Tornadoes · United States · Indiana · 2026

Unrated tornado, Malden, Indiana, June 11, 2026

This Unrated tornado ran 0.2 miles across Porter County on June 11, 2026, touching down at 8:23 PM CDT and reaching 10 yards wide. It killed nobody.

Preliminary. This is NWS LOT's damage survey, filed in the Damage Assessment Toolkit as Kouts Satellite. The rating, the path and the casualties are the survey's and can change while it is revised. The Storm Prediction Center compiles the official record of 2026 from these surveys and publishes it in the spring of 2027; this page moves to that tornado's permanent address when it does.

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The Enhanced Fujita scale rates the damage rather than measuring the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

  1. EF065 to 85 mph

    Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.

  2. EF186 to 110 mph

    Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.

  3. EF2111 to 135 mph

    Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.

  4. EF3136 to 165 mph

    Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.

  5. EF4166 to 200 mph

    Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.

  6. EF5over 200 mph

    Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.

  7. Unratedthis tornado

    The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.

The survey

Rating, as surveyed
Unrated, preliminary
Date
June 11, 2026
Touchdown
8:23 PM CDT (01:23 UTC)
Lifted
8:24 PM CDT (01:24 UTC)
On the ground
1 minutes
Path length
0.2 miles (0.4 km)
Path width
10 yards (9 m)
Deaths
0
Injuries
0
County
Porter County
Touchdown point
41.366, -86.934
Lift-off point
41.368, -86.931
Surveyed by
NWS LOT
The office's name for it
Kouts Satellite
Survey last edited
July 6, 2026
Record number
None yet. SPC numbers 2026 in the spring of 2027.

What the survey found

Based on storm chaser and storm spotter photos and videos, a tornado developed to the west of the weakening Kouts tornado. The location is estimated based on triangulation of the aforementioned photos and videos. With no known damage caused by the tornado, it has been rated an EFU.

Written by NWS LOT in the NWS Damage Assessment Toolkit. A survey is revised as better evidence arrives.

The damage survey

156 damage points were recorded along this path by NWS IWX and NWS LOT, in the Damage Assessment Toolkit the survey teams carry. The strongest indicator was rated EFU. The highest wind the damage implies is 165 mph.

  • Garage door open or penetrated. Blew out back wall. Single damage on south side
  • Entire row of trees and hedges uprooted toward the NNW and NW.
  • Additional views of downed towers. Picture of standing towers also included for reference.
  • Two homes with significant roof damage. RV camper turned over.

Survey points are preliminary and are the raw material the published rating was built from. Source: NWS Damage Assessment Toolkit.

What the Weather Service recorded

Severe thunderstorms moved across northwest Indiana during the afternoon and evening of June 11th producing wind damage, localized flooding and several tornadoes.

Based on storm chaser and spotter photos and videos a brief satellite tornado developed just south of the primary and weakening tornado moving through Kouts. The location of this tornado is based on triangulation of the photos and videos. This tornado did not produce any known damage.

From NOAA NCEI's Storm Events Database, the narrative the local forecast office wrote for Storm Data.

The warnings

32 minutes of warning. NWS LOT issued a tornado warning for this county at 00:51 UTC, 32 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 01:30 UTC.

The county was under a tornado watch, issued at 19:02 UTC and running to 02:00 UTC.

Issued (UTC)ExpiredProductOffice
15:05 UTC02:13 UTCFlood WatchLOT
19:02 UTC02:00 UTCTornado WatchLOT
19:41 UTC20:27 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningLOT
00:35 UTC01:09 UTCTornado WarningLOT
00:37 UTC03:45 UTCFlood AdvisoryLOT
00:51 UTC01:30 UTCTornado WarningLOT
01:30 UTC02:19 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningLOT
03:49 UTC00:00 UTCFlood AdvisoryLOT

Every warning and watch covering the touchdown point that day, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service products. Lead time is measured from the issue of the warning in force to the touchdown time in the database, both of which were recorded to the minute by different people.

The forecast that day

The Storm Prediction Center had this point in a Enhanced Risk, with a 0.10 chance of a tornado within 25 miles, in the hatched area where significant tornadoes were expected. The outlook in force was issued at 01:00 UTC.

SPC's Day 1 convective outlook as it stood when the tornado began, read at the touchdown point. The same archive is on the radar archive.

The air that afternoon

The radiosonde launches on either side of the tornado, from the nearest station that was launching then, drawn and analyzed the way Storm Lab does: the same diagram, the same parcel and shear definitions SPC's mesoanalysis uses.

