Debris from the roof of the pump house on Beer Road. (Photos by Deb Patterson)

MILFORD — A strong thunderstorm rumbled through the Lakeland area around 4:30 a.m. today, Thursday, May 23, that caused trees to topple across roads and some on power lines; in a few spaces, their collapses led to property damage. Due to the numerous downed trees on roads, Wawasee Community School Corp. closed school for the day.

Some area residents reported hearing a constant roar when the storm hit.

The roof and wall were destroyed at a pump house on the Steve Beer Farm on Beer Road, Milford.

Officials with National Weather Service Northern Indiana reported radar showed a squall line with the storm that had 60 mph winds with microbursts of 70-80 mph winds. Officials indicated there may have been quick weak tornadoes but nothing was shown on radar; however, they are still collecting photos and data to review. “For now we’re saying straight line winds,” the official stated.

NIPSCO and REMC are reporting hundreds to thousands in the area without power. According to the NIPSCO outage map, the highest outage reported in the area is Syracuse with 287. They also show approximately 5,562 without power in the Warsaw area with the zip code of 46580, which includes the Barbee Lake area. REMC’s outage map is showing over 500 customers without power in the Lakeland area.

The Kosciusko County Highway Department reportedly had numerous pages of locations where trees were downed, including some on power lines, which could not be removed until utility companies shut off the power.

While there may have been damage to property in the area, only two locations were observed. One was possible damage to a car from a large fallen tree limb at 308 N. Main St., Milford, and destruction of a pump house on the Steve Beer farm on Beer Road, east of Milford. The roof was blown off and a portion of an east wall taken out.