Thursday storms pack a punch

(Storm damage visible in Chenoa early Friday, courtesy of Clayton Bracken Jr.)

Central Illinois residents are waking up to a mess.

Storms with strong winds Thursday evening toppled trees, downed power lines and caused some other damage in the area. Several power outages were reported in various towns and some were without power throughout the night.

State Police Troop 5 personnel were on the scene of an incident on Interstate 55 late Thursday night where two commercial vehicles overturned on the southbound lanes at milepost 186 near Chenoa. Southbound I-55 was completely blocked. Traffic was re-routed onto Route 66 at the Chenoa exit.

Additionally, State Police were on the scene of another commercial motor vehicle that overturned on I-55 northbound at I-74 westbound. The vehicle was off of the roadway.