VAN WERT COUNTY, Ohio (WANE) – At 8:43 pm Wednesday night, a Tornado Warning was issued after law enforcement observed a tornado on the ground about 7 miles southeast of the city of Van Wert.
Van Wert County Emergency Management reports that the original call about the tornado came in to 911 from a member of the public. The caller reported a tornado was whipping around in the middle of a field east of Mendon Road between SR 708 and SR 81 in southeastern Van Wert County. Law enforcement there reported one corn field having corn flattened and some debris on the roads near Venedocia.
On Thursday morning, a drone will survey the scene to help look for indications of rotation and to assist in confirming that a tornado actually touched down. As of Wednesday night, no major damage had been reported in southeastern Van Wert County.
This was the second Tornado Warning issued for the same area on the same day. The earlier warning, issued in the afternoon, was for a radar-indicated tornado and only minimal damage – a single power line down with a leaning pole – was reported on SR 116 south of Venedocia. Some small hail and strong winds were also reported.
The last time a tornado was confirmed in Van Wert County was on June 22, 2018. It was an EF-0 with a 1 mile damage path. The tornado report on Wednesday night came from just over a mile away from where the 2018 tornado hit.
Rick McCoy, Emergency Manager for Van Wert County, reports to the Live Doppler 15 Fury Storm Team that, since he started his job in 1990, 31 tornadoes have hit Van Wert County. This is more tornadoes than have occurred in any other Ohio county in the same 29-year timeframe.
by Nicholas Ferreri (2019, Aug 14 | Updated 2019, Aug 15) wane.com
