From the National Weather Service
Multiple intense supercells impacted the north-central and northeastern portions of central Indiana during the late afternoon and evening of Thursday March 14 2024. The storms produced multiple reports of large to very large hail, and two tornadoes one in Delaware county and another longer track across Randolph and into Ohio.
This tornado continued beyond the listed end point below at the state line into western Ohio (information about the tornado in western Ohio will be available from NWS Wilmington OH).
The tornado redeveloped in open area south of Farmland and moved towards Winchester, bending or snapping numerous utility poles along State Road 32. Also, a large blade on one of the wind turbines in the area was badly damaged.
As the tornado entered Winchester, it severely damaged many homes and snapped and uprooted trees in a west-to-east path through Winchester. There was clear evidence of the tornado`s rotational circulation, with uprooted trees pointed to the east on the immediate south side of the tornado, and to the northwest on the immediate north side of the tornado. The damage pattern also indicated the possibility of small multiple vortices rotating around the main vortex. In the residential core of the town, the maximum intensity of the tornado was estimated around 130 mph or high-end EF2 strength.
The greatest damage in Winchester occurred on the east side of town at the Taco Bell, as the anchored building was destroyed, as was a church immediately east of the restaurant. In this concentrated area, the NWS Team estimated maximum winds of 155-165 mph, or high- end EF3 damage. Maximum path width in Winchester was estimated at up to 0.4 mile or 700 yards.
Farther east across more rural eastern Randolph County, a few structures had significant damage, debris was blown in fields, many trees were snapped, and a silo was damaged, all indicative of EF2 maximum damage in the 115-125 mph range.
The tornado continued to the Indiana-Ohio state line, with less intense damage primarily to trees before crossing into Ohio.
