June 16: Tornado hits Northeast Indiana; DeKalb County spared | News

NORTH WEBSTER — As of the morning of June 15, the National Weather Service has confirmed 11 tornadoes touched down during evening storms June 11 in the Northern Indiana office’s 37-county coverage area.

On June 12-14, teams from the North Webster office conducted surveys to determine paths and ratings based on storm damage found.

Of the 11 tornadoes confirmed as of the afternoon of June 14, eight were given an EF-1 (Enhanced Fujita Scale) or moderate damage rating, with estimated winds between 86 and 110 mph.

While no tornadoes have been confirmed in DeKalb or Noble counties, one confirmed tornado touched down in southeast LaGrange County and remained on the ground to Angola in Steuben County.

Warning sirens were sounded in LaGrange and Steuben counties.

At least one trained spotter reported seeing funnel cloud activity in the Angola area, said Lee Greenamyer, Steuben County Emergency Management director.

That tornado, with an EF-1 rating and estimated peak winds of 90 mph, had an estimated width of 250 yards.

Of the 11 tornadoes confirmed so far, this storm had the longest path, covering 15.5 miles. There were no injuries reported in this tornado.

It touched down east of LaGrange South C.R. 1000 East, crossed East 750 South and South 1100 East crossed Lake of the Woods and Taylor Lake into Steuben County, according to the survey path.

The twister then crossed S.R. 327 south of Steuben C.R. West 500 South, then west and north of Salem Center, crossed Interstate 69 north of West 150 South toward Angola. It crossed South Gerald Lett Avenue and in Angola, West Maumee, McKinley, Powers, West Broad and West Mill streets and Little Center Lake before turning northeast.

According to the survey, the tornado crossed Wolhert Street Industrial Drive, North Wayne Street, the Indiana Northeastern railroad tracks and Calvary Lane before it dissipated just west of a trail west of Williams Street (S.R. 827).

The NWS survey report for that tornado reads as follows:

“A tornado embedded within a line of severe thunderstorms developed Thursday night in extreme southeast LaGrange County. Around Taylor Lake and Lake of the Woods, damage to electrical poles, along with impressive tree damage in spots, was determined to be consistent with an EF-1 rating, with maximum winds estimated at 90 mph,” the report reads.

“The tornado then raced northeastward into Steuben County. As the parent cell merged with another portion of the line, the tornado took a more easterly turn, impacting portions of western and northern Angola.

“Much of the damage along the path was inflicted on trees, suggesting the tornado may have occasionally lifted off the surface,” the report continued.

The National Weather Service gave special thanks to Steuben County Emergency Management for assistance with this survey.

The first tornado in the NWS coverage area was reported at 9:58 p.m. in Cass County northwest of Adamsboro with the last being the LaGrange County to Angola storm at 11:12 p.m.

Two tornadoes were given EF-0 (weak) ratings for winds between 65-85 mph. One was given an EF-2 (significant) rating for winds between 111-135 mph.

The EF-2 tornado was on the ground for 2.2 miles in Elkhart County from 10:46 p.m. to 10:50 p.m. It had estimated peak winds of 115 mph and a maximum width of 100 yards. It touched down at Bainbridge Drive and C.R. 15 and continued east to Baltimore Oriole Drive north of S.R. 120 west of Bristol.

A preliminary NWS survey by the Chicago office has identified EF-3 damage (severe) in Kouts in eastern Porter County. EF-3 damage indicates winds between 136-165 mph.