A regional tornado outbreak struck northern Indiana on Thursday evening, June 11, 2026, as part of a larger severe-weather outbreak that affected Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Michigan. The storm system produced multiple tornadoes across Indiana, including significant damage in Merrillville, Hobart, Kouts, and Bristol in Elkhart County. In Northwest Indiana, an EF-2 tornado tracked from Merrillville to Hobart with estimated peak winds of 120 mph. The tornado traveled approximately 6.45 miles , reached a maximum width of 700 yards, and caused major residential and structural damage through central Merrillville before lifting near southwest Hobart. The most heavily affected Merrillville areas included neighborhoods near W 64th Avenue, 61st Place, 61st Avenue, Grand Place, and areas near Andrean High School. More than 200 homes and buildings were reported damaged or destroyed in Merrillville, with roofs torn off, walls damaged, trees and power lines downed, and streets blocked by debris. In northern Elkhart County , an EF-2 tornado struck the Bristol area later that evening. The National Weather Service reported estimated peak winds of 115 mph, a path length of approximately 6.12 miles , and a maximum width of 100 yards. Damage was reported from the area northeast of Elkhart toward Bristol, including Hyde Park Drive, Stanford Drive, Pheasant Ridge, County Road 19, Baltimore Oriole Drive, and Songbird Way. One home lost a garage and sustained significant roof damage, another home suffered a near-complete roof loss, and numerous trees were uprooted or snapped. The broader June 11 outbreak produced dozens of tornadoes across the region, including several strong tornadoes in northern Indiana. The strongest Indiana tornado in the outbreak was the EF-3 Kouts tornado, which caused severe damage in southern Porter County and continued into La Porte County before weakening. Straight-line wind damage, downed trees, power outages, and blocked roads were also reported acros…
Christ In Action is deploying a heavy equipment and chainsaw strike team to Elkhart Co IN following the EF2 tornado in coordination with local EMA. See website link for details and ways you can support this response.
Eight Days of Hope is deploying our Rapid Response team to serve the Merrillville, IN, community after a heartbreaking EF-2 tornado left so many families in need. In this deployment, we will be removing dangerous trees, cleaning up debris, tarping roofs, and more. We will be headquartered and lodging at Faith Temple of Christ Church during this response, from Friday, June 19 to Saturday, June 27.
Structured data for this disaster: https://app.servesource.org/api/apps/695c704f24f26045c4d0f1c0/functions/publicDisasterData?disaster=merrillville-indiana-tornado-june-2026
Full page: https://app.servesource.org/DisasterDetail?disaster=merrillville-indiana-tornado-june-2026