Monday night storms officially classified as a derecho

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WPTA) - The Storm Prediction Center has officially classified Monday night’s storm complex as a derecho.

This storm complex produced damaging winds including a 98 mph gust in Fort Wayne as well as a 76 mph gust in Yoder. Severe winds (gusts equal to or greater than 58 mph) were measured in Defiance, Kosciusko, Putnam, and Whitley counties.

A severe outbreak may be classified as a derecho if it produces 58 miles per hour or greater winds along most of a 240-mile path. Although derechos produce damage paths similar to tornadoes, typically the damage occurs in one direction.

This is the strongest derecho to hit Fort Wayne since June 2012 an the first since 2020. That derecho produced a then-record 91 mph wind gust at Fort Wayne International Airport. That record was broken with yesterday’s 98 mph gust.

The airport says they saw various degrees of damage at their facilities, and luckily, no one was injured. They say flights throughout the morning have been canceled or significantly delayed.

SEVERE WEATHER UPDATE

FWA took a major hit from last night's storms with a number of airport and airport-related facilities suffering from various degrees of damage. While there is an abundance of damage, all staff are safe and no injuries were reported. (Continued...)
— Fort Wayne Airport (@flyfwa) June 14, 2022