Radar loop and damaging/high wind reports (blue arrows) from a derecho on July 10, 2013 in the Ohio Valley. (Note: Some of these initial wind reports may have ended up being classified as tornado reports, following National Weather Service damage surveys)
Published: Jul 11, 2013, 7:22 AM EDT weather.com
A line of severe thunderstorms raced through the Ohio River Valley Wednesday, causing numerous power outages due to downed trees and powerlines. Severe Weather Expert Dr. Greg Forbes says the area of wind damage is concentrated enough and long enough to be classified as a derecho.
According to NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center, roughly 300 reports of either wind damage or high winds (greater than 58 mph) were received in the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys on July 10, the majority of which were in a swath from eastern Illinois and Indiana into Ohio, western Pennsylvania, southwest New York, and northern West Virginia.
The National Weather Service will conduct damage surveys from Indiana to Pennsylvania Thursday to investigate whether some damage was caused by tornadoes. Several photos from North Beaver Township, Pa. and also near Storrs, Conn. circulated via social media Wednesday.
Below is a state-by-state look at the storm’s impacts, along with photos from social media.
Indiana
Powerful storms rolled through central Indiana Wednesday, causing over 20,000 power outages and property damage. An emergency official says a severe storm has damaged several buildings and possibly injured two people in the north central Indiana city of Peru.
Miami County Emergency Management Director Kris Marks says the storm struck on the west side of the city about 50 miles southwest of Fort Wayne. He says a grocery store, a gift shop and a medical center have suffered minor damage, and tree limbs and power lines are down.
Marks also says as many as eight mobile homes have suffered minor damage like broken windows or being blown off their foundations. Marks says he has received reports that two people suffered minor injuries.
Ohio
Wind gusts up to 64 mph blew out a wall at an RTA station and blew off part of the City Hall’s roof in Cleveland around 3:40 p.m.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol reports that five tractor trailers were overturned due to thunderstorm winds. A power line has fallen on one semi-tractor trailer, leaving a person trapped inside. The William’s county Sheriff’s office also reports that a non-passenger train was derailed due to the storms.
Heavy rains, tornado warnings, flood watches and high winds led tournament officials to suspend play early in Wednesday at the 107th Ohio Amateur golf tournament. Half of the field hadn’t even teed off and the other half was on the course, most not even halfway done. For the first time since 1990 at The Sharon Golf Club, the prestigious event will be shortened to 54 holes.
Kentucky
In Louisville, a child was transported to a local hospital after being trapped under a fallen tree. As many as 50 trees fell throughout the storm, resulting in downed powerlines and widespread power outages. Nearly 46,000 customers are without power in Louisville.
Below are reports of the storms’ damage from throughout social media. If it is safe to do so, send your pictures and videos to @weatherchannel on Twitter, Facebook, or upload them to our iWitness page.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
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