{
  "id": "2026-02-19-indiana-university-bloomington-tornado-warning",
  "slug": "indiana-university-bloomington-tornado-warning-2026-02-19",
  "institution": {
    "name": "Indiana University Bloomington",
    "shortName": "IU",
    "state": "IN",
    "type": "public-r1",
    "alertSystemName": "IU Notify"
  },
  "incident": {
    "date": "2026-02-19",
    "type": "tornado",
    "cleryCategory": "emergency-notification",
    "headline": "Shelter alerts issued as an EF2 tornado tracked within four miles of campus",
    "headlinePublic": "Shelter alerts issued as an EF2 tornado tracked within four miles of campus",
    "summary": "On the evening of Thursday, February 19, 2026, the National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for Monroe County at 6:39 PM EST and extended it at 7:01 PM EST. [IU Notify pushed Bloomington-campus alerts](https://www.facebook.com/iuemergencyupdates/posts/iu-bloomington-alert-a-tornado-warning-has-been-issued-for-monroe-county-go-imme/2330039670576679/) for both warnings, instructing the campus community to \"SEEK SHELTER NOW.\" An [EF2 tornado with 120 mph winds](https://www.wthr.com/article/weather/weather-blog/early-recap-of-the-bloomington-tornado-what-happened-thursday-night-weather-damage-path/531-409c0ca4-f4b1-4c7a-8591-09c03dfd4d87) tracked through Bloomington for 3.73 miles around 7 PM. The IU main campus was spared, but [over 1,200 Monroe County residents lost power](https://www.idsnews.com/article/2026/02/monroe-county-residents-without-power-severe-storm).",
    "resolution": "confirmed-threat",
    "outcome": "EF2 tornado confirmed by NWS Indianapolis with peak winds of 120 mph; on the ground for 3.73 miles in Monroe County. IU's main Bloomington campus was spared but over 1,200 residents lost power. No injuries reported on campus.",
    "casualties": {
      "killed": 0,
      "injured": 0
    }
  },
  "alerts": [
    {
      "sequence": 1,
      "type": "initial",
      "timestamp": "2026-02-19T18:39:00-05:00",
      "channel": "sms",
      "verbatimText": "IU Bloomington Alert: A Tornado Warning has been issued for Monroe County. Go immediately to a designated shelter or to the lowest level interior room of your building. SEEK SHELTER NOW.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://www.facebook.com/iuemergencyupdates/posts/iu-bloomington-alert-a-tornado-warning-has-been-issued-for-monroe-county-go-imme/2330039670576679/",
      "sourceDescription": "Indiana University Emergency Updates Facebook page",
      "annotations": [
        "Pushed at 6:39 PM EST on February 19, 2026, simultaneously with the NWS Indianapolis tornado warning issuance.",
        "The all-caps \"SEEK SHELTER NOW\" closing is IU Notify's standard severe-weather sign-off; the imperative form differs from advisory phrasing like \"consider taking shelter\".",
        "Initial warning was set to expire at 7:15 PM EST."
      ],
      "characterCount": 186
    },
    {
      "sequence": 2,
      "type": "update",
      "timestamp": "2026-02-19T19:01:00-05:00",
      "channel": "sms",
      "verbatimText": "",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": false,
      "sourceDescription": "Reconstructed: the NWS Indianapolis severe-weather summary documents the warning extension to 7:30 PM EST and Indiana Daily Student reporting documents that a second IU Notify alert was sent, but the exact wording of that alert was not published",
      "annotations": []
    }
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "IU Bloomington Alert (Indiana University Emergency Updates Facebook)",
      "url": "https://www.facebook.com/iuemergencyupdates/posts/iu-bloomington-alert-a-tornado-warning-has-been-issued-for-monroe-county-go-imme/2330039670576679/",
      "type": "official-social"
    },
    {
      "title": "February 19 Tornadoes and Severe Storms (NWS Indianapolis)",
      "url": "https://www.weather.gov/ind/feb192026severe",
      "type": "other"
    },
    {
      "title": "Suspected tornado leaves trail of damage in Bloomington area; no injuries reported (WTHR)",
      "url": "https://www.wthr.com/article/weather/severe-weather/severe-thunderstorms-possible-tornadoes-watch-warning-central-indiana-live-weather-updates/531-a9b8ea52-0d40-4126-9623-4cd14c9b4051",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Early look at the Bloomington tornado: Where did it hit? (WTHR)",
      "url": "https://www.wthr.com/article/weather/weather-blog/early-recap-of-the-bloomington-tornado-what-happened-thursday-night-weather-damage-path/531-409c0ca4-f4b1-4c7a-8591-09c03dfd4d87",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Over 1,200 Monroe County residents without power (Indiana Daily Student)",
      "url": "https://www.idsnews.com/article/2026/02/monroe-county-residents-without-power-severe-storm",
      "type": "student-newspaper"
    },
    {
      "title": "IU Notify: Get Emergency Alerts (Protect IU)",
      "url": "https://protect.iu.edu/emergency-continuity/emergency-alerts/iu-notify.html",
      "type": "official-archive"
    }
  ],
  "context": "On the evening of Thursday, February 19, 2026, an unusually strong February storm system tracked across southern Indiana. The [National Weather Service Indianapolis office issued a tornado warning](https://www.weather.gov/ind/feb192026severe) for Monroe County at 6:39 PM EST, then extended the warning at 7:01 PM EST as the severe thunderstorm rotated up into a damaging tornado. IU Notify pushed Bloomington-campus alerts in lockstep with NWS, opening with the imperative \"[A Tornado Warning has been issued for Monroe County](https://www.facebook.com/iuemergencyupdates/posts/iu-bloomington-alert-a-tornado-warning-has-been-issued-for-monroe-county-go-imme/2330039670576679/). Go immediately to a designated shelter\" and closing with the all-caps \"SEEK SHELTER NOW\" tag. An [EF2 tornado with peak winds of 120 mph](https://www.wthr.com/article/weather/weather-blog/early-recap-of-the-bloomington-tornado-what-happened-thursday-night-weather-damage-path/531-409c0ca4-f4b1-4c7a-8591-09c03dfd4d87) tracked through Bloomington for 3.73 miles around 7 PM, damaging buildings near Indiana University. The main campus was spared, but [more than 1,200 Monroe County residents lost power](https://www.idsnews.com/article/2026/02/monroe-county-residents-without-power-severe-storm).",
  "keyFindings": [
    "IU Notify pushed two tornado-warning alerts in 22 minutes (initial issuance at 6:39 PM EST, extension at 7:01 PM EST) both ending in the imperative \"SEEK SHELTER NOW\".",
    "An EF2 tornado with 120 mph winds tracked 3.73 miles through Bloomington as the second alert went out, capturing a tornado intensification within IU Notify's alert window.",
    "Despite damage near campus, the IU Bloomington main campus was spared, demonstrating the value of advance NWS-coupled IU Notify warnings for a campus that sits inside a high-tornado-frequency Indiana corridor."
  ],
  "responseTimeMinutes": 0,
  "confidence": "high",
  "tags": [
    "Indiana",
    "Indiana University",
    "Bloomington",
    "tornado",
    "EF2",
    "IU Notify",
    "severe-weather",
    "Monroe County",
    "Big-Ten"
  ],
  "dateAdded": "2026-05-03",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-07-16",
  "addedBy": "ingestion"
}