© WGN-TV / April 20, 2011Storm damage near Litchfield, Ill.
Severe storms raked portions of southern and central Illinois late Tuesday, damaging homes, blowing rail cars off of tracks and leaving thousands of people without power.
Several tornadoes were reported, but there were no reports of injuries. The storm also pelted the region with golf ball-sized hail and driving rain.
More than 48,000 electric customers in central and southern Illinois are without power.
In northern Illinois, torrential rainfall and hail forced the cancellation of about 450 flights at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. Midway International Airport was reporting delays of up to 30 minutes.
Some of the worst damage was in Girard, about 20 miles south of Springfield. Fire Chief Gary Otten says about 15 homes were damaged and many may be beyond repair. Otten said two barns also were destroyed.
"It's pretty clear to us it was a tornado - at least one, maybe two," said Girard Emergency Management Director Jim Pitchford.
The National Weather Service in Lincoln says it isn't yet clear if straight-line winds or tornadoes caused the damage. Trained weather spotters did report seeing funnel clouds and tornados.
