Strong winds bring down trees, power lines in Saline County

SALINE COUNTY - Fierce winds tore through Saline County Tuesday afternoon, but damage appeared to be limited mostly to trees.

At 4 p.m., the Saline County Sheriff's Office issued a severe thunderstorm alert through its Nixle system.

Saline County Engineer Jeff Jones said the county's highway department had to cut up and remove two large trees downed on Tuller Road, south of Carrier Mills. Additional damage in that area appeared to be limited to a high number of smaller limbs downed, Jones said.

Several homeowners in rural areas also reported power outages. In the Rudement area, some residents were without power from about 6 p.m. to 8:50 p.m. Tuesday evening.

The late-afternoon thunderstorm was one of several throughout the day on Tuesday. In Williamson County, unusual cloud formations were seen, though there were few reports of damage.

The storms that blasted through southern Illinois were part of a larger storm system that rolled across most of the state.

In Anna, heavy rains caused flash flooding.

According to a National Weather Service report, storms dumped anywhere between 2 and 4 inches of rain in areas, causing flash flooding in several spots. Additionally, two brief tornadoes were observed in northern Illinois counties, though there were no reports of damage as a result.