Lincoln, IL (KILX), 12:00Z

10.6 hours after it, 195 km from the path. June 12, 2026.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Lincoln, IL at 12:00Z on 2026-06-12Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 0 joules per kilogram, CIN -10754, lifted condensation level 1364 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed. The warm shading is its CAPE, the cool shading the inhibition it has to break through.
HodographHodograph, Lincoln, IL at 12:00Z on 2026-06-12The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers as a curve, rings every 10 meters per second labeled in knots. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -26 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 66 knots.1939587897Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km. RM and LM are the right and left moving storms Bunkers' method gives; the shaded area is the 0 to 1 km storm-relative helicity.
Mixed-layer CAPE
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-10754 J/kg
Surface CAPE
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1364 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
66 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
20 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-26 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
79 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0
0-3 km lapse rate
2.9 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The surface observations

Valparaiso (VPZ), 12 km from the path, in the two hours either side.

Time (UTC)Temp (°F)Dew point (°F)WindGust (kt)Pressure (mb)Weather
23:56 UTC8074150° 8 kt1004.7
00:38 UTC8074160° 6 kt1004.4VCTS
00:56 UTC8173190° 8 kt1005.1TS
01:12 UTC7269310° 16 kt251005.8+TSRA
01:20 UTC6969310° 11 kt1004.7+TSRA FG
01:34 UTC7070 4 kt1004.1-TSRA BR
01:42 UTC707020° 7 kt1003.7-TSRA
01:56 UTC7170 1004.1-TSRA BR
02:00 UTC7371280° 15 kt241004.4+TSRA BR
02:07 UTC7372270° 10 kt241005.1-TSRA BR
02:14 UTC7571260° 22 kt331005.8VCTS -RA
02:25 UTC7471290° 15 kt281006.1-TSRA
02:36 UTC7167290° 5 kt1006.1-TSRA
02:47 UTC7167250° 12 kt201006.8VCTS -RA
02:56 UTC7268240° 11 kt1006.8-RA

From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of airport observations.

The radar

The Chicago radar (KLOT), 100 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 01:19 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment, over the track

Reflectivity and velocity, decoded from the Level II archive in the browser. Volumes take a few seconds to open the first time.

What was reported nearby

Local storm reports within 60 km of the path, in the three hours either side.

