NOISY STORMS DO LITTLE DAMAGE

A few hours of severe storms Saturday evening blocked off a few streets and knocked over trees and some power lines in the region, but did little lasting damage, authorities reported.

Watches for severe thunderstorms with high winds gusting up to 45 miles an hour were announced by the National Weather Service for much of Southeast Missouri and southern Illinois early Saturday evening. The first tornado watch of the year was also in effect for a few Bootheel counties.

Power to some residents in Metropolis, Ill., was lost when a tree knocked down power lines, but Illinois State Police reported no injuries.

Numerous reports of trees blocking roads were made around Southeast Missouri, the highway patrol said, but the consequences were not severe.

County Road 439 in Cape Girardeau County was blocked, but only for a short time, the sheriff's department reported.

The severe thunderstorm watch for the area was cancelled by 9 p.m.