Weather

U.S. Rep. Eric Sorensen has been tabbed to lead a new legislative panel on weather preparedness.

An air quality alert is in effect Monday for a second straight day in Bloomington-Normal and most of Illinois, as smoke from Canadian wildfires drifts into the U.S. The air quality locally was deemed Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups.

The proclamation must be approved at the federal level before McLean County will have an opportunity to receive aid.

The National Weather Service is preparing for the possibility of two rounds of severe storms on Wednesday, less than one week after nine confirmed tornadoes tore through the region.

The National Weather Service has preliminary confirmation of nine tornadoes in Central Illinois on Wednesday and Thursday of last week.

Chainsaws and wood chippers could be heard around Bloomington-Normal on Friday as residents, public works crews, and tree services picked up the pieces left behind by strong storms Thursday night.

McLean County is facing an enhanced risk of severe weather (Level 3/4 of 5) for a storm expected to hit between 5 p.m. to midnight Thursday.

The federal Small Business Administration said McLean County failed to qualify 25 homes for low-interest loans for home repair, finding not enough hit the agency's threshold for assistance.

Here we go again: McLean County and the rest of Illinois will be at an enhanced risk of severe storms Monday. Very large hail, damaging wind gusts up to 70 mph, and tornadoes are all possible, according to the National Weather Service.

The Town of Normal has collected more storm debris in less than a week than all the waste it hauled away in March.