Multiple tornado reports in counties northwest of Indianapolis
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Tornadoes and funnel clouds in a slow-moving storm sent people into safe spaces Friday night in counties northwest of Indianapolis, but little damage and no injuries have been reported.
The National Weather Service is expected to later confirm the tornadoes with surveys.
A severe thunderstorm watch was issued through midnight ET Friday for these Indiana counties: Benton, Carroll, Cass, Clinton, Elkhart, Fountain, Fulton, Howard, Jasper, Kosciusko, Lake, La Porte, Marshall, Miami, Montgomery, Newton, Parke, Porter, Pulaski, St. Joseph, Starke, Tippecanoe, Vermillion, Wabash, Warren and White.
The first report of a tornado on the ground came at 8:35 p.m. Friday from northeast of Dayton in Tippecanoe County, near the Carroll-Tippecanoe county line.
Tippecanoe County authorities said a barn on County Line Road East was damaged, and a tree fell on a pickup truck. Power lines were down in the area.
Ashley Brunton, who lives in rural Lafayette, shared with News 8 her photos from a neighbor’s farm on County Line Road East about 5 miles east of Lafayette.
Brunton said in a message on Facebook, “Experienced our first tornado! We took cover as soon as we spotted it, but as soon as it cleared we raced to the neighbors to check on them. They weren’t home, so we called them started assessing damage. We helped dig out 10 puppies from one collapsed barn and then helped catch chickens, ducks and goats. They had tons of help arrive quickly to help move cows to other barns. It’s amazing how fast people came together for them. We are so lucky to have zero damage.”
At 9:09 p.m., a tornado was reported on the ground 12 miles southwest of Walton, or 15 miles west of Kokomo, in southwest Carroll County, moving east at 20 mph. The Burlington Fire Department in Carroll County said about 10 p.m. in a message to News 8, “We are still collecting info on damage. No injuries reported in our area. We have some trees down and some power lines. Got pretty lucky
Most of the damage is further north in the county near Flora and out in the rural areas.”
The Carroll County Emergency Management Agency told News 8 about 11:30 p.m. Friday that one barn sustained substantial damage and two homes also were damaged.
At 9:15 p.m., a tornado was on the ground in western Howard County near 350 N 1350 W traveling northwest, said local emergency authorities. Howard County authorities initially reported no damage and no injures from the severe storm.
At 9:23 p.m., a tornado was on the ground 8 miles southwest of Walton, or 12 miles south of Logansport, moving northeast at 20 mph.
Then shortly before 10 p.m., Cass County EMA director Alvin Beckman told News 8 by phone that multiple funnel clouds and possible tornado touchdowns were reported. No damage or injuries were immediately reported.
At 10:37 p.m., a tornado warning was issued in northeastern Indiana for east-central Pulaski and northwestern Fulton counties until 11:15 p.m. At 10:52 p.m., a storm capable of producing a tornado was east of Winamac, moving northeast at 15 mph. Hail with a diameter of three-quarters of an inch was reported.
Also, in northeast Indiana, a tornado warning was issued 9:39 p.m. Friday for DeKalb County and two Ohio counties. That storm brought hail with a diameter of three-quarters of an inch, according reports to the National Weather Service. A storm spotter later confirmed with videos that storm contained a rotating wall cloud with two funnels that did not touch down.