Hail strikes in Scott County; twisters reported in Illinois

A cold front moving through Southeast Missouri brought severe weather to parts of Cape Girardeau and the surrounding counties Sunday afternoon.

The storm caused no serious damage in the area, although a few tree branches were down and some garbage cans blown over.

The National Weather Service in Paducah, Ky., issued tornado watches for Scott County and areas southeast of Cape Girardeau, which were pelted with hail and rain for about 30 minutes.

"It hailed like crazy here. It rained hard and fast, and the wind blew, but that was it," said Carol Carlisle, who was working at Amerimart in Benton, Mo., when the storm struck.

According to the National Weather Service, temperatures in the area dropped by as much as 20 degrees within a 20-minute span after the storm cell moved east.

Kelso, Mo., resident Clarence Staebel said the storm brought hail the size of marbles to his front yard.

"It was raining so hard, and the wind blowing, so that I couldn't see even that far," Staebel said, pointing to his neighbor's house about 100 yards away.

Two possible tornadoes were reported in Southern Illinois, but it won't be known until today whether they were tornadoes or strong winds, said Mike Nadolski of the National Weather Service.

The first was reported to hit at 1:46 p.m. around Elkville in Jackson County, and the second was reported to touch down at 1:51 p.m. near Royalton in Franklin County, Nadolski said. No damage was reported from either county.