A line of thunderstorms that swept through Greater Peoria on Thursday evening has left thousands with no electricity service.
As of 9 a.m. Friday, the Ameren Illinois outage map showed more than 22,300 customers without power across the Peoria, Pekin, Morton and Eureka areas.
A map pinpointing severe storm reports on the National Weather Service website showed a possible tornado just west of Deer Creek around 6:20 p.m., and high winds in Peoria with a wind speed of almost 70 mph recorded at Gen. Wayne A. Downing Peoria International Airport.
Peoria Public Works department spokesperson Nick McMillion said they’ve received several reports of downed trees and limbs throughout the city, with the heaviest impact on the South Side and near the North Valley. A few trees were uprooted and blown over.
McMillion said crews have been working diligently to clear the streets and sidewalks, and the effort is expected to continue throughout the day. Residents are reminded to put any storm debris out for pickup on their regularly scheduled yard waste collection day.
He said about 10 signalized intersections around the city were not working of noon Friday, with restoration time based on when Ameren Illinois is able to restore the power.
Photos posted on many social sites, including the Tazewell County Emergency Management Facebook page, showed downed trees and other storm damage across the region.
Tazewell EMA director Dawn Cook said they are still assessing the extent of damage, with drone teams performing flyovers near Morton and Deer Creek.
A Peoria County spokesperson said the Peoria County Animal Protection Services [PCAPS] is without power. Also, the Peoria-Galesburg Trail is closed north of Brimfield between Illinois 78 and Elmore Road for flooding.
This story will be updated.
