Tornadoes confirmed in Illinois and Iowa amid Midwest severe weather

Confirmed tornadoes were reported in Illinois and Iowa Wednesday night as severe weather moved across a large part of the Midwest.

The National Weather Service said a confirmed tornado touched down near the small northeast Iowa community of Harpers Ferry at 5:10 p.m., while a second confirmed tornado moved through Charleston in central Illinois at about 6:40 p.m. local time.

Both tornadoes carried the weather service's "particularly dangerous situation" designation, a rare label used when strong and violent tornadoes are possible.

Photos and videos obtained by CBS News showed extensive damage in Charleston, including downed trees and power lines. The weather service also reported hail measuring 2.75 inches in the Charleston area.

"There are a large number of trees blocking roadways throughout Charleston at this time," Charleston police said in a Facebook post. "Unless it is an absolute emergency, do not drive or attempt to go anywhere."

The city of Charleston later declared a local state of emergency.

One cell phone video showed what appeared to be a large tornado moving through Effingham, Illinois, about 40 miles southwest of Charleston.

Larry Thies, coordinator for the Effingham Emergency Management Agency, told CBS News that initial reports indicated damaged buildings and trailers along with downed power lines and trees. He said officials were working to set up an emergency operations center but faced challenges because internet service was down in the area.

The full extent of damage across the region remained unclear. There were no immediate reports of injuries or fatalities. CBS News senior meteorologist Rob Marciano said at least seven tornadoes were reported during the event.

According to utility tracker PowerOutage.us, at least 55,000 customers were without power in Illinois.

Earlier Wednesday, Marciano said more than 125 million Americans faced severe weather advisories, including Gulf Coast states under flood alerts from Tropical Storm Arthur. Speaking on "CBS Evening News," he noted that such strong tornado conditions are rare for June.

"This is unique for June, this is unusual to have such a strong jet stream just screaming across the country, then you've got the summertime tropical moisture coming in…and then some cold air coming in," Marciano said. "And winds coming at different direction, at different levels, creating that spin. So what that equates to is really the high probability of seeing, not just tornadoes, but intense tornadoes of EF2 strength or higher on the ground for a long time. And also damaging winds at 75 mph or higher, and of course big time hail."