VAN WERT, Ohio (WLIO)— A violent windstorm swept through Van Wert County Wednesday night, downing trees, knocking out power, and leaving a trail of damage across the region.
“Behind me, you can see just one of the many trees that were snapped last night by powerful winds that rolled through Van Wert County,” said reporter Pearl Lewandowski at the scene. “Emergency officials say gusts topped out at 60 to 70 miles per hour, downing power lines and snapping trees all across Van Wert.”
Van Wert County Emergency Management Director Rick McCoy said the storm intensified just as it reached the city limits, possibly producing several microbursts — sudden blasts of straight-line wind.
“From everything that we've looked at city-wide, there's damage from winds of 60 miles an hour,” McCoy said. “But it appears that there are several places where we maybe had some microbursts — very intense winds of at least 70 miles an hour, from what I've estimated.”
One woman captured part of the storm on video and shared it to Facebook, showing a spinning column of wind forming in the distance. McCoy confirmed the phenomenon was a “gustnado” — a rotating wind vortex that can form in intense thunderstorms.
The "gustnado" appeared near Vantage Career Center, where 15 large transmission poles were knocked down. It was one of several areas hit hardest by the storm.
More than 100 trees were uprooted or snapped across the county. Many fell onto homes and vehicles, but McCoy said no injuries have been reported.
“Fortunately, no injuries within the county — so at least we did good there,” he said.
Crews are continuing to work on power restoration, especially on the city’s north side, where transmission poles were toppled.
“We still have a number of areas in town that are without power,” McCoy said. “Most of the county should have power back on today.”
Cleanup and restoration efforts are expected to continue through the weekend. Officials are urging residents to stay away from downed power lines and report any hazards.
