FAYETTE COUNTY, Ill. – The storm, which intensified into a swirling mass of clouds, brought large hail, wall clouds and strong winds as it tracked across the Bistate area. It was closely monitored by the Woods Basement Systems Storm Runner.

Fayette County Sheriff Ronnie Stevens confirmed that several buildings suffered significant damage and numerous trees were toppled. Fortunately, there were no injuries reported.

The storm initially developed in Jefferson County and tracked from across I-64 up to near Effingham by early evening. It came close to producing a tornado several times but would weaken and recycle before doing so.

After passing Carlyle Lake, the storm moved into southern Fayette County, where it finally produced a tornado that touched down several miles south of Vandalia near the town of Shobonier along Highway 51.

The National Weather Service plans to survey the damage on Thursday morning to assess the full impact of the storm.

All facts from this article were gathered by KTVI journalists. This article was converted into this format with assistance from artificial intelligence.  It has been edited and approved by KTVI staff.