Weather whiplash across Southern Illinois

Tornado sirens wailed across Du Quoin and Pinckneyville Tuesday night after the National Weather Service issued tornado warnings for Perry and surrounding counties shortly after 9 p.m.

Temperatures dropped a full 10 degrees in five minutes in the Campbell Hill area as an incoming cold front met a warm front hanging over west-central Illinois.

The winds gusting to 52 mph in Du Quoin resulted in much of Rt. 51 South going dark. Ameren line trucks were at the Olive Street substation shortly after 10:45 p.m. as linemen reset fuses after repairs were made. Lights began coming back on south of Du Quoin around 11 p.m.

Du Quoin Indian fans leaving the girls' games against Pinckneyville and boys' games against West Frankfort were met by heavy lightning outside.

Parts of Old Du Quoin were without power after a tree fell on lines along Black Sop road. A tree also fell on Rt. 154 west of Pinckneyville, causing power outages for some.

West of Du Quoin, a porch was damaged. Lawn furniture and trampolines disappeared from yards during the high winds. The awning at Moto Mart was damaged. But, places like Metropolis and Galatia saw the worst of the storm.