Central Illinois Faces Friday Afternoon Storms, Tornadoes and Floods

Meteorologist Andrew Pritchard took this picture of a tornado near Cisco on June 25, 2021.

Updated Friday at 10:50 p.m.

Updated Friday at 10:22 p.m.

Updated Friday at 8:56 p.m.

Updated Friday at 8:52 p.m.

Updated Friday at 8:32 p.m.

Updated Friday at 8:21 p.m.

Updated Friday at 8:18 p.m.

Updated Friday at 8:00 p.m.

There are no reports of major damage or injuries after a brief tornado in Central Illinois on Friday evening. Illinois Public Media Meteorologist Andrew Pritchard spotted the brief tornado just between 6:45 and 7:00 p.m. near Cisco in Piatt County. Earlier in the evening, the National Weather Service issued a Severe Thunderstorm Watch for central Illinois, including Champaign-Urbana, Decatur, Danville, Springfield and more cities until 11:00 p.m. Conditions could produce large hail, high winds and an occassional tornado.

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