NWS: Damage in Johnson County Came from Powerful Winds...

NWS: Damage in Johnson County Came from Powerful Winds, But Not a Tornado

JOHNSON COUNTY, Ind.–The National Weather Service believes the damage in Johnson County caused during Monday night’s severe weather was the result of straight-line high wind gusts and not a tornado.

Work is still being done to survey that area and collaboration between agencies is still taking place, but that is their conclusion at this point.

“The main area of tornado damage we found was back closer to Morgan County. There was a circulation, but there also was radar indications that we had an area of damaging winds that was on the ground and the damage we found supported that it was straight-line wind gusts that did the damage,” said Mike Ryan, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Indianapolis.

Ryan says they’ve searched high and low to see if the evidence points to a tornado, but they have not found any.

“Looks like all the damage there north of Whiteland was of the straight-line wind variety. Some of those wind gusts were around 70 to 80 miles per hour, if not a little higher,” said Ryan.

If they get any new information that suggests a tornado, Ryan says they will update their assessment.

Johnson County was one of the areas under a tornado warning late Monday night. The warning was issued around 10:45 pm and lifted at 11:15 pm.

Ryan reminds you that tornado warnings can be issued even if no tornado occurs because forecasters act on potential threats based on radar, reports, and rapidly evolving storm conditions to protect public safety.