Derecho damages some of Van Wert Co.

VW independent staff and submitted information

The Storm Prediction Center has officially declared the storm system that hit Van Wert County and the surrounding area Monday night as a derecho.

Van Wert County EMA Director Rick McCoy said three rounds of storms moved through the area, which created a significant swath of wind damage. At Fort Wayne International Airport, a wind gust of 98 miles per hour was recorded, which caused damage at the airport. That was the strongest wind gust ever measured at the airport, surpassing the precious record of 91 mph during the June 29, 2012 derecho.

McCoy said wind gusts in the southern part of Van Wert County were estimated at 80 mph with a stretch of damage from near Wren to the east of Ohio City. He said the heaviest damage from the destructive winds occurred along Ohio 118 near Wren Landeck Rd. and continued to the southeast, crossing US 127 and eventually to the area of Mendon Rd. around Ohio 709 where damage was the most intense. He said a number of homes where damaged by falling trees, limbs or from the intense winds. Some barns and out buildings in the vicinity also sustained heavy damage.

According to McCoy, the National Weather Service had warned early in the day that a significant weather event was likely late in the day with damaging winds and a possible Derecho event. McCoy noted that a warm front had become stationary across the area and very warm and humid conditions had created a lot of instability.

“There was plenty of moisture and wind shear in place to produce long lived multi-cell severe storms,” he said. “As the day progressed storms firing up in Wisconsin moving southeast towards our area became the focus of the developing derecho.”

By late evening as warnings were issued across northeast Indiana and eventually northwest Ohio, McCoy was warning local residents on Facebook, text alerts and local EMA announcements on scanners that storms rolling in could produce winds in excess of 80 mph particularly for the southern part of the county where he had Willshire, Wren and Ohio City Fire departments on standby at their stations to respond for possible damage.

No injuries where reported from the storm system. Over 12,500 lightning strikes were recorded in the area according to the lightning sensor at the EMA office.