Storm damage snaps poles, knocks out power in Jacksonville, Morgan County

Strong winds from severe thunderstorms knocked out power across Jacksonville and much of Morgan County after snapping poles, dropping traffic lights and scattering tree damage along West Morton Avenue between U.S. 67 and Massey Lane. More than 3,600 Ameren Illinois customers were still without electricity into the afternoon as crews worked the corridor and nearby neighborhoods.

A preliminary National Weather Service local storm report logged the damage at 12:25 p.m. on May 16, 2026, and listed snapped power poles, downed traffic lights and large trees downed in the stretch of road that carries heavy traffic through Jacksonville and South Jacksonville. The Jacksonville/Morgan County Office of Emergency Management confirmed storm damage along West Morton Avenue, where photos from the scene showed broken utility poles, damaged trees and traffic signals out of service.

WCIA meteorologist Jacob Dickey said the pattern pointed to a downburst from a weakening thunderstorm rather than a radar-indicated severe storm. That matched what residents saw on the ground: several businesses in the area lost power, and the entrance to Walmart in Jacksonville was blocked off while crews handled repairs and cleared the scene.

Officials asked the public to avoid the damaged area while utility workers and emergency crews moved through the corridor. By 4:30 p.m. Saturday, most of the outages had been restored, easing the immediate strain on stores, drivers and households that had been left in the dark earlier in the day.

The storm came as central Illinois was already facing another round of unsettled weather. The National Weather Service hazardous weather outlook issued May 17 warned of additional thunderstorms, gusty winds, hail and isolated tornadoes across the region later that day and into the following days, keeping Morgan County in a zone of continued concern.

The May 16 damage also fit a pattern Jacksonville knows too well. National Weather Service Central Illinois event summaries list a severe-weather outbreak on June 18, 2025, that left more than 11,000 customers without power and damaged the west side of Jacksonville. For Morgan County, the latest round of pole damage and outages was a reminder that one burst of wind can still knock out traffic control, disrupt retail access and stretch repair crews across a wide swath of the county.