The National Weather Service has confirmed that two tornadoes touched down in Marshall County just after midnight on Tuesday in a line of storms that caused severe damage and widespread power outages.
Marshall County Emergency Management Agency Director Clyde Avery said the pair of tornadoes touched down in the Plymouth area.
“One was an EF-0 with sustained winds at 80 mph and they believe it was located two miles WNW of Plymouth and was on the ground for about 1.3 miles,” stated Avery. “The other was classified as an EF-1 which is a little bit stronger with sustained winds of 95 mph. It was located two miles south of Plymouth and it was on the ground for about a quarter of a mile.”
According to the National Weather Service, the EF-0 tornado touched down just south of the Lear Corporation where multiple trees snapped and topped. An empty semi flipped and minor structural damage was done to the behavior science building on North Oak Road. The tornado caused partial uplift of the roof. The force of the winds collapsed the interior cinder block wall on the east side of the Department of Transportation garage just south of U.S. 30 before lifting.
The EF-1 tornado touched down near the intersection of Lilac Road and Plymouth/Goshen Trail. Tree damage was observed with several uprooted trees and a shed was flattened. As the circulation moved northeast, the force shifted a barn off of its foundation, as noted by National Weather Service officials. The tornado caused major tree damage in a grove of trees before lifting in a field on the other side of that grove.
Avery mentioned that work is still being done to clear the aftermath of this week’s storms.
“Clean up is still continuing today and I know that the electric companies are still working diligently to try and get power restored to those folks who don’t have power.”
Even with all of the damage reported, Avery doesn’t suspect that the county will qualify for state or federal assistance as the amount of damage wasn’t significant enough to report.
Assessments continue to be done in Starke County. Pulaski County Emergency Management Agency Director Larry Hoover said straight-line winds affected the county during the same time period. No tornadic activity was reported in Starke County nor in Pulaski County.
