LOYAL. LOCAL. COMPLETE.
A derecho storm swept through Edgar County Thursday with shock and awe and left the county without power, damaging homes and agricultural crops.
Trees throughout the county were uprooted and thrown onto streets and highways blocking traffic and damaging the Edgar County Courthouse tower, ripping a portion of the metal work and two windows on the south side of the building.
WTHI meteorologist Everett Lau said weather spotters in the area reported wind gusts of 70-80 miles per hour during the storm which entered the county just before 2 p.m. Thursday.
Lau said, unfortunately, the official measurements usually available for reporting at area airports, including the Edgar County Airport, quit recording when the wall cloud moved through at 85 miles per hour.
A derecho is a widespread thunderstorm complex, but its severity, distance and duration make this weather phenomenon stand out from the more typical spring and summer storms, Lau noted. The term “derecho” is derived from the Spanish adverb which means “straight” in English. The term tornado in Spanish means “to turn.”
Even though derechos can produce isolated tornadoes with twisting and turning winds, damage is most often like a thunderstorm downburst. Winds during a thunderstorm downburst tend to push and/or knock objects over, such as trees and power lines, in a straight line.
Lau noted, however, while damage from a thunderstorm downburst may occur over a few miles or less, the damage produced by a derecho occurs over a much broader scale.
Historically, the definition dictated that severe, damaging, straight-line winds had occurred along a continuous 240-mile-long path or greater. In 2021 the Storm Prediction Center (SPC) updated its definition to «400 miles (about 650 km) with a width of at least 60 miles (about 100 km).» A derecho must include wind gusts of at least 58 mph or greater along most of its path, SPC adds.
Thursday’s derecho was 500 miles stretching from the central Plains before moving into west-central Illinois.
Whatever the name Thursday’s weather even is given, it left Edgar County looking like a war zone and all residents, except those with generators, without power.
Paris Mayor Craig Smith said city crews supervised by Chris Redman and Steve Kemper have been working 24-7 in shifts to clean up the mess.
“Our crews will be out at 5 a.m. again this morning (Saturday) and will continue to work as long as necessary,” Smith said.
The power problems, Smith emphasized, fall squarely on Ameren.
“They have two guys in Paris working to restore power,” he said. “There are 30 in Mattoon.”
The workers in Mattoon are working to get the power grid up and running, Smith said.
The utility company does not have enough workers available to get all residents up and running, he said. Smith explained the linemen must go house-to-house and make sure the lines are OK to send power to the homes. The problem is several lines have limbs and trees on them, which must be cleared.
Smith said he hopes people understand this a phenomenon and something the city crews can’t touch.
There was a priority set up for reconnecting residents beginning with Horizon Health, local nursing homes and senior living facilities as well as the water pumps and making sure the water tower is operational. The fire department training center is being used by ESDA so those without power who need support for oxygen or other medical necessities can be cared for, Smith said.
Of great concern, the mayor said, are storms which are expected early Saturday and throughout the day.
Lau said the overnight storms on Friday were expected to be mainly rain events, but Saturday’s storms could include winds.
Paris, Chrisman, Redmon, Kansas, Hume, Metcalf, Brocton and Vermilion were slammed by the storm but so were
rural residents as well. Crop damage is reported throughout the county mostly corn which was blown over during the storm.
In addition to crop damage, several bins were damaged during the storm, bending the walls from top to bottom.
Smith said residents are asked to bring their tree limbs and other storm damage to the curb for pickup by city crews.
“Honestly, I don’t know how long this clean-up is going to take,” he concluded. Crews are working to clear Twin Lakes Park ahead of Tuesday’s Fourth of July holiday.