A powerful storm system struck central Indiana on Friday afternoon, triggering tornado warnings across multiple counties, downing trees throughout Indianapolis, injuring at least one person, and knocking out power to thousands of customers before pushing east toward Delaware, Randolph, and Henry counties later in the evening.
The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning at 4:47 p.m. for northern Marion County and southeastern Hamilton County, which expired at 5:15 p.m. A second tornado warning covering northeastern Hancock County and Henry County was issued shortly after, with severe thunderstorm warnings extended across Delaware, Hancock, Henry, Madison, and Randolph counties. The storms carried winds measured at 70 miles per hour as they swept through the metro area.
Damage across Indianapolis and beyond
The storm left visible damage across multiple parts of the city almost immediately after arriving. A tree fell on a vehicle near 10th and Meridian streets in downtown Indianapolis, directly outside a local television station. The driver was not seriously hurt. On the west side, storm damage was reported along the 4900 block of Rockville Road, where crews began assessing conditions as the storm moved through.
The IU Indianapolis campus on the central east side also took a hit. A covered plaza area at the Business SPEA building sustained significant damage, and several trees were damaged on the grounds with branches landing on power lines. A weekend event called Jagapalooza was underway on campus during the storm and briefly paused before continuing once conditions cleared…