Two killed and several injured as tornado rips through southern Illinois

A powerful tornado tore through rural southern Illinois on Sunday evening, leaving a trail of destruction and claiming the lives of two residents. The storm struck Mount Vernon, where Sheriff Jeff Bullard confirmed the fatalities of Sarita Kimble, 62, and Delores Shelton, 83. Both women were in separate structures that were completely leveled by the tornado.

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two older residents were killed and at least five other people were injured in a tornado that ripped through a rural county and destroyed several buildings on Sunday evening.

At least five other individuals sustained injuries, though their conditions were not life-threatening, according to the sheriff's office. Social media images depicted the damage in Mount Vernon, with videos showing a funnel cloud over the city. The tornado reportedly touched down around 5 p.m. Sunday, destroying at least three mobile homes.

This incident adds to a series of severe weather events. Earlier on Saturday, a man in Sedgwick, Kansas, died when his mobile home was torn apart by a tornado. Illinois has already experienced an unprecedented number of tornado reports in 2026, with 164 sightings recorded up to last Thursday, surpassing all previous years since records began.

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The fatalities occurred in Mount Vernon, Sheriff Jeff Bullard of Jefferson county said on Monday. He identified the victims as Sarita Kimble, 62, and Delores Shelton, 83, who were inside separate structures leveled by the tornado.

Meteorologists note that the current year's weather patterns have favored storms in Illinois, with drought conditions in the western U.S. contributing to warmer air aloft over Texas and Oklahoma, thus limiting severe weather in the southern regions. Nationwide, over 1,000 tornadoes have been reported in 2026, with 40 classified as highly destructive.

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The dynamics this year have favored Illinois, with storms staying to the north of Texas and Oklahoma. Additionally, the drought in the western US sent a lot of warm air aloft across Texas and Oklahoma, which has helped to limit the overall severe weather across the south.