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By: Micaiah Hill & Madeline Jackson 3/4/26
At 7 p.m in Bloomington, an EF2 tornado touched down with 100 mile and hour winds and traveled for around 4 miles. It damaged many houses and public locations, including the Monroe County Airport, The Fifth Third Bank on West 3rd Street, and other locations in the Bloomington area.
The first tornado was spotted on the west side of Bloomington. With a followed confirmed touchdown, the warnings were sent out and everyone went into shelter. It followed the path from Illinois to Indiana, with a debris ball right above the Monroe County Airport. There was some damage in the Paxton area, and on the west side of I-69. The Highland Village also endured some damage, and more noticeable was the Fifth Third Bank, and the Humane Association location in Bloomington. This storm also caused lots of power outages and problems for many families.
There were some families that lived close to the airport that were affected by the tornado, mainly the trees and woods around their properties. Officer Bunger, a resource officer at Edgewood, was on duty at the time at Kroger. He got off early to beat the storm and went home. As soon as he came home, the hail came down. Not far away, a girl who was by Kroger coming from Planet Fitness was in her car, noticed that the storm was getting worse. She parked under the bank overhang and tried to wait out the storm. She saw the tornado form and it hit. The bank overhang fell on top of her and her car and she was stuck there till the storm was over.
Ashley Jackson's driveway after the storm
Although the tornado was a very frightening experience, the aftermath was even more frightening for some. Ashley Jackson, a member of the community that endured damage to her property, says, “Our driveway was blocked by fallen trees and downed power lines, but the electric company was able to come out and clear it and repair the poles within a day.” Although there was damage to some properties in their area, the power and tree companies were very efficient in getting things cleaned up and back to normal to the best of their ability. Considering the circumstances of this storm, it didn't have the best outcomes, but could've been worse. Amelia Peach was one who had damage to her property and her family’s. The Peach’s trampoline was found on top of an electrical pole the next day. Their was also damage to their trees, which were uprooted.
In conclusion, the storm that ripped through Indiana was life threatening on multiple accounts. It tore through buildings and people’s livelihood signalling that spring is upon us and so is tornado season.
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