Time (UTC)ReportWhereCountyRemark
00:11 UTCTSTM WND DMG3 W St. JohnLake, INPublic report of multiple uprooted trees and broken branches near Gettler Street and 99th Place. Time estimated by radar.
00:11 UTCTSTM WND DMG3 W St. JohnLake, INPublic report of multiple uprooted trees and broken branches near Gettler Street and 99th Place. Time estimated by radar.
00:11 UTCTORNADO3 Wsw St. JohnLake, INNWS survey confirms a preliminary EF-0 tornado. Peak winds near 85 mph, width of 150 yards, and length of 5.5 miles.
00:16 UTCTSTM WND DMG1 W St. JohnLake, INMultiple large branches broken, tree branches on house, near 93rd Avenue and Northcote Avenue.
00:16 UTCTSTM WND DMG1 W St. JohnLake, INMultiple large branches broken, tree branches on house, near 93rd Avenue and Northcote Avenue.
00:24 UTCTSTM WND GST 543 Nw MerrillvilleLake, INPrivate weather station KINMERRI15 reported 54 mph gust.
00:24 UTCTSTM WND GST 543 Nw MerrillvilleLake, INPrivate weather station KINMERRI15 reported 54 mph gust.
00:25 UTCTSTM WND DMG3 N MerrillvilleLake, INRoof damage to Andrean High School in Merrillville. Multiple large branches broken in the vicinity. Possible tornado. Relayed via broadcast media.
00:25 UTCTSTM WND DMG3 N MerrillvilleLake, INRoof damage to Andrean High School in Merrillville. Multiple large branches broken in the vicinity. Possible tornado. Relayed via broadcast media.
00:25 UTCTORNADO3 Se GriffithLake, IN*** 1 INJ *** Corrects previous tornado report from 3 SE Griffith. An NWS damage survey confirmed an EF-2 tornado with peak winds of 120 mph, path length of 6.5 miles, and maximum width of 700 yards.
00:25 UTCTORNADO3 Se GriffithLake, IN*** 1 INJ *** Corrects previous tornado report from 3 SE Griffith. An NWS damage survey confirmed an EF-2 tornado with peak winds of 120 mph, path length of 6.5 miles, and maximum width of 700 yards.
00:25 UTCTORNADO3 Se GriffithLake, INAn NWS damage survey confirmed an EF-2 tornado with peak winds of 120 mph, path length of 6.5 miles, and maximum width of 700 yards.
00:29 UTCFUNNEL CLOUD3 W Cedar LakeLake, INTrained spotter reports rotating wall cloud with funnel cloud just west of Cedar Lake.
00:29 UTCFUNNEL CLOUD3 W Cedar LakeLake, INTrained spotter reports rotating wall cloud with funnel cloud just west of Cedar Lake.
00:30 UTCTSTM WND DMG3 Nnw MerrillvilleLake, INDamage to trees, power lines, and structures near 61st Avenue and Adams Street in Merrillville. Possible tornado. Time estimated by radar.
00:32 UTCTORNADO2 Ssw Cedar LakeLake, INNWS survey confirms a preliminary EF-0 tornado. Peak winds of 80 mph, width of 150 yards, and length of 4.1 miles.
00:33 UTCTSTM WND DMG1 Sw Cedar LakeLake, INPublic report of roof damage and fence damage on Drummond Street in southwest Cedar Lake. Time estimated by radar.
00:33 UTCTSTM WND DMG1 Sw Cedar LakeLake, INPublic report of roof damage and fence damage on Drummond Street in southwest Cedar Lake. Time estimated by radar.
00:36 UTCTORNADO3 Ne SchneiderLake, INNWS survey confirms a preliminary EF-0 tornado. Peak winds of 85 mph, width of 200 yards, and length of 12.6 miles.
00:41 UTCTSTM WND DMGOgden DunesPorter, INSeveral trees downed across Ogden Dunes, including some onto houses and cars.
00:41 UTCTSTM WND DMGOgden DunesPorter, INSeveral trees downed across Ogden Dunes, including some onto houses and cars.
00:45 UTCFLOOD2 Ene Cedar LakeLake, INRoadway flooding near 133rd Avenue and Colfax Avenue near Cedar Lake. Relayed via amateur radio.
00:45 UTCFLOOD2 Ene Cedar LakeLake, INRoadway flooding near 133rd Avenue and Colfax Avenue near Cedar Lake. Relayed via amateur radio.
00:48 UTCTORNADO5 Ne ShelbyLake, INAn NWS damage survey confirmed an EF-3 tornado with peak winds of 165 mph, path length of 22.2 miles, and maximum width of 400 yards.
00:48 UTCTORNADO5 Ne ShelbyLake, INAn NWS damage survey confirmed an EF-3 tornado with peak winds of 165 mph, path length of 22.2 miles, and maximum width of 400 yards.
00:49 UTCTSTM WND GST 561 Ene Ogden DunesPorter, INPrivate weather station KINPORTA72 reported 56 mph gust.
00:49 UTCTSTM WND GST 561 Ene Ogden DunesPorter, INPrivate weather station KINPORTA72 reported 56 mph gust.
00:51 UTCTSTM WND DMG1 E Dune AcresPorter, INIndiana Dunes National Park law enforcement report numerous trees and powerlines downed across the park. Two large branches approximately 20 inches in diameter fallen on park structures. Time estimated by radar.
00:51 UTCTSTM WND DMG1 E Dune AcresPorter, INIndiana Dunes National Park law enforcement report numerous trees and powerlines downed across the park. Two large branches approximately 20 inches in diameter fallen on park structures. Time estimated by radar.
00:51 UTCTORNADO4 Sw HebronLake, INPublic report of tornado on the grand east of Lowell near I-65.
00:51 UTCTORNADO4 Sw HebronLake, INPublic report of tornado on the grand east of Lowell near I-65.
00:54 UTCTSTM WND DMG1 N PortagePorter, INWidespread tree damage reported in Portage. Time estimated from radar.
00:54 UTCTSTM WND DMG1 N PortagePorter, INWidespread tree damage reported in Portage. Time estimated from radar.
00:58 UTCTORNADO2 Sse HebronPorter, INStorm chaser video shows tornado southeast of Hebron.
00:58 UTCTORNADO2 Sse HebronPorter, INStorm chaser video shows tornado southeast of Hebron.
01:00 UTCRAIN 2.731 E DyerLake, INPrivate weather station KINSCHER24 reported 2.73 inches of rainfall during two waves of rainfall between 2 PM and 8 PM.
01:00 UTCRAIN 2.731 E DyerLake, INPrivate weather station KINSCHER24 reported 2.73 inches of rainfall during two waves of rainfall between 2 PM and 8 PM.
01:02 UTCTORNADO4 Sse Boone GrovePorter, INTrained spotter report of tornado near 900 South Road and 200 West Road with debris in the air.
01:02 UTCTORNADO4 Sse Boone GrovePorter, INTrained spotter report of tornado near 900 South Road and 200 West Road with debris in the air.
01:05 UTCTSTM WND DMG4 Se Lake VillageNewton, INReport of snapped corn and flipped over irrigation system. Time estimated by radar.

