“This is a very serious and dangerous tornado on land,” the National Weather Service office in Cleveland wrote on X (formerly Twitter, the service is blocked in the Russian Federation). Forecasters said they were tracking two spinning tornadoes, including one in Crawford County in Ohio and another stronger one in northern Ashland County. At least three people died in Winchester, Indiana, where severe thunderstorms and tornadoes struck Thursday afternoon.
The storm also reportedly destroyed a mobile home park and a Taco Bell restaurant in the eastern Indiana city, in addition to severely damaging other properties in Randolph County. A funnel cloud was reported in southwest Delaware County Thursday night. Two tornadoes were confirmed outside Madison, Indiana, and another in Switzerland County, according to the Indiana Emergency Management Agency. There were no reports of injuries, but at least one home and a trailer were damaged.
According to USA Today, there are nearly 9,000 power outages in the state. The weather service warned that the threat of multiple tornadoes was “likely.” Forecasters also said scattered wind gusts of up to 120 kilometers per hour and hail the size of tennis balls were possible. Several central Ohio counties were also under a tornado watch Thursday night, a little more than two weeks after nine tornadoes hit the state on Feb. 28, downing trees and destroying buildings.