Salem Department of Emergency Management

05/01/2026

🚧 Traffic Notice in Salem this evening 🚧

Prom for Salem Community High School is this evening. Just like every year, Seneff St on the South side of the High School, will be closed for prom arrivals from approx 6:45-8pm.

Please use caution in the area.

05/01/2026

Public Assistance Needed


Press Release 5-1-2026

The Marion County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Kevin W. Cripps, is requesting the public’s assistance in locating 13-year-old Hope L. Ballard of rural Salem, Illinois.
Hope left her residence during the early morning hours of April 30, 2026 and is believed to have departed voluntarily. She is currently considered an Endangered Missing Person. The Marion County Sheriff’s Office has requested, and the State of Illinois has issued, an Endangered Missing Person Advisory for Hope Ballard.
Hope is described as approximately 5 feet tall, weighing 200 pounds, with hazel eyes and brown hair. She was last seen wearing a white shirt and pajama pants.
Investigators believe her possible destination may include the states of Virginia or Oklahoma.
Anyone with information regarding Hope’s whereabouts is urged to contact the Marion County Sheriff’s Office at 618-548-2141, notify their local law enforcement agency, or submit a tip through the Marion County Sheriff’s Office mobile application app.
Law enforcement will continue working diligently until Hope is located.

Sheriff Kevin W. Cripps

04/27/2026

04/27/2026

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61577823391051

The official page for the newly rebranded and reorganized Marion County Emergency Management Agency.

https://mcema.us/ -signup

04/17/2026

KLSX - Super-Res Reflectivity 1, 4:10 PM
Yellow polygons are severe thunderstorm warnings. No warnings in our immediate area at this time. A Tornado Watch is in effect until 11:00PM.

03/22/2026

Good morning.

A reminder to follow the new page for your daily updates:

Marion County IL Emergency Management Agency

03/21/2026

03/21/2026

⚠️ NOTICE TO FOLLOWERS ⚠️

There are currently 17,569 followers of this page.

As of today, we are transitioning to a new page because of a new partnership - taking your current Director and Deputy Director to the county level to lead a newly reformed and rebranded county-wide Emergency Management Agency.

This page will stay active for legal reasons for the City of Salem.

If you follow this for the live severe weather videos, daily weather updates, and public safety information, then you will want to follow our new page because everything will be done there.

Several people have already asked what this means. Behind the scenes it's complicated and there are a lot of moving parts - but it's simple for the public.

What you have seen and experienced and relied on from this page will be done by us - just at the county level now. Offering our services, experience, and training to all of Marion County residents and visitors.

This is not goodbye 😉 Thank you for all of the support and trust. We are just upping our game now!

Our resignations from the City are effective March 31, 2026.

Director Strong, Dep. Director Mansker, and Salem EMA Staff.

Like & Follow the new page:

https://www.facebook.com/share/1B8EYyCCJV/

03/21/2026

Detailed forecast for Marion County from the NWS St Louis.
*Today
Sunny. Highs in the mid 80s. East winds around 5 mph, becoming south this afternoon.
*Tonight
Mostly clear. Not as cool with lows in the lower 60s. South winds 5 to 10 mph.
*Sunday
Mostly sunny. A slight chance of showers in the afternoon. Highs in the mid 80s. Southwest winds 10 to 15 mph with gusts up to 25 mph. Chance of rain 20 percent.
*Sunday Night
Mostly cloudy with a chance of showers with a slight chance of thunderstorms in the evening, then partly cloudy after midnight. Much cooler. Less humid with lows in the upper 30s. North winds 15 to 20 mph with gusts up to 30 mph. Chance of rain 30 percent.
*Monday
Mostly sunny. Much cooler with highs in the mid 50s. North winds 5 to 10 mph.
*Monday Night And Tuesday
Mostly cloudy. Lows around 40. Highs around 60.
*Tuesday Night And Wednesday
Mostly cloudy. A 20 percent chance of showers. Lows in the mid 40s. Highs in the upper 60s.
*Wednesday Night
Mostly cloudy in the evening, then becoming partly cloudy. A 20 percent chance of showers. Not as cool with lows in the mid 50s.
*Thursday
Mostly sunny. A slight chance of showers in the afternoon. Not as cool with highs in the upper 70s. Chance of rain 20 percent.

03/20/2026

We are in store for a busy year......

STATE TORNADO COUNT IN 2026:

Its only March 20th, so the tornado season is still in its warm up phase but here is where we stand so far. and round out the top 3, with not far behind.

Note: These numbers are derived from survey tracks entered in the NWS DAT. Actual numbers could vary and does not reflect the total count for the country as a whole. Some tornadoes cross state lines and were counted twice (once for each state.)