Severe overnight storms leave tens of thousands of Hoosiers without power

INDIANAPOLIS – Severe weather swept through Indiana overnight, leaving tens of thousands without power. At least one fatality was reported in northwest Indiana.

The storms packed strong winds that downed trees and power lines across the state.

Power outage reports

Poweroutage.us , a website that aggregates outages from several different utility companies, reported that more than 150,000 Indiana customers without power, with many of the outages concentrated in the northern part of the state.

As of 2 p.m. Tuesday, AES Indiana reported more than 2,200 customers without power. Duke Energy reported more than 3,700 outages and Indiana Michigan Power reported several hundred.

But the outages were far more dramatic to the northwest; Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO) reported more than 100,000 customers without power at the storm damage’s peak.

Communities affected by those outages included Chesterton, Crown Point, East Chicago, Gary, Goshen, Griffith, Hammond, La Porte, Portage and Valparaiso, the company said.

NIPSCO said “all available crews” were assessing damage and working to make necessary repairs to restore power “as safely and quickly as possible.” The utility said, due to the extensive damage, it could not provide an estimated timeline for power restoration.

Storm-related death

A woman died in Cedar Lake after a tree fell on her house Monday night, according to the Lake County Coroner’s Office .

Investigators were dispatched to the home on West 141st Lane around 11:20 p.m. ET Monday. They found 44-year-old Laura Nagel dead.

The coroner’s office said the manner of death was accidental, caused by a tree falling on the house. A forensic autopsy has been scheduled to determine exactly how she died.

Other responding agencies included the Cedar Lake Police Department, Cedar Lake Fire Department, Hanover Twp. Fire Department, Cedar Lake Street Department and NIPSCO, the coroner’s office said.

Multiple storm reports

The National Weather Service reported multiple storm-related issues on its website. Indianapolis, for example, reported multiple downed trees and powerlines. Indianapolis International Airport reported a 58-mph gust in the early morning hours Tuesday.

A report from Westfield indicated a 55-mph wind gust at 12:43 a.m. Kouts (Porter County) reported a 76-mph gust at 11:15 p.m. Monday.

NWS received multiple reports of downed trees and power lines. In Kokomo, storms broke tree limbs and tore the shingles off a house. In Sharpsville, strong winds blew over a semi on US 31 around 12:40 a.m., according to another report.

Various reports from around the state told similar stories. Winona Lake (Kosciusko County) reported a large tree down. In Warsaw, emergency management said a downed tree cut off power to the eastern part of the city.

In Crown Point, NWS reports indicated downed trees and power poles.

Multiple reports around the state indicated damage from thunderstorms, with a handful of reports concerning lightning strikes.

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