A large wedge tornado was spotted in Washburn, in Woodford and Marshall counties, Illinois, on Thursday afternoon.
The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a Tornado Watch covering18 counties across central, east-central, north-central and northeast Illinois.
A tornado warning was issued until 5:45pm CDT for parts of central Illinois, including Lacon, Washburn and Toluca. The NWS warned of a damaging tornado, possible quarter-size hail, and urged residents to seek shelter immediately.
Amid that, the wedge tornado was spotted near Washburn.
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Here's a video of the large twister:
The NWS has called it a Potentially Destructive Situation (PDS). People on the path of the tornado could be a life-threatening situation, the NWS said.
{{/usCountry}}The NWS has called it a Potentially Destructive Situation (PDS). People on the path of the tornado could be a life-threatening situation, the NWS said.
{{/usCountry}}Here are two more videos of the scary twister observed this afternoon over Washburn.
Washburn Tornado Path
Newsweek reports that the NWS office in Lincoln has confirmed that the tornado was spotted in Washburn, around seven miles east of Chillicothe. It originated around 5:01pm CDT and was moving northeast at a speed of 45mph.
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Areas such as Washburn, Varna, Toluca and Wenona were on the path of the tornado, the NWS said. Additional impact could also take place in the areas of La Rose, Low Point and Lake Wildwood.
An update from the NWS's Storm Prediction Center read: "A strong tornado is likely ongoing across Woodford County, Illinois. The strong tornado threat from this storm is expected to continue for several more hours as it moves northeast. A debris ball has developed within a low-reflectivity hook echo on radar west of Washburn, Illinois at 6:05 EDT. Washburn Co. is just northeast of Peoria IL and roughly 115 miles southwest of Chicago."
The NWS noted that there could be significant damages caused by the tornado.