Strong winds and storms expected today

CHAMPAIGN – Meteorologists say strong winds, with gusts up to 50 miles per hour, followed by thunderstorms will impact Central Illinois today.

The National Weather Service says a Wind Advisory is in effect Wednesday from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. The Champaign-Urbana, Danville, and Decatur areas should expect peak wind gusts 45 to 50 mph. Heavy rain is also expected. Champaign-Urbana could receive more than an inch of rain. Severe weather including dime size hail and isolated brief tornadoes are possiblee from Mattoon southward.

Reginald Hardwick

Reginald Hardwick is the News & Public Affairs Director at Illinois Public Media. He oversees daily newscasts and online stories. He also manages The 21st Show, a live, weekday talk show that airs on six NPR stations throughout Illinois. He is the executive producer of IPM's annual environmental TV special "State of Change." And he is the co-creator of Illinois Soul, IPM's Black-focused audio service that launched in February 2024. Before arriving at IPM in 2019, he served as News Director at WKAR in East Lansing and spent 17 years as a TV news producer and manager at KXAS, the NBC-owned station in Dallas/Fort Worth. Reginald is the recipient of three Edward R. Murrow regional awards, seven regional Emmy awards, and multiple honors from the National Association of Black Journalists. Born in Vietnam, Reginald grew up in Colorado and is a graduate of the University of Northern Colorado. Email: rh14@illinois.edu Twitter: @RNewsIPM