Strong Winds and Possible Tornado in Chesterton, Indiana

by Alyzee | August 20, 2009 at 11:12 am

549 views | 0 Recommendations | 1 comment

Chesterton in northern Indiana faced a lot of very strong winds around 7:40 pm Wednesday night. Chesterton officials are uncertain as to whether what they are calling a `severe wind event` was a tornado. Fire and street departments are checking on residents in badly affected areas, assessing damage and helping clear debris. Later officials from the National Weather Service will visit Chesterton to try and figure out what type of weather the city experienced.

"We haven't confirmed it," said Andrew Krine, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, adding that meteorologists must view damage patterns before a determination can be made.

The winds were recorded at about 105 mph and Chesterton Middle School is closed today as the winds tore most of the gymnasium away from the rest of the building and damaged the school`s glass atrium and some classrooms.

The storm left 13,000 people without power on Wednesday night. Some live wires are still damaged and fallen in the city. NIPSCO, the city`s utility company, expects that everyone will have their power back by midnight tonight.

0 See all footage | View Slideshow

Share: email story | add to any | | facebook | stumbleupon