A tornado warning has been issued for Urbana and Champaign in Illinois by the National Weather Service. “Tornado Warning continues for Champaign IL, Urbana IL and Savoy IL until 10:30 PM CDT,” the post read.
Others sounded the alarm as well. A WCIA-3 meteorologist shared “Confirmed tornado heading towards Macomb and the campus of Western Illinois University now. If you know anyone that way, tell them to shelter up now! Storms remain off to our west, but obviously quite intense.”
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Mayor DeShawn Williams of Urbana warned “Please seek shelter immediately and be safe. We are under a tornado warning until 10:30 PM.”
Scary visuals from Lena, Rockton tornados
The tornado which made landfall in Lena caused some damage and several people shared scary visuals, prompting concern among those in the areas under tornado warning.
One person shared visuals of the storm entering Lena. Another visual came from Rockton.
Another person shared a photo of the tornado from Lena. “Heres another tornado that we documented across northern Illinois this afternoon. This tornado moved into the town of Lena, IL around 3:45 PM causing significant damage,” they wrote.
People expressed concerns online. “It’s crazy!! That wind is strong,” one person commented. A worried person stated “My family lives in mattoon Illinois and my staff lives in mattoon Illinois and they have to work in mattoon Illinois and then some of my family lives in Charleston Illinois and some of my staff lives in Charleston Illinois so I have to tell them to be careful because of the weather outside right now.”
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign: Tornado safety
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign also comes under the tornado watch area. It’s college of engineering has safe spaces marked out. “The designated tornado shelters for Newmark Lab and Hydrosystems Lab are the basements of the buildings. Please take a moment to identify the quickest way to the designated area in your building,” the page reads.
On the topic of announcements for those on campus, it states “Announcements are made on the radio and television when Champaign County is under a Tornado Watch. The campus Telephone Alert System will be activated on any Tornado Watch Condition during business hours. Each department will be contacted; this may not include each individual building.”
“We will attempt to notify each area by phone if a tornado has been sighted in the area. However, we urge you to use your best judgment when deciding to take shelter. If you are concerned for your safety, take shelter,” the message from the university further reads.
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