Brunt of Sunday storm misses Putnam County

On a day in which major hail, damaging winds and three confirmed tornadoes ravaged parts of Indiana, Greencastle and Putnam County dodged the proverbial bullet Sunday.

While baseball-sized hail was reported in Owen County and tornadoes touched down in Johnson, Martin and southwestern Monroe counties, the local area saw quarter-inch hail measured on the north side of Greencastle and a mile southwest of Greencastle shortly after 3 p.m., according to the National Weather Service office at Indianapolis.

One person was killed in Martin County in southwestern Indiana when a tornado leveled his home in a 4:30 p.m. incident. A second occupant was injured. Large hail was reported in that area with one hailstone measuring three inches in diameter.

In Johnson County, the storm cut a swath through the Center Grove area with damage reported in a three-mile-wide stretch in the northern part of the county. An estimated 75 homes sustained moderate to severe damage.

Monroe County, meanwhile, saw 10 structures, mostly homes and barns, damaged by high winds.

Earlier, half-inch diameter hail was reported two miles southwest of Ladoga in Montgomery County at 3:05 p.m., while the large hail falling in Owen County occurred near Spencer about 4:05 p.m., measuring 2.75 inches in diameter.

Rain fell hard but only briefly in the Greencastle area, although the storm was preceded by nearly constant thunder for 15 minutes or more. The storm tracked to the southeast, intensifying as it descended upon Johnson County and the Greenwood area after pelting the Plainfield area with hail.