2nd tornado damages fields in VW County

Independent staff and submitted information

MIDDLE POINT — A second tornado apparently struck Van Wert County last Wednesday afternoon, according to information received over the weekend from County Emergency Management Director Rick McCoy.

The tornado reportedly struck two miles southwest of Middle Point just prior to 3 p.m. Wednesday. According to McCoy, a resident on Ringwald Road reported a damage path in a cornfield three-tenths of a mile south of Middle Point Road.

Upon investigating using a drone, McCoy found a tornado path half a mile long. The path began 600 feet west of Ringwald Road, where it ripped through a soybean field, snapping off plants. It then crossed Ringwald Road and headed east for 2,053 feet, where it entered a cornfield and snapped off corn plants. 

The county was under a severe thunderstorm warning at the time and McCoy had activated area spotters but this tornado was not spotted. There were no structures hit and no injuries. The National Weather Service in North Webster, Indiana, classified the tornado as EF-U (unknown wind speed).