A winter storm passed through southern Illinois on the night of Jan. 4 and 5, leaving behind snow, ice and fallen tree branches. Towns throughout southern Illinois, southwest Indiana, southeast Missouri, and northwest Kentucky were affected by the storm damage, including Herrin.
According to the National Weather Service, some areas received up to four to eight inches of snow. This snow, along with the ice and wind caused power outages in the storm’s path. According to the National Weather Service, over 100,00 residents were affected by power outages the night of Jan. 5 and the morning of Jan. 6.
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In Herrin, downed branches caused some roads to be impassable and affected telephone and powerlines. Three telephone poles fell down near the emergency vehicle exit at the Herrin hospital, causing road closures and detours on Harrison Street. A block away, Peggy Trapani’s tree fell down on 12th street.
Trapani said that the tree fell Sunday night Jan. 5, 2025 around 8:30 to 9 pm. “We could hear the tree popping and cracking,” Trapani said.
The city moved the tree from the road Monday morning after the storm.“We had to move it. It was across the road, so the city had to come and move it,” Trapani said.
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“The city’s been great. It was sad to lose the tree,” Trapani said. “We’ve been here 42 years, and the tree was here a lot longer than that.”
The city will continue to clear roads and fallen trees and branches throughout Herrin.


(Enan Chediak)
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