Tornadoes devastate parts of northwest Ohio and eastern Indiana
(send your comments and photos to nws.northernindiana@noaa.gov)

Comments from our customers concerning our performance during the outbreak
December 10, 2002 Van Wert Awards Ceremony

WFO Northern Indiana Wins Prestigious Department of Commerce Gold Medal Award for Distinguished Achievement in the Federal Service

Public Information Statement from November 12, 2002

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA
620 PM EST TUE NOV 12 2002

...VAN WERT TORNADO DETERMINED TO BE A VIOLENT F4 TORNADO...

A NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DAMAGE ASSESSMENT EXPERT TEAM HAS 
DETERMINED THAT THE TORNADO WHICH STRUCK VAN WERT OHIO WAS A VIOLENT 
F4 TORNADO.  THE F4 DAMAGE WAS OBSERVED FROM JUST SOUTHWEST OF VAN 
WERT TO JUST NORTH OF THE CITY.  THE WORST DAMAGE WAS AT THE TWIN 
CINEMA TO NORTH OF ROUTE 30.  THE TORNADO WAS A QUARTER TO ONE-HALF 
MILE WIDE AT THIS POINT...AND POSSIBLY HAD MULTIPLE VORTICES.  F4 
TORNADOES HAVE WIND SPEEDS BETWEEN 207-260 MPH.

...PAULDING AND PUTNAM COUNTY TORNADO UPGRADED TO AN F3...

...WEAK F0 TORNADO TRACK IN WELLS COUNTY...

THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION IS THE LATEST INFORMATION FROM GROUND AND 
AERIAL SURVEYS DONE BY METEOROLOGISTS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER 
SERVICE ON SUNDAY AFTERNOON'S TORNADOES IN NORTHEAST INDIANA AND 
NORTHWEST OHIO. 

AN F1 TORNADO (WINDS 73-112 MPH) WITH A 5 MILE PATH LENGTH STRUCK 
HARTFORD CITY IN BLACKFORD COUNTY INDIANA. 

AN F3 TORNADO (WINDS 158-206 MPH) DEVELOPED 2 MILES NORTHEAST OF 
BERNE IN ADAMS COUNTY INDIANA.  IT HAD A 5 MILE PATH LENGTH...ENDING 
NEAR THE INDIANA OHIO BORDER. 

A TORNADO OF STRENGTH F4 (WINDS 207-260 MPH) STRUCK VAN WERT OHIO. 
THE TORNADO FIRST TOUCHED DOWN NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF WHITE AND 
SCHUMM ROADS IN SOUTHWEST VAN WERT COUNTY.  AS THE TORNADO MOVED 
THROUGH SOUTHEAST PAULDING AND NORTHWEST PUTNAM COUNTIES IT WAS AN 
F3.  IT WEAKENED TO AN F0 AS IT MOVED THROUGH SOUTHEAST DEFIANCE 
COUNTY AND INTO HENRY COUNTY.  THE TORNADO ENDED NEAR THE 
INTERSECTIONS OF COUNTY ROADS 11 AND K IN HENRY COUNTY NEAR MALINTA. 
THE TOTAL PATH LENGTH OF THIS TORNADO WAS 53 MILES.  THE F4 DAMAGE 
WAS EVIDENT FROM JUST SOUTHWEST OF VAN WERT TO JUST NORTH OF THE 
CITY.

A WEAK F0 TORNADO (WINDS 40-72) TRACK WAS SURVEYED IN WELLS COUNTY. 
THIS BRIEF TORNADO TOUCHDOWN WAS OBSERVED JUST EAST OF PETROLEUM. 

Timeline of the events of November 10, 2002

Photos

Radar Pictures

Veteran's Day Service Accessment

Past November tornadoes

Why it pays to be StormReady

Official National Weather Service (NWS) storm survey teams have completed storm surveys of the November 10 tornado tracks.   An expert in aerial damage surveys conducted a fly- over of eastern Indiana and northwest Ohio on November 12. His findings were similar to those of the local damage survey team, but some locations did have their F scale upgraded, and a new F0 track was found in southeast Wells County Indiana. Detailed information can be found below.

If you have information or eye-witness accounts of the storms or their aftermath, feel free to e-mail us at nws.northernindiana@noaa.gov.

4 dead

26 injured

F4 tornado damage at Van Wert, Ohio (winds 207 to 260 mph). Tornado touched down near Willshire and moved northeast for 53 miles to central Henry County.  The tornado lifted near Malinta, Ohio.  F4 damage occurred on Lincoln Highway west of Van Wert.  F4 damage also occurred at the intersection of Dull-Robinson and Zook roads.  There was one fatality at this location, as well as an injury.  A couple was in the upstairs portion of their home.  As the tornado approached the husband attempted to cover his wheelchair-bound wife.  As he was doing this the home was hit, and a projectile struck the husband in the back of his head.  His wife was sent to the hospital in critical condition.  Another casualty occurred when the tornado swept a car off the road near Van Wert's Twin Cinemas, killing the driver inside.

After leaving the city of Van Wert, the tornado was between F3 and F4 strength through the remainder of Van Wert County. The tornado maintained F3 strength through Paulding County and extreme northwest Putnam County.  Two more fatalities took place near Continental, Ohio, when the tornado destroyed a mobile home.  The twister then began to weaken, becoming F0 in strength across Henry County.

F1 tornado damage at Hartford City, Indiana (Blackford County) (winds 73 to 112 mph).  The tornado touched down two miles southwest of Hartford City on Angling Road and headed northeast, through the north side of town, to three miles northeast of Hartford City.  The continuous track was five miles long.  There was evidence that this tornado may have briefly touched down several times  from northeast of Hartford City to east of Montpelier.

F0 tornado damage near Petroleum, Indiana (Wells County) (winds 40 to 72 mph).  This damage was discovered during the aerial survey. This was a brief touchdown with minimal damage.

F3 tornado damage near Berne, Indiana (Adams County) (winds 158 to 206 mph).  Touched down two miles northeast of Berne and headed northeast.  Lifted at the state line near Salem.  Path length 5 miles.

Coincidentally, the last tornado to produce F4 damage in the Northern Indiana NWS office's area of responsibility occurred in Van Wert County, on February 18, 1992.

Dates of all recorded F4 tornadoes in the area of responsibility of the Northern Indiana NWS office (all dates prior to 1950 are unofficial):

November 10, 2002
February 18, 1992
April 3, 1974
April 11, 1965
April 17, 1963
March 6, 1956
March 16, 1942
April 17, 1922
March 28, 1920
May 17, 1894
May 14, 1886
May 14, 1883
July 2, 1877