Massac County, two more in Washington County, east of St. Louis, and another in Washington, Ill., in Tazewell County, said Illinois Emergency Management Agency spokeswoman Patti Thompson. A sixth fatality was confirmed but it was not immediately clear where it occurred.
The deaths in Washington County were of an 80-year-old man and his 78-year-old sister, who lived in a farm house near New Minden, Ill., said coroner Mark Styninger.
Two other fatalities in Michigan were also tied to the storms.
At least 50 patients in the emergency room at St. Francis Medical Center near Washington, Ill., were reported to be tornado-related, eight of them were trauma cases, according to Amy Paul, a spokeswoman for the hospital.
A news release by the National Guard followed reports that people were trapped in buildings after Sunday's severe weather.
In Coal City, where National Weather Service meteorologists later confirmed an EF-2 twister touched down, residential and commercial buildings were damaged, with some residential buildings collapsed, according to Lieutenant Dorthwood.
Crews were still checking for injuries and anyone trapped in the area Sunday afternoon.
Source: http://www.nbcchicago.com/weather/stories/Stormy-Weather-in-Store-for-Chicago-Area-232188631.html#ixzz2n8Kx1S4c
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