Updated June 17, 2026, at 9:00 p.m.
Thousands of people in central Illinois are without power, as residents are assessing the damages caused by 60 mile per hour winds and tennis sized hail Wednesday night.
IPM meteorologist Andrew Pritchard reports a tornado touched down in Coles County around 7:15 p.m. Pictures show downed trees and powerlines and damage to roofs. The Charleston Walmart also sustained damage.
Charleston Community Unit School District Number One canceled Thursday’s summer schools due to the storm. The district also said on its website that it would not be handing out free meals for the day.
Pritchard reports tornadoes also touched down in Effingham and Newton.
A tornado watch is in effect until midnight in Clark, Clay, Coles, Crawford, Cumberland, Douglas, Edgar, Effingham, Jasper, Lawrence, Moultrie, Richland and Shelby counties, according to the National Weather Service.
Ameren reports 44,056 are without power statewide. The utility is warning customers to be aware of downed power lines, advising people to treat any line as energized and report it immediately to 800-755-5000.
The Macon County Emergency Management Agency is asking residents to report damage caused by the storms for officials to assess Thursday. Information about damages to homes, trees and crops can be sent to the Macon County EMA Facebook page or emailed to emamail@sheriff-macon-il.us with the location. The information helps the National Weather Service rate the storms and guides future emergency planning.
Macon County EMA officials are also asking residents to avoid areas with damage, allowing power and emergency crews to stabilize the area for safety.
This spring, Illinois leads the country with 140 tornadoes. An outbreak of tornadoes last week damaged more than 70 homes in Streeter, Illinois. Smaller tornadoes impacted some buildings and hundreds of trees in Urbana, Kickapoo Park, and Danville. This post will be updated.
Updated June 17 at 7:30 p.m.
IPM meteorologist Andrew Pritchard reports a large tornado has hit the city of Charleston in Coles County within the last hour.
Updated June 17 at 6:25 p.m.
Flash Flood Warning for Central Piatt County, Southern Champaign County and Southern Vermilion County until 10:00 p.m.
From the National Weather Service: a few strong supercells will continue to push across central and southeast Illinois over the next 2 hours. Conditions remain favorable for all significant severe hazards associated with these supercells, including strong tornadoes.
Updated June 17 at 5:45 p.m.
Multiple tornado warnings have been posted for central Illinois. At 5:01, IPM meteorologist Andrew Pritchard said the tornado threat was steadily decreasing in Champaign County.
Updated June 17 at 2:35 p.m.
The National Weather Service has issued a tornado watch for parts of Illinois and Missouri until 10:00 p.m. The threat will increase across central Illinois from 3 to 5 p.m.
Updated June 17 at 2:00 p.m.
Additional thunderstorms will bring more rainfall throughout the afternoon and evening. Portions of central and southeastern Illinois face a moderate risk of flash flooding.The National Weather Service advises not to drive through flood waters.
The Urbana Park District will now close facilities at 3:00 p.m. today.
Updated June 17 at 1:00 p.m.
The National Weather Service has announced that as of 12:30 p.m., storms are continuing to the southeast. The strongest storm was approaching Effingham. Continued rainfall may lead to increased flood risk in other areas, including Champaign.
Due to continuing severe weather conditions, the City of Champaign facilities — including the City Building, the Champaign Public Library, the Equity and Engagement and Neighborhood Services Departments and the Public Works facility — will be closed starting at 1:00 p.m. today.
Lake Land College will close starting at 2:00 p.m. today. All classes and campus events will be canceled for the remainder of the day.
The Vermilion County Supervisor of Assessments office is closed for the remainder of the day.
Here’s the 12:01 p.m. update from Reginald Hardwick and from Meteorologist Andrew Pritchard.
Updated June 17 at 11:15 a.m.
Due to the forecast for severe weather, Urbana City Hall will close today at noon. Parkland College announced it will cancel all classes, programs, and services today at 2:00 p.m. The Board of Trustees meetings will also be postponed.
Here’s the 11:01 a.m. update from Meteorologist Andrew Pritchard.
Updated June 17 at 10:40 a.m.
The National Weather Service has issued a Tornado Watch for Champaign, Coles, De Witt, Douglas, Ford, Macon, Moultrie, Piatt and Vermilion Counties until 3:00 p.m.
The Champaign-Urbana Public Health District facility at 201 West Kenyon Road in Champaign has opened as an emergency shelter for people seeking a safe place to wait out the storms. All residents are welcome and it’s free. Service animals are allowed. Residents are encouraged to bring important documents, medications, phone chargers and any medical equipment that’s needed.
The Urbana Parks District will close all facilities today at 5:00 p.m. On the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign campus, the outdoor pool is closed for the day.
Storms are starting to move across the western regions of central Illinois.
Updated June 17 at 5:00 a.m.
National Weather Service in Central Illinois 4:00 a.m. Update: Stay weather aware all day long today and know where your safest shelter is when/if a warning is issued for your location today. An outbreak of severe weather is expected later today.
There is a Moderate Risk (level 4 of 5) of severe storms roughly I-72/Danville northward, with an Enhanced (level 3) to Slight (level 2) encompassing the rest of the region. Strong tornadoes, damaging winds, large hail, and flash flooding are all possible.
Updated June 16 at 7:00 p.m.
New post from IPM meteorologist Andrew Pritchard.
Updated June 16 at 3:45 p.m.
The National Weather Service has issued a Severe Thunderstorm Watch until Monday at 10:00 p.m. for Champaign, Coles, Douglas, Moultrie and Vermilion Counties. Strong rainstorms moved through Champaign-Urbana around 3:00 p.m. 
The bigger threat for severe weather is tomorrow. IPM meteorologist Andrew Pritchard has this updated forecast:
Updated June 16 at 10:20 a.m.
From IPM meteorologist Andrew Pritchard:
SEVERE WEATHER OUTBREAK LIKELY WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17: Take some time today to get prepared for tomorrow – we’ve just seen widespread severe weather take many of us off the grid over the last week. Take today to make sure your safe space is ready, and your flashlights, batteries, and portable charging packs are ready to go again.My goal isn’t to alarm anyone, but the severe weather setup over central Illinois tomorrow (Wednesday, June 17) is the real deal. We’re going to see springtime jet stream dynamics interacting with a June air mass, and weather forecast models are beginning to depict an outbreak of severe thunderstorms occurring across central Illinois (into neighboring Indiana) during the afternoon, evening, and early overnight hours.A few tornadoes appear likely across central Illinois, with the potential for a couple longer track, particularly damaging tornadoes. Damaging wind gusts and large hail would also be possible with the strongest storms. For now, this is all hypothetical potential, but the area of greatest potential is located over central Illinois and until we get to the other side of this storm system we’re going to need to be ready to go.I’ll break down timing, impacts, confidence again later today as we get another round of forecast guidance to examine. For now, the period from 2 PM to 12 AM on Wednesday should be circled on your calendar for potential severe weather impacts across the area.
