The severe storms that rolled through northwest Indiana Wednesday evening packed a punch for many communities. Residents experienced hail, high winds, and even tornadoes for a few communities. Region Weather was tracking these tornado warnings down to street level during the entire event.
Overall, 4 tornadoes were confirmed by the National Weather Service after they went out and surveyed the damage yesterday. Here are the paths that those tornadoes took and the stats on their size:
HIGHLAND TORNADO | EF-0
Summary:
A tornado touched down just northwest of the intersection of US-41
and 45th Street in Highland. This tornado first caused damage to
the roof of a commercial building on US-41, then continued east
northeast into a residential area near Merkley Elementary School
where damage was mostly small branches broken and a few instances
of shingle damage. The tornado briefly intensified as it neared
Forrest Drive and Sac Drive, with a few trees uprooted and
multiple large branches broken. One large tree was uprooted onto a
house, causing roof damage. Winds were estimated at 85 mph in this
neighborhood. Fences were also damaged in the vicinity. The
tornado continued northeast toward the residential area near
Southridge Elementary School, where damage was mostly confined to
small branches. The tornado dissipated near Wirth Road just west
of Kleinman Road.
GARY TORNADO #1 | EF-0
Summary:
A tornado touched down near West 29th Place, just east of Colfax
Street in Gary. This brief tornado uprooted two large trees with
estimated winds of 75 mph, as well as blowing out the glass doors
at the entrance of the Hard Rock Casino. The tornado dissipated
shortly after passing the casino before Burr Street.
GARY TORNADO #2 | EF-1
Summary:
A tornado touched down near Morton Street between West 23rd Avenue
and West 22nd Plaza in Gary. This brief tornado ripped the roof
off Frankie Woods McCullough Academy gymnasium, blew out the
garage and ripped off the roofs of several homes on west 21st
Avenue, as well as bent several power poles and light fixtures.
Officials reported an adult female was injured due to part of the
roof collapsing onto them. They were taken to the hospital and
were reported to be in stable condition. The tornado dissipated
just before the New Revelation Baptist Church on West 21st Avenue,
just before Chase Street.
GARY TORNADO #3 | EF-0
Summary:
A tornado touched down near Norton Park, just south of West 13th
Avenue in Gary. This brief tornado blew tree debris across
roadways and uprooted several small trees east of the Gary
Business District with estimated winds of 70 mph. The tornado
dissipated around MLK Drive, just north of East 7th Avenue before
reaching the Dunes Highway.
Region Weather 