No tornadoes reported in Macon County during Friday night storms

A thunderstorm and high winds with gusts as high as 60 mph moved through Decatur and Macon County overnight, but there were no confirmed tornadoes, said Mike Albano, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Lincoln. “We had seen that radar indicated rotation from Macon through Mount Zion and the far eastern limits of Decatur proper,” Albano said. “I do believe that there were 50 to 60 mph winds associated with that, as the broader line went through.

There was a little pocket of rotation to the east side of Decatur, but no confirmed tornado at this time. Further south, outside of Macon County, there was a confirmed tornado near the Cumberland and Coles county line in the City of Neoga. The elementary school had extensive roof damage and we have a survey team dispatched to Cumberland and Coles County.



” Neoga school district posted on Facebook that there was "substantial damage" to both the elementary and junior/senior high school buildings and asked the community to avoid the area while maintenance, cleanup crews and insurance representatives assess the damage. The Decatur Police Department had a report of a couple of traffic standards knocked over in the winds, but nothing significant, and the Macon County Sheriff's Department had no reports of damage. Saturday's weather will continue to be windy and hazy, Albano said, and the haze is due to dust picked up by winds as they moved across the country, with some of that dust coming from as far away as New Mexico and Texas.

The dust in the air could cause health issues for people who are sensitive to poor quality air..