This rather large tree fell across Beaumont Avenue, on the west side of the intersection at Elm street, completely blocking Beaumont, and resting upon what appeared to be cable and telephone lines. City of Greenville employees and equipment were arriving on scene as the picture was taken.
Picture courtesy of Bruce Volkers
BOND COUNTY FAIR PARADE CUT SHORT BY TORNADO WARNING
For the first time anyone we talked to could remember, the Bond County Fair Parade came to a halt last night as Bond and surrounding counties came under a tornado warning 15 minutes after the start of the parade.
Thousands of fairgoers sought shelter on fairground property. Winds, predicted to be as high as 80 miles an hour, and heavy rain and lighting, hit the fairgrounds about 7:20. The top blew off the Bradford Bank float. Power lines and trees blew over throughout Greenville.
Greenville dispatcher, Kenley Willis, witnessed a huge tree fall on Beaumont, barely missing several passing cars. It took city workers until early this morning to remove that tree. Greenville police report a tree on a house on Wyatt Street and power lines down and sparking throughout the city.
In the midst of the storm, a semi jackknifed on I-70 eastbound, near Sugarloaf Road, stopping I-70 traffic. No injuries were reported in that accident. A transformer was reported on fire near Pocahontas and power lines were down throughout the county. Streets were blocked by downed trees.
This morning, 133 Greenville Ameran customers are still without power, 130 in Mulberry Grove, and Hillsboro has 440 customers without power. Hillsboro police report many limbs down.
A possible tornado was reported in Montgomery County and many power poles were sheared in two, but so far, Bond, Montgomery, Madison, Clinton and Fayette Counties are reporting no injuries from last night's storm.
Mt. Olive police, in Macoupin County, had damage reported that may have been from a tornado. In that community, power lines are down and trees uprooted. It was ,according to the city dispatcher, an ugly mess in Mt. Olive but no injuries have been reported.
Southwestern Electric reports they are working on power outages in both Bond and Madison Counties.
Once again the Bond County Fair parade was a wash shortly after it's 7PM start last night, thanks to one powerful storm system that rolled across Illinois and Missouri.
RAIN TOTALS
Here are the rain totals for Tuesday evening and overnight, taken at 6:00 am this morning. 1.32 inches of rain were recorded at the Sewer Plant, 1.4 inches at 6th Street and 1.29 at Idler Lane and Rt. 140.
BOND COUNTY 4-H AUCTION HELD MONDAY NIGHT
It was another successful 4-H Auction Monday night at the Bond County
Fair. 14 steers, 27 barrows and several lambs, rabbits, chickens and dairy products, produced by Bond County 4-H members were auctioned off in the Hog and Sheep Show Ring, at the fair. Buyers spend a total of $58,939.95 at Mnday nights auction. Congratulations to all Bond County 4-H members and the organizers, volunteers and bidders at Monday nights Bond County 4-H Auction.
