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Thunderstorms and Heavy Rain Across the Southern and Eastern US; Heat and Fire Weather Concerns in the West

Showers and thunderstorms are expected across the southern and eastern US this week, with heavy rain and localized flooding, particularly near the Gulf Coast. Monsoonal moisture will bring rain and potential flooding to parts of the Southwest. Heat and fire weather threats will continue to impact the West. Read More >

Overview

Just a week removed from an early season blizzard, a late season severe weather outbreak resulted in several tornadoes across central and southwest Illinois on December 1st. Storm surveys and reports have indicated that 29 tornadoes occurred across the state, the largest December outbreak since 1957. The town of Taylorville, located southeast of Springfield in Christian County, was hardest hit. This particular supercell took a long path from the eastern fringes of the St. Louis metro area, to east of Bloomington. Other supercells tracked up the Illinois River valley in west central Illinois.

This page will continue to be updated over the next few days. Check back for the latest information. 

Information on the event from other NWS offices:

Beardstown tornado at 3:25 pm. Photo by Andrew Pritchard.
Near Beardstown at 3:25 pm (photo copyright Andrew Pritchard)
Drone imagery over Taylorville. Photo by Kevin Lighty. Track Map of All Tornadoes Tornado near Taylorville. Photo by Robert Wolfe.
Taylorville (photo copyright Kevin Lighty) Track map of all tornadoes Taylorville (photo copyright Robert Wolfe)
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