National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce

May 23, 2004 Wind Damage

Synopsis:
An upper level disturbance moving east through the mid Mississippi Valley sparked a large complex of thunderstorms over central Illinois late on the morning of the 23rd. This complex of  thunderstorms then moved northeast through central and northeast Indiana and into northwest Ohio. Over northeast Indiana and northwest Ohio, several thunderstorms merged into a bow echo, which is a line of thunderstorms with very strong winds. This bow echo produced very strong winds and numerous reports of damage late Sunday afternoon from Wabash and Huntington eastward through Bluffton and Decatur and into northwest Ohio.

Warning Overview:
The National Weather Service in Northern Indiana issued 20 severe thunderstorm warnings for this severe weather event. Of the 20 counties placed under severe thunderstorm warnings, 18 received wind damage or large hail. The average lead time, which is the time between the beginning of the warning and the first severe weather report, was over 17 minutes.

Damage Reports:
The majority of the damage from this bow echo was in the form of downed trees and power lines. Trained weather spotters reported several wind gusts to 70 mph in northwest Ohio. In Indiana, a barn was blown down in the southwest corner of Huntington county. Near Haviland Ohio in Paulding county, a grain bin was blown off its foundation and came to rest about one half mile away. Below are several pictures of the area's damage.

 

Huntington County - Courtesy Huntington County EMA
Huntington County damage Huntington County damage Huntington County damage Huntington County damage
Huntington County damage Huntington County damage  
Miami County - Courtesy Miami County EMA
Miami County damage Miami County damage Miami County damage Miami County damage
Miami County damage  
Paulding County- Courtesy Paulding County EMA
Paulding County damage Paulding County damage  
Adams County - Courtesy Adams County EMA
Adams County damage Adams County damage Adams County damage