A tornado touched down in Jefferson County in southern Illinois, killing two people, authorities announced.
The victims were in separate homes that were destroyed in the storm Sunday. Five others were taken to hospitals for non-life-threatening injuries.
The names of the victims were not released.
The tornado touched down after 5 p.m. CDT in northeastern Jefferson County, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office said. At least three homes were destroyed by 9 p.m. CDT.
At least three roads were closed due to fallen trees in Jefferson County.
The Weather Prediction Center said there were at least 13 reports of tornadic activity or damage on Sunday. Tornado warnings extended into southern and central Indiana.
“That doesn’t mean that it’s 13 different tornadoes,” said Scott Kleebauer, meteorologist with the Prediction Center. “Some of them are probably from the same tornado, but still, 13 is pretty significant across one small area of Illinois.”
Sunday’s tornadoes were largely part of the same storm system.
Another tornado was sighted in Marion County, Ill., after 6 p.m. CDT. It was observed traveling east at about 35 mph.
The National Weather Service has not reported how strong the tornadoes were, however at least one was deemed “extremely dangerous.”
Earlier this month, a storm system produced more than 20 tornadoes across Illinois and northwest Indiana.
