IT WAS A DERECHO (deh-REY-cho) THAT SWEPT THROUGH THE CENTRAL PART OF THE STATE YESTERDAY. 

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DEFINES A DERECHO AS A WIDESPREAD, LONG-LIVED WIND STORM THAT IS ASSOCIATED WITH A BAND OF RAPIDLY MOVING SHOWERS OR THUNDERSTORMS. THURSDAY'S STORMS LEFT THOUSANDS WITHOUT POWER, SEMI'S OVERTURNED ON THE HIGHWAY AND TREE LIMBS STREWN ACROSS YARDS AND STREETS. THE ONLY GOOD NEWS IS THAT ALONG WITH THE DAMAGE, CAME MUCH NEEDED RAIN SAYS STATE CLIMATOLOGIST TRENT FORD.

FORD SAYS WIND GUSTS WERE REPORTED TO EXCEED 80 MILES PER HOUR FROM THE IOWA TO INDIANA BORDER AND REACHED AN ESTIMATED 100 MILES PER HOUR IN A FEW AREAS OF HANCOCK, WARREN AND MCDONOUGH COUNTIES.

THE STORMS DID BRING SOME MUCH NEEDED RAINFALL. WIDESPREAD TOTALS EXCEED MORE THAN THREE QUARTERS OF AN INCH FROM THE QUAD CITIES TO THE INDIANA BORDER, WITH A FEW SPOTS AROUND BLOOMINGTON NORMAL GETTING MORE THAN TWO INCHES OF RAIN.