From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service local storm reports.

This ground now

The live radar over the trackEvery 2026 tornado in IndianaEvery tornado in Indiana since 1950Warnings in force in Indiana nowThe forecast where you are

The other tornadoes of June 11, 2026

65 more have been surveyed in the United States that day, so far.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
June 115:10 AM CDTEF1Cass, NE2.040
June 115:15 AM CDTEF0Cass, NE0.320
June 115:21 AM CDTEF1Cass, NE2.040
June 115:29 AM CDTEF1Fremont, IA1.530
June 115:33 AM CDTEF0Mills, IA1.720
June 115:58 AM CDTEF1Page, IA7.2100
June 116:08 AM CDTEF1Montgomery, IA5.70
June 116:08 AM CDTEF1Montgomery, IA5.70
June 116:11 AM CDTEF1Page, IA1.950
June 116:26 AM CDTEF2Adams, IA6.0200
June 114:05 PM CDTUnratedWashington, IA0.10
June 114:15 PM CDTUnratedHancock, IL0.20
June 114:54 PM CDTUnratedMcDonough, IL0.10
June 114:56 PM CDTEF3Woodford, IL11.2930
June 115:17 PM CDTEF0Fulton, IL2.430
June 115:31 PM CDTUnratedFulton, IL0.220
June 115:31 PM CDTEF1LaSalle, IL4.4500
June 115:32 PM CDTEF3Livingston, IL11.96007
June 115:44 PM CDTEF1Livingston, IL22.8900
June 115:55 PM CDTUnratedLivingston, IL0.8250
June 115:58 PM CDTUnratedLaSalle, IL0.3100
June 116:08 PM CDTEF1Tazewell, IL12.9300
June 116:12 PM CDTEF1Kenosha, WI0.575
June 116:12 PM CDTUnratedBureau, IL1.40
June 117:01 PM CDTUnratedLee, IL6.050
June 117:06 PM CDTEF0McLean, IL11.0100
June 117:08 PM CDTUnratedKankakee, IL0.650
June 117:11 PM CDTEF0Lake, IN6.0150
June 117:20 PM CDTEF1Champaign, IL9.10
June 117:23 PM CDTEF1Ford, IL6.9100
June 117:25 PM CDTEF2Lake, IN6.57001
June 117:26 PM CDTEF1Champaign, IL3.0150
June 117:32 PM CDTEF0Lake, IN4.1150
June 117:36 PM CDTEF0Lake, IN12.7200
June 117:39 PM CDTEF1Vermilion, IL13.6100
June 117:44 PM CDTEF1Vermilion, IL8.1100
June 117:45 PM CDTEF0Iroquois, IL2.1250
June 117:48 PM CDTEF1Iroquois, IL1.250
June 117:48 PM CDTEF3Lake, IN22.5450
June 117:52 PM CDTEF1DuPage, IL3.0400
June 117:58 PM CDTEF0Newton, IN12.6200
June 118:58 PM EDTEF1Benton, IN12.3250
June 117:58 PM CDTEF0Newton, IN15.6200
June 118:59 PM EDTEF0Warren, IN10.575
June 118:04 PM CDTEF0DuPage, IL1.3150
June 118:15 PM CDTEF2Cook, IL8.33506
June 119:29 PM EDTEF0Barry, MI4.650
June 119:31 PM EDTEF0Kent, MI4.270
June 119:31 PM EDTEF0Carroll, IN3.475
June 119:43 PM EDTEF0Carroll, IN0.325
June 119:46 PM EDTEF1Cass, IN0.8250
June 119:58 PM EDTEF1Cass, IN1.5100
June 1110:11 PM EDTEF1Marshall, IN0.7125
June 1110:11 PM EDTEF0Marshall, IN2.9125
June 1110:22 PM EDTEF1Wabash, IN4.702
June 1110:22 PM EDTEF1Marshall, IN3.4300
June 1110:33 PM EDTEF1Huntington, IN5.875
June 1110:39 PM EDTEF1Huntington, IN7.950
June 1110:42 PM EDTEF2Elkhart, IN6.11001
June 1110:44 PM EDTEF1Huntington, IN0.725

All 66 of them

What this means

Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. A survey can be revised, so the rating, the path and the casualties can all still change.

Sources

NWS Damage Assessment Toolkit, the record the survey teams file from the damage, and NOAA Storm Prediction Center storm reports. Neither is the official database for 2026, which SPC publishes in the spring of 2027.