The National Weather Service has confirmed multiple “large, damaging” tornadoes that roared through parts of northwest Indiana Thursday.
According to officials, a tornado was impacting areas around Merrillville and Hobart when it touched down just after 7 p.m. Thursday evening.
Tornado warnings were issued in Lake and Porter counties as the storms approached, with those storms previously producing tornadoes in Illinois as they moved to the east.
Debris signatures on Doppler radar indicated potential touchdowns in both communities as the storm slowly churned to the east.
A confirmed “large and extremely dangerous tornado” was located over Wanatah, moving east at 35 miles per hour, according to the National Weather Service at approximately 7:20 p.m.
Multiple homes were damaged and destroyed in Hebron, located in Porter County, according to trained weather spotters.
Another tornado had been reported near Lowell near Interstate 65 in Lake County, according to officials. There were no immediate reports of damage with that storm.
There were no immediate reports of injuries in the area.
We will update this story with more details as they become available.
