Officials - Tornado did strike area Saturday

The storm rotation that forecasters' radar picked up Saturday night in Cape Girardeau County was a tornado after all.

The National Weather Service in Paducah, Ky., sent personnel to Cape Girardeau County Wednesday who then told county officials Thursday that a tornado touched down between Crump and Tilsit, two tiny unincorporated villages southwest of Jackson.

Charlie Griffith, deputy director of the Cape Girardeau County Emergency Operation Center, said the tornado produced winds of 130 mph and was classified as an F-2. Tornadoes fall in five categories, with F-1 being the weakest and F-5 being the strongest.

The path was up to 200 yards wide and five miles long. Most of the damage occurred in wooded areas, where hundreds of trees and some homes were damaged, Griffith said.

Tammy Johnston, who lives with her husband, Mike, on County Road 379 in Crump, said the twister took the roof completely off their house and tore off the aluminum siding.-- Southeast Missourian

Visit the National Weather Service website for photos of the damage and more information