NWS Confirms EF1 Tornado Near Sunman

The tornado stretched 250 yards and lasted for 6.1 miles.

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(Sunman, IN) - An EF1 Tornado has been confirmed near Sunman, IN according to the National Weather Service in Wilmington, Ohio.

The tornado touched down at 8:02pm in Ripley County on Friday May 16. The tornado stretched 250 yards and lasted for 6.1 miles. The tornado ended at 8:10pm in Dearborn County. Wind speeds reached 90 miles per hour.

The tornado first developed near the intersection of E County Rd 1150 N and N Spades Rd, breaking off large limbs from both softwood and hardwood trees. Similar tree damage was found near the intersection of E County Rd 1200 N and N Spades Rd.

Numerous trees were downed at properties on the west side of Spades Road, south of E County Rd 1300 N. A larger cluster of tree damage then was observed at a property located near the intersection of E County Rd 1300 N and N Spades Road. In addition to some large hardwood tree limbs broken off, several large, healthy trees were either uprooted or snapped. Minor siding damage to the home was observed, along with missing shingles, some of which were thrown into a nearby tree.

Additional tree damage, including some uprooted trees, continued northeast of this property. The most extensive damage was observed at a property located near the intersection of E County Rd 1500 N and N County Rd 1000 E, in which a well-built outbuilding had a complete collapse of the exterior walls. The strength of winds required for this kind of damage was estimated around 90 mph, making this an EF1 tornado at its maximum strength. Additional hardwood tree damage was noted through the field northeast of this property. The final damage point of this tornado would occur at a property off of N County Line Rd, where half of the barn roof was uplifted and the home observed shingle and siding damage. This last damage point occurred in the extreme northwest corner of Dearborn County Indiana.