While this evolution is certainly unusual, it is hardly unprecedented, although the author is not aware of any scientific studies of such a transition. It is much more common to see individual supercells form into a line of storms as the “cold pools” of chilled outflow winds from the storms coalesce and become the dominant lifting mechanism (rising air is required for thunderstorm formation and maintenance).
These initial supercells were the most prolific tornado producers – with the southernmost storm producing the first tornadoes west of Indianapolis and eventually prompting tornado warnings for the city itself. A second supercell quickly developed north of the city and produced a tornado in Kokomo, Indiana; this storm became a cyclic tornado producer as it crossed south of Fort Wayne and into adjacent areas of northwestern Ohio. A third supercell evolved even farther north, producing tornadoes near Fort Wayne, and tracked along the US-24 corridor into Ohio, producing tornadoes as far northeast as the southwestern subur