Knox, Indiana – A powerful tornado that tore across rural Starke County Tuesday night has been confirmed as an EF-2 with peak winds near 115 mph, carving a 14.6-mile damage path through northern Indiana farmland.
According to the National Weather Service in Northern Indiana, the tornado touched down around 8:15 p.m. CDT Tuesday southwest of the intersection of U.S. 421 and County Road W 400 S, where two large pole barns were heavily damaged and multiple empty grain bins were destroyed.
The tornado was part of the same cyclic supercell that produced earlier tornadoes in eastern Illinois and northwest Indiana earlier that evening. Survey teams say debris from damaged structures was carried as far as half a mile downwind.
The tornado continued northeast toward English Lake and rural sections of Starke County, damaging trees, barns, and several irrigation systems before crossing State Road 39 near County Road W 150 S. Officials say the tornado eventually lifted just southeast of the Starke County Airport.
Damage surveys indicate the tornado reached a maximum width of roughly 1,000 yards, suggesting a large multi-vortex structure at times as it tracked across open farmland.
No injuries or fatalities were reported.
Emergency officials say cleanup efforts continue across the county as residents assess damage to agricultural buildings and rural properties. The National Weather Service notes that additional survey updates could be released if further damage reports are confirmed.
