High winds sweep through the region

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent editor

It appears Van Wert County was spared heavy damage due to high winds that blew in late Friday night and continued for much of Saturday.

According to the National Weather Service, wind speeds were measured at 50 miles per hour at 11:39 Saturday morning in the Village of Scott and 50 miles per hour a mile east/northeast of Van Wert at 12:29 p.m. A 56 mile per hour wind gust was recorded in Ottawa and 61 miles per hour in Lima.

Hall Block, Van Wert County Foundation Property Manager, said windows were blown out from six downtown buildings along East Central, West Main and East Main. There were no confirmed reports of large scale or structural damage in the city or around Van Wert County.

Conditions led to the issuance of a tornado watch shortly after midnight on Saturday, but it was allowed to expire. A tornado did touch down just after 3 a.m. Saturday in Hardin County, about three miles south of the Village of Ada. It was classified as an EF-1 tornado with wind speeds up to 110 miles per hour.

It’s believed the twister traveled 1.6 miles in less than five minutes with a damage path that was 260 yards wide. Several homes and a business were damaged, and a roof was torn from a barn. A tractor-trailer was flipped on its side, but there were no injuries.

In Bryan, high winds toppled a canopy over a Marathon gas station. There were no reports of injuries.