(Photo courtesy, Hobart, Indiana, Fire Department Facebook page)
(Still image from video by Indiana State Police Lowell Post Sgt. Glen Fifield of tornado near Interstate 65 north of the Kankakee River Thursday evening June 11 2026, video posted at Indiana State Police-Lowell Post Facebook page)
Merrillville (Photo courtesy NIPSCO Facebook page)
The National Weather Service says several tornadoes occurred across northwest Indiana during the late afternoon and evening hours Thursday June 12 2026. “Some of these tornadoes were strong, with notable damage occurring in several areas” including in and near Merrillville and Hebron, and Streator, Illinois, the National Weather Service Chicago said at their website. Damage surveys will be conducted over the coming days by the weather service to determine how many tornadoes occurred and the track and intensity of each one. There were also tornadoes reported in northern and central Illinois. The National Weather Service also said there were also areas of straight-line wind damage in parts of the Chicago metro area and areas farther to the south.
Here is a link to the National Weather Service Chicago website for updates on the Thursday June 12, 2026, tornado outbreak- https://www.weather.gov/lot/2026_06_11_SevereWeather .
Region motorists are advised that some road closures are affecting local highways today Friday June 12 2026, like parts of U.S. 20 and 12 in the Portage-Burns Harbor-Porter areas, also State Road 49 north of Kouts and Baums Bridge Road in the Kouts area. Listen to 103.9 FM X-Rock for Region traffic updates.
In northwest Indiana, there were multiple reports of a tornado on the ground Thursday night June 11, 2026, including one east of Lowell near Interstate 65, a tornado on the ground north of Kouts, and a confirmed touchdown via Emergency Management three miles east-northeast of Wanatah in La Porte County, according to preliminary storm reports from the National Weather Service.
One of the Tornado Warnings said at At 741 PM CDT Thursday night June 12, 2026, a confirmed tornado was located over Shelby, or near Lowell, moving northeast at 35 mph. Another tornado warning issued in the Region was for a confirmed tornado located over St. John in a storm that moved northeast toward Merrillville, Gary, Hobart, Lake Station, and Portage. The Town of Ogden Dunes says it experienced widespread damage in the severe weather.
Another tornado warning that was issued just before 8pm said “a confirmed large and extremely dangerous tornado was located near Hebron” that would also impact Kouts, Boone Grove, and Malden as it traveled northeast last night. Last night the Porter County Sheriff’s Office said on social media that multiple trees were down and blocking roadways due to the tornado activity in southern Porter County, and crews would be working through the night.
Shortly after 9 pm CDT Thursday night, a Tornado Warning issued by the National Weather Service Northern Indiana office warned of dangerous storms capable of producing a tornado extending along a line from Town of Pines to Westville, with communities in the path of the storm including Michigan City, Trail Creek, Long Beach, Pottawattamie Park, and La Porte in northwest Indiana and New Buffalo and Three Oaks in southwest Michigan.
In Hobart, the fire department reported trees falling onto vehicles in the area of Liverpool Road between 49th Street and 53rd Avenue, and downed trees on 3rd Street near Lake Park Avenue. The city of Hobart last night said the city was opening the gymnasiums at the Police Community Complex for residents who have been displaced or need a safe place to go. The Hobart Police Community Complex is on East 4th Street, please enter through the Maria Reiner Center doors. The city said the facility will provide a safe temporary location for residents who’ve been displaced by the storm while they make arrangements for alternative accommodations and as crews continue working throughout Hobart to restore services and clear storm debris.
An update from Erin’s Farm animal rescue and sanctuary in Hobart this morning (Fri Jun 12) said after last night’s tornado they have some trees down and debris cleanup ahead, but the nonprofit said their animals and buildings are fine.
In Merrillville, officials say there has been extensive damage across the town from Thursday night’s storm. There were road closures throughout Merrillville due to downed trees and power lines. The town also said as of late Thursday, a command center has been established near 61st and Cleveland Street, “and multiple agencies from as far as Illinois are assisting as first responders search and assess the damage,” the town of Merrillville said in a Facebook post Thursday night (June 11 2026).
Andrean High School in Merrillville says it “withstood significant damage” from the storm, including downed trees, broken glass, and significant roof damage. In a social media post overnight, Andrean said, “While we assess the damage, mitigate safety risk, and determine next steps, we ask that you please stay away from campus until we provide an update. Campus is closed and all activities will be suspended and/or scheduled off-site pending next steps.”
The American Red Cross says it has opened a shelter at the Lincoln Community Center on Lincoln Street in Highland to provide safe refuge and support for those affected by Thursday’s storms. Individuals will find snacks, water, a place to charge their electronic devices. Affected residents don’t need to stay overnight to receive assistance.
As of 440 am, NIPSCO was reporting over 73,000 customers without power across their service territory, including over 7,200 outages in Hobart, over 5,300 in Chesterton, over 4,900 in Gary, over 4,800 in Merrillville, over 4,100 in Portage, over 2,800in Michigan City. Here is a link to the NIPSCO website for updates – https://www.nipsco.com/outages/power-outages .
In an update early today (1243am), the South Shore Line said service would be resumed today (Friday/ June 12 2026) between Michigan City and Millennium Station, including the Monon Corridor. At this time the commuter line also said there is no service between South Bend and Michigan City as crews were continuing to work cleaning up after the storm damage. Service was halted for a time last night due to the severe weather and damage caused by the storms. Here is a link to the South Shore Line’s website for updates – https://mysouthshoreline.com/service-updates/ .
Thursday’s tornado outbreak in the Region followed multiple rounds of thunderstorms in northwest Indiana and northern Illinois the day before, Wednesday June 10 2026. The National Weather Service Chicago says that afternoon, the most impactful storms, a line of storms formally classified as a derecho, produced wind gusts of up to around 80 miles per hour resulting in widespread wind damage in northern Illinois. One of the strongest observed wind gusts was a 68-mile-per-hour gust in Whiting. Here is a link to the National Weather Service Chicago website for more details – https://www.weather.gov/lot/2026_06_10_Derecho .
