By Phil Helsel -
NBC News
Three people died after severe weather hit a mobile home park in Winchester, Indiana, Thursday night, state police said.
No further details were immediately available from authorities, who confirmed three deaths at the park on North Cash Drive.
Tornado warnings covered a swath of the United States Thursday night
from northeast Texas to parts of Arkansas, passing through parts of Indiana and reaching Ohio
, according to the National Weather Service.
Satellite view of weather conditions in the United States on March 14, 2024.NOAA/NESDIS/STARR
The Winchester Government announced on social media shortly before 8 pm (local time) that there was a tornado warning and that the sirens were activated, and urged people to “Please seek shelter!”
Randolph County emergency officials warned that a tornado had touched down near Winchester at 7:56 p.m. and was moving at 40 mph (64 km/h).
The Randolph County Sheriff's Office reported on social media that "heavy storm damage" had occurred, and urged people to avoid the Winchester area while emergency crews worked.
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The weather service reported online reports of storms, likely a tornado,
causing damage in Winchester
.
Reconnaissance teams typically confirm tornadoes later, after visiting disaster scenes.
There was also damage in Selma, a small community west of Winchester, where county emergency officials said an estimated half of the structures in the town of 750 people had been damaged.
The Delaware County Emergency Management Agency reported that despite the damage in Selma, the good news was that only one person was slightly injured late Thursday.
“The sky was pitch black,” Lisa Gulley, who lives in Selma, told NBC affiliate WTHR in Indianapolis.
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“I saw the clouds swirling and forming basically over my neighbor's house, just two doors away, and then they just fell,” Gulley said.
“We barely had time to get home
. ”
Gulley told WTHR that as soon as they reached the hallway of the home, one of the home's fence panels flew off and smashed through a sliding glass door.
“The door exploded,” he said.
“[The wind] blew away all the shingles on the back of my house.”
More than 13 million people in the United States were under a tornado watch Thursday night, according to the weather service.
Winchester is a town of about 4,800 people, about 65 miles northeast of Indianapolis, near the Ohio border.
There were also reports of tornadoes and damage in Mercer and Logan counties in Ohio, according to the weather service.
In Lakeview, Ohio, some buildings were reported to have been destroyed.
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In Huron County, Ohio, emergency officials reported a tornado
estimated to be half a mile wide
crossed a highway, according to a report on the weather service's storm website.
The Huron County Emergency Management Agency reported minimal damage occurred and no people were injured.
Arkansas State Police reported downed power lines and roof damage in Hot Springs Village, a community of about 15,000 residents west of Little Rock.