Violent Tornadoes And Recent Trends

F4/F5 tornadoes generate some of the strongest winds on the face of the earth and produce extreme damage.  Since 1950, Indiana has had over 2 dozen violent tornadoes which have occurred on 13 days.  3 days (4/11/1965, 4/3/1974, 6/2/1990) are responsible for a majority of the violent twisters, and these are the only days since 1950 to have at least 2 violent tornadoes.

Approximate F4/F5 tornado tracks, 1950-2010

April is a hot month with 5 out of the 13 violent tornado days occurring then. The median occurrence for a violent tornado is day #115 or April 25. Indeed, 2 violent tornadoes happened on or near this date, those being 4/25/61 and 4/26/94. Also, over half of the dates (7 out of 13) fall within the 60 day window of April 3 to June 2.

While we are past the median date for violent tornadoes, it does not mean that we should let our guard down until next year.  Violent tornadoes can happen at any time of year if the proper conditions come together.  It has been 13 years since our last violent tornado, which is the longest period without one since 1950.  While nobody can predict the date or location of the next one, it is only a matter of time until another one occurs.