Weather news
Rotating wall cloud south of Terre Haute, IN, with severe storms this evening
By Ryan Hall, Y'all Weather Desk ยท Published
Written by our automated news desk from National Weather Service data.
Key points
- Where: The clip is from East Oregon Church Road, south of Terre Haute in Vigo County, Indiana. The wider risk covers central and southern Indiana, western Kentucky and far southeastern Illinois.
- When: This afternoon and evening. The warning for Vigo County ran to 5:45 PM ET, and a second one for Clay, Owen, Putnam and Vigo counties runs to 6:15 PM ET.
- What: Hail around 1 to 1.5 inches and damaging wind gusts are the main threats, with a small chance of a tornado.
- What it means: Be ready to move to a safe spot fast if your county gets a tornado warning.
A rotating wall cloud was filmed south of Terre Haute, Indiana, around 5:23 PM ET Wednesday, Nov. 11, under a storm in Vigo County that was under a Severe Thunderstorm Warning. As of 5:27 PM ET there was no tornado warning and no tornado report for that storm, while a Level 2 of 5 (Slight Risk) covered central and southern Indiana, western Kentucky and far southeastern Illinois this evening.
What the clip shows
Noah Miller was watching the storm from East Oregon Church Road, looking north. His video, shot between 5:23 and 5:24 PM ET, shows a big lowering hanging under the storm just above the treeline. That is a wall cloud. Noah's own call at 5:21 PM described it as rapidly rotating with rising motion, about one to two miles away.
The clip showed a wall cloud, not a confirmed tornado. The rotation call here comes from a spotter on the scene, not from a warning, and as of 5:27 PM ET nothing official said a tornado was on the ground.
One thing has changed since then. Our warning feed now shows a tornado warning active somewhere in the country, and the details we have don't say where. Check every active warning, live for your county.
Why this storm had a chance to spin
A cold front is sweeping southeast across the Ohio Valley this evening. Ahead of it, moisture is streaming in from the south, with dewpoints in the lower 50s. That gives the storms modest fuel, around 500 to 1,000 J/kg of MLCAPE. It is not a lot for a severe day, but 30 to 40 knots of effective shear can help storms organize and rotate.
That mix can produce organized clusters and perhaps supercells. The Storm Prediction Center has a Level 2 risk up for Louisville, Evansville, Bowling Green and Bloomington. A Level 1 of 5 (Marginal) risk reaches farther out to Indianapolis, Nashville and Champaign.
The outlook probabilities are:
- Damaging wind gusts of 60 mph or more: 15% in the Level 2 area.
- Hail of 1 inch or larger, quarter size and up: 15%.
- Tornado: 2%.
A Severe Thunderstorm Watch covers the area into late evening.
What to do
- Have a way to get warnings tonight that works if your phone is on silent. Sign up for free Y'all Alerts.
- If your county goes under a tornado warning, move to an interior room on the lowest floor, away from windows. Don't wait to see it.
- If you're driving near Terre Haute, Bloomington or Evansville and hail starts, pull off under a solid cover, not under an overpass.
- Bring in or tie down loose patio items and move cars under cover if you can.
- Watch live storm reports and the severe outlook if you want to see how the line is behaving.
What happens next
The severe-storm risk is focused on this afternoon and evening. Thursday, Nov. 12, brings a Level 1 of 5 risk across the Mid-Atlantic, including the New York City, Philadelphia and Newark areas. A few storms there could produce a damaging gust or hail around 1 inch in the afternoon. Friday, Nov. 13, has no severe storms in the forecast.
Bottom line
A rotating wall cloud south of Terre Haute is a reason to take tonight's warnings seriously. It does not mean a tornado has happened. Keep your alerts on through this evening across central and southern Indiana, western Kentucky and far southeastern Illinois.
Explained: Watch vs. warning: what PDS watches and emergencies mean
More on Ohio Valley severe weather, November 2026
Places in this story: Terre Haute, IN; Louisville, KY; Evansville, IN; Indianapolis, IN; Vigo County, IN