NWS confirms EF-3 tornado with 140 mph winds

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — At least two tornadoes, remnants of Hurricane Beryl, hit Indiana on Tuesday, the National Weather Service says.

One brief tornado hit Martin County, with winds up to 85 mph. The bigger, more damaging tornado hit Posey County.

Just after 3:30 p.m. EDT, the National Weather Service issued a tornado watch for southern Indiana. The watch covered all counties south of the Bloomington-Columbus line and parts of Ohio, Illinois, and Kentucky.

About an hour later, the weather service office in Paducah, Kentucky, began posting on X about a “large, confirmed” tornado just north of Mount Vernon in Posey County. Around 6 p.m. EDT, NWS warned of a tornado in Gibson County.

Survey teams said Wednesday that the tornado that hit Mount Vernon in Posey County had winds up to 140 mph, an EF-3, considered to be a severe tornado.

Carrie Thompson, director of the Posey County Emergency Management Agency, told News 8 by email on Wednesday morning, “It did significant damage to a warehouse/logistics facility. There were 13 families that were displaced from a mobile home park and we currently know of four homes with damage. We will be out doing more damage assessments throughout the day today and will have more to report later.”

No injuries were reported.

The Evansville/Vanderburgh County Emergency Management Agency wrote on Facebook that heavy damage was reported Tuesday evening near “several large buildings and complexes” in Mount Vernon.

“About 4:15 p.m., we started receiving numerous reports along with pictures and video of a large tornado, crossing the Ohio River and impacting the east side of Mt. Vernon,” the agency wrote on Facebook . “Posey County officials will be involved starting tomorrow with a large cleanup and damage assessment process, please be patient and give those individuals room to work.”

In Gibson County, damage to trees and buildings was reported in the Owensville and Princeton areas. News 8 has reached out to the Gibson County Emergency Management Agency for more information.