Severe storms roar through region Halloween night

The weather brought more tricks than treats to Southeast Missouri on Halloween night as severe storms swept through the area, bringing hail, heavy rain and reports of property damage across the region.

More than 2,000 Ameren Missouri customers in Cape Girardeau County and 134 customers in Scott County were without electricity Thursday night after the storms knocked down power lines throughout the area. By midnight, the number in Cape Girardeau had fallen to about 850.

Ameren spokesman Bryan Daniels said the company hoped to have most customers' power back on overnight, although some isolated outages could remain by morning.

Central football fans take shelter in the school's gym as severe weather forced a delay in the Tigers' playoff football game against Farmington on Thursday at Central High School in Cape Girardeau. (Adam Vogler)

"Our crews will be working throughout the night to restore power as safely and as soon as possible," he said.

Daniels said most of the outages in Cape Girardeau were on the south side of town.

By 9:30 p.m., most of Kingshighway south of Bloomfield Road was dark, with a few scattered outages to the north, including a stretch of businesses on the west side of Kingshighway between Independence and Good Hope streets.

In a news release issued about 10:15 p.m., the city of Cape Girardeau reported large trees and limbs blocking part of Bloomfield Road and road closures on Locust Street, in the 900 block of Ranney Avenue and in the 1200 block of Pacific Street, where downed power lines were crossing the streets. Bloomfield Road had been cleared by 11 p.m. Thursday.

At the height of the storm, the National Weather Service reported winds up to 51 mph in Marble Hill, Mo., and up to 60 mph in Stoddard County, with widespread power outages in Bernie, Mo.

In Cape Girardeau

County, a tornado watch that had been in effect for most of the evening was upgraded to a warning about 7:15 p.m.

Terrified fans at a Cape Girardeau Central High School football game fled 70-mph winds that pelted them with rain as they scrambled to take shelter in the gym.

The National Weather Service reported widespread small hail along Kingshighway and tree debris slowing traffic on Interstate 55, where a tractor-trailer blew over near mile marker 96.

Shortly before 7:30 p.m., the National Weather Service reported the southern half of Cape Girardeau was "really under the gun," police scanner traffic indicated.

A few minutes later, the tornado warning was canceled for Cape Girardeau as the storm moved across the Mississippi River toward East Cape Girardeau, Ill., leaving a mess in its wake.

Scanner traffic reported damage extending from Bollinger County south to Cape Girardeau.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol responded to reports of damage to a residence on County Road 228 south of Jackson, the National Weather Service reported.

Leopold, Mo., in southern Bollinger County received heavy damage, with trees and limbs down all over the area, some blocking roads, the National Weather Service reported.

In Cape Girardeau, fallen tree limbs rendered county roads 205, 206 and 208 impassable, and downed power lines were reported on Southern Expressway, Morgan Oak Street, South Benton Street and South Pacific Street.

By 9 p.m., most of the major thoroughfares in town appeared to be clear. Vehicles filled the parking lots at establishments on Independence Street and lined both sides of Main Street, where the neon lights burned as brightly as usual.

Staff photographer Adam Vogler contributed some information for this story.

epriddy@semissourian.com

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