Two rounds of severe weather left their mark on West Central Illinois this morning.
A round came through shortly after 1AM, dumping more than 2 inches of rain, 60+ mile per hour winds, and dime to quarter size hail. Multiple reports of downed trees, power lines, and damages to Downtown Jacksonville business facades were reported.
Morgan County Emergency Management Coordinator Phil McCarty urges everyone to take extra time in the morning commute this morning. He says crews have been out attempting to clear city streets in South Jacksonville and Jacksonville since 1:30AM after the storms went through.
Jacksonville School District 117’s Central Office, the Transitional Adult Program (T.A.P.) on Jacksonville’s Downtown Square, Crossroads Learning Center, Educational Daycare Center in South Jacksonville, and South Elementary School are all closed this morning due to power outages.
Portions of Springfield, including between Wabash Avenue and MacArthur Boulevard, were reported to be flooded. Several overpasses were said to have been flooded out. The National Weather Service had Flash Flood Warnings in effect in Sangamon and southern Menard counties until 8:15AM.
Ameren-Illinois’ outage map listed over 1,500 customers without power in the Jacksonville area around 6AM. Illinois Rural Electric also reported approximately 35 customers without power in its service area. The City of Roodhouse reported downed power lines this morning.
The Morgan County Jail and the Jacksonville Municipal Building were running on generators this morning due to the outages in the central portion of Jacksonville. McCarty says that Ameren-Illinois has not given a definite restoration time as of 6:30AM. McCarty wants to remind people to stay safe around downed power lines and to not go around barricaded streets where crews are working to clear debris and fix utility lines.
South Jacksonville Streets crews are out removing debris from curbside. Citizens are reminded to drag all their tree limbs to the curb if they would like them picked up.
If you have a power outage or a downed power line in Jacksonville or are an Ameren customer, you can report your outage at 1-800-755-5000.