MOONSVILLE — The storm that flattened a barn and scattered debris across a small northern Madison County village Friday has been officially confirmed as an F1 tornado.
The fast-moving tornado swept through the 3700 block of East Gemini Drive in Moonsville around 4 p.m.
Debris from the barn, owned by Bill Maxwell, was dragged down Gemini Drive. Live power lines were down in front of Maxwell’s house and draped across the intersection of Gemini Drive and Moonsville Pike.
The National Weather Service estimates winds peaked at 100 miles per hour with the tornado stretching a 30-yard wide path of destruction along a quarter mile in the unincorporated community.
The Enhanced Fujita Scale classifies tornadoes based on their wind speeds, with EF1 including speeds between 86 and 110 mph, categorized as “weak.”
Madison County Emergency Management, coordinating with the NWS in Indianapolis, conducted a storm survey and determined a tornado touched down and destroyed a barn, produced tree damage and flipped a storage shed onto its side, according to preliminary information from the NWS.
“We were very fortunate one of our followers’ husbands captured a very good image from a safe distance, of that tornado,” said Todd Harmeson, public information officer for the Madison County Emergency Management Agency. “It just depicted exactly what it was.”
No injuries have been reported from the tornado; however, EMA and Richland Township Fire Department first responders were on scene until around 10 p.m., cleaning up debris and keeping roads cleared from onlookers.
by Christopher Stephens (2018, July 21) The Herald Bulletin
