2 weak tornadoes damaged roof, trees, cemetery in Shelby County

SHELBYVILLE, Ind. (WISH) — Two weak tornadoes Thursday night in Shelby County caused damage but injured no one, the National Weather Service said Friday.

The first tornado had peak winds of 90 mph, a maximum width of half a football field, and traveled 2.5 miles.

The first tornado touched down at 7:58 p.m. Thursday and damaged a building’s roof in the southeast part of Shelbyville before receding. That funnel cloud touched down again about 2 miles west of Waldron in a small housing subdivision off Shelby County Road 250 East and knocked down a masonry wall. The tornado continued southeast and caused tree damage at a home on County Road 350 South. The weather service said the most extensive tree damage happened at two homes along County Road 375 East near County Road South; one of those homes also had an antenna pole snapped.

The first tornado lasted about 6 minutes. The weather service also said in its public report, “The damage path was not always clear at all times, but it appears that the tornado was either on the ground or just off the ground through the duration.”

The second tornado also had peak winds of 90 mph and a maximum width of half a football field, but traveled less than a quarter-mile.

The second tornado touched down about 10 minutes after the first, at 8:14 p.m., near a river cabin. Lasting about a minute, the twister caused a narrow, intense swath of tree damage along County Road 500 East, crossed the Flat Rock River, and hit the Van Pelt Cemetery, knocking over several gravestones and causing tree damage. “The tornado may have briefly lifted before touching down again in a field to the south,” the weather service said.

Both twisters were ranked as weak EF-1 tornadoes on the Enhanced Fujita scale.