INDIANAPOLIS — We’re expecting an active weather day around central Indiana as storms move in.
The severe weather was expected to come in waves. The window for Wednesday’s storms was wide–from about 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.–but the hours between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. were looking favorable for a severe threat.
The initial round went through central Indiana quickly, leading to Severe Thunderstorm Warnings and leaving thousands of people throughout the state without electricity.
The second round prompted Tornado Warnings in a few counties as well as Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in several more. The weather was especially unwelcome given a Friday tornado outbreak that affected numerous communities around the state.
Follow updates from the FOX59/CBS4 team with our live blog below.
5:33 p.m.
The National Weather Service determined that an EF0 tornado briefly touched down near New Ross in Montgomery County just before noon on Wednesday. Peak winds were estimated at 65 mph.
3:08 p.m.
INDOT reports all lanes of I-65 near Lebanon reopened after an incident involving multiple semi trucks.
2:49 p.m.
Power outage update:
- Duke Energy: 1,178 customers
- AES: 1,872 customers
2:27 p.m.
The severe weather threat has decreased significantly around central Indiana. Many counties have been dropped from the Tornado Watch. The Watch remains in effect until 5 p.m. for the remaining counties in the south and southeastern part of Indiana.
1:24 p.m.
Lebanon police said it appeared strong winds below over semi trucks on I-65, closing lanes and leading to traffic backups. At least two lanes were expected to open “in the near future.”
1:09 p.m.
Tornado Warning for Blackford and Wells counties until 1:30 p.m. Residents should take shelter immediately. Adams County has a Tornado Warning until 1:45 p.m. Part of Jay County is also included in the warning.
12:57 p.m.
Severe Thunderstorm Warning in effect for Allen, Grant, Huntington, Wells, Blackford, Adams, Jay and Whitley counties until 1:45 p.m.
12:50 p.m.
Power outage update:
- Duke Energy: 3,458 customers (most in Hendricks, Howard and Vigo counties)
- AES: 2,303 customers
12:35 p.m.
According to INDOT, all lanes of I-65 NB are closed near Lebanon (mile marker 135) due to a crash involving multiple semis. There are significant backups. Drivers should avoid the area.
12:27 p.m.
A Severe Thunderstorm warning is in effect for Boone, Delaware, Hamilton, Howard, Madison and Tipton counties until 1 p.m.
12:15 p.m.
The Tornado Warning for Boone and Montgomery counties has expired. Thunderstorm warnings for several counties remain in effect until 12:30 p.m.
11:55 a.m.
A Tornado Warning is in effect for parts of Boone and Montgomery counties until 12:15 p.m. Residents should take shelter immediately.
11:52 a.m.
A Severe Thunderstorm Warning is in effect for Boone, Hamilton, Hendricks, Marion and Montgomery counties until 12:30 p.m.
11:47 a.m.
A Severe Thunderstorm Warning is in effect for parts of Carroll, Clinton, Howard and Tipton counties until 12:30 p.m. Damaging wind gusts of 60+ mph are possible.
11:04 a.m.
Power outage update:
- Duke Energy: 4,106 customers affected
- AES: 2,759 customers affected
10:55 a.m.
With more weather moving through, Whiteland officials are encouraging residents to go to the high school for shelter. From the town’s Facebook page:
“Please know that if you do not feel safe at your residence, you can go into door four at the high school for shelter. It is the door nearest to the weight room and Glenray gym.”
10:52 a.m.
We are expecting a line of powerful storms to move across Indiana:
10:48 a.m.
Here’s a look at damage in Brownsburg from the earlier round of storms today:
10:39 a.m.
A Severe Thunderstorm Warning is now in effect for parts of Fountain, Tippecanoe and Warren counties until 11:15 a.m.
10:25 a.m.
A Tornado Watch is in effect for a large portion of our viewing area until 5 p.m.
The counties include: Bartholomew, Boone, Brown, Carroll, Clark, Clay, Clinton, Crawford, Daviess, Dearborn, Decatur, Delaware, Dubois, Fayette, Floyd, Fountain, Franklin, Greene, Hamilton, Hancock, Harrison, Hendricks, Henry, Howard, Jackson, Jefferson, Jennings, Johnson, Knox, Lawrence, Madison, Marion, Martin, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Ohio, Orange, Owen, Parke, Perry, Putnam, Randolph, Ripley, Rush, Scott, Shelby, Sullivan, Switzerland, Tippecanoe, Tipton, Union, Vermillion, Vigo, Warren, Washington and Wayne.
10:01 a.m.
Danville Community Schools said the power is back on at every school except North Elementary. From the school district:
“The power is back up at DCMS, South and DCHS at this time. North Elementary’s power is still down, but, at this time, we are going to continue to keep children in the school buildings to avoid putting them on the road during dangerous weather conditions. As of now, all schools will release at normal times, and buses will run as normal.”
9:46 a.m.
Power outages:
- Duke Energy: 4,197 customers affected
- AES: 5,155 customers affected
9:37 a.m.
Power outage update…
- Duke Energy: 2,627 customers affected (most in Hamilton, Hendricks and Owen counties)
- AES: 3,402 customers affected (concentrated to the north sides of the area)
9:28 a.m.
Severe Thunderstorm Warnings for central Indiana have expired. Another round of severe weather is expected to move through the area soon, with heavy rain, damaging winds and hail among the concerns. The storms could also spawn tornadoes, according to forecasters.
9:22 a.m.
AES now reporting 4,268 customers without power in its service area.
9:18 a.m.
Danville Community Schools are without power. Administrators said they’re in contact with Duke Energy to get an estimate for restoration. Students are being kept safe in school buildings, according to a message from the school district. Duke is reporting outages affecting more than 1,200 customers in Hendricks County.
9:14 a.m.
From the Brownsburg Police Department:
Avoid the area of College & Stadium. Due to wind there is a power line down. The street is closed between Stadium and Eastern.
9:06 a.m.
AES now says more than 6,300 customers are without power.
9 a.m.
A Severe Thunderstorm Warning has been issued for Marion, Hamilton, Johnson, Hancock, Hendricks and Morgan counties until 9:15 a.m.
8:56 a.m.
Some power outages are already being reported.
Duke Energy is reporting 2,526 outages statewide, with 1,191 in Hendricks County, 620 in Owen County, 535 in Vigo County and the rest scattered.
AES has about 330 customers without power, with some on the northwest side and others near 56th Street and Allisonville Road.
8:47 a.m.
8:40 a.m.
A Tornado Watch has been issued for northern parts of Indiana until 4 p.m..
The counties include: Adams, Allen, Blackford, Cass, DeKalb, Elkhart, Fulton, Grant, Huntington, Jay, Kosciusko, LaGrange, LaPorte, Marshall, Miami, Noble, Pulaski, St. Joseph, Starke, Steuben, Wabash, Wells, White and Whitley, according to the National Weather Service.
8:34 a.m.
A Severe Thunderstorm Warning is in effect for parts of Hendricks, Johnson, Monroe, Morgan and Owen counties until 9 a.m. Damaging winds are possible.
