Tornado Warning Issued Monday Afternoon by Weather Service Was Caused by Radar Image

The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for central Effingham County briefly Monday afternoon, but the warning was cancelled shortly after it was issued.

When we spoke with a staff member at the Weather Service, they indicated the warning was issued due to a radar image indicated rotation seen in a tornado. There was no spotting of severe weather by any local officials.

Since nothing was spotted locally, the weather warning sirens in Effingham and in most of the county were not sounded. Effingham County 911 System Administrator Jodi Moomaw, who is Director of Telecommunications for the Effingham Police Department, said no severe weather was spotted and no high winds were present, so the sirens were not sounded. Moomaw said the City's policy of sounding the sirens whenever a warning is issued was changed in recent years after one season where warnings were a common occurrence and the sirens were sounded on a frequent basis.

Moomaw said there are often occurrences where weather systems will come through the northwest part of the county but will travel north as well as east so they are not a threat to the City, so sirens are not sounded in Effingham.

There was a storm sufficient to cause some damage in Dieterich as the system went through Monday afternoon. Effingham County Sheriff's Department reports the damage they've been informed about involved downed tree limbs and power lines, and they have not heard of damage to any structures.