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GRAFTON — Wind damage heavily impacted Drifters Bar and Grill and a nearby guest house early in the morning on Wednesday, March 11, 2026, in Grafton, with the National Weather Service in St. Louis considering whether a tornado may have been involved, officials said.
Mayor Mike Morrow said Drifters Bar and Grill at 1505 W. Main St. was “pretty much destroyed" by the winds, with the roof taken off and water damage throughout the interior. He said debris also damaged nearby properties, including Dee’s Riverside Retreat at 1446 W. Main St.
Stacey Jackson, a Grafton homeowner across the street from Drifters, told Morrow she woke up to “one of the most horrible sounds” she had ever heard, describing “devastating winds” and “howling screams and whistling sounds of the winds going through.”
Brad Charboneaugh, lead meteorologist for the National Weather Service in St. Louis, said a storm team may visit Grafton “today to assess the damage and see if it was a tornado" that ripped through Grafton.
Mayor Morrow described damage extending beyond Drifters in the city. He said blowing debris affected “the front door and front facade of Dee’s Retreats,” and that debris was seen “all the way up on top of the bluff area,” with “things hanging.” He said damage was scattered to the east side of the area, with trees knocked out and “two houses, garage doors blown out.”
Morrow said “another tree came across power lines,” and that Ameren Illinois “has been on the scene, and was taking care of it.”
Morrow said Grafton police “were immediately on the scene,” and that “traffic is getting through.” He said businesses were open “except for Drifters and Dee’s Retreats.”
Morrow said “Terry and Adrian of Drifters” were waiting for their insurance company to arrive. “It is just sad,” he said, adding there was “water and glass everywhere.”
