Lack Of April Tornadoes This Year

April is winding down and so far there have been no reports of tornadoes in the state.  If this holds up, it would break our string of 3 consecutive months with tornadoes and leave 2012 tied with 1976 as the only years on record with tornadoes in January, February and March. 

Historic April 25-28, 2011 Tornado Outbreak

Who can forget the unbelievable tornado outbreak of April 25-28, 2011, which produced hundreds of tornadoes, took hundreds of lives and devastated many communities in southern and eastern states?  Indiana shares a small part of this massive outbreak with 3 confirmed tornadoes - two on the 26th and one on the 27th.

To read the storm surveys for these 3 tornadoes, click here 

April 25, 1961 Tornado

On April 25, 1961, at least one powerful F4 tornado swept across portions of east central Indiana.  Touching down in Shelby county a few miles north of Shelbyville, this tornado passed over I-74 with eyewitnesses reporting multiple vorticies.  The tornado destroyed barns and homes in Shelby and Rush counties.  Additional heavy damage occurred near the town of Boston where homes were destroyed.  The tornado eventually passed into Ohio.  Several people were injured but fortunately there were no fatalities.

This event may have actually been two separate tornadoes but it is not clear.


Source:

Thomas P. Grazulis, Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991 (Environmental Films, 1993).

A Closer Look At Significant Tornado Days, 1875-2011

In the previous post, I posted a monthly breakdown of significant tornadoes and tornado days from 1875-2011.  Now I will take a closer look at significant tornado days during the same time period, including our most prolific outbreaks.

As mentioned before, a significant tornado is defined as any tornado of at least F2/EF2 strength.  A significant tornado day need only have one tornado of that intensity, but as we will see, not all significant tornado days are equal.  In our history, significant tornado days have produced anywhere from 1 to 20 significant tornadoes.

Using Grazulis data for 1875-1949 and NOAA data for 1950-2011, there have been a total of 602 F2/EF2+ tornadoes on 332 days.  226 of 332 days produced only one significant tornado and 46 days produced only two significant tornadoes, which means that 272 of 332 days produced just one or two significant tornadoes.  Recurrence rates for various numbers of significant tornadoes are below.


332 days with at least 1 significant tornado..........1 day per 0.4 years or 2.4 days per year
106 days with at least 2 significant tornadoes.......1 day every 1.3 years
60 days with at least 3 significant tornadoes.........1 day every 2.3 years
34 days with at least 4 significant tornadoes.........1 day every 4.0 years
20 days with at least 5 significant tornadoes.........1 day every 6.9 years
16 days with at least 6 significant tornadoes.........1 day every 8.6 years
7 days with at least 7 significant tornadoes...........1 day every 19.6 years


Looking at the recent era from 1980-2011, there have been 139 F2/EF2+ tornadoes on 68 days per NOAA records.  43 of 68 days produced only one significant tornado and 15 days produced only two significant tornadoes, which means that 58 of 68 days produced just one or two significant tornadoes.  Recurrence rates for various numbers of significant tornadoes are below.


68 days with at least 1 significant tornado..........1 day per 0.5 years or 2.1 days per year
25 days with at least 2 significant tornadoes.......1 day every 1.3 years
10 days with at least 3 significant tornadoes.......1 day every 3.2 years
10 days with at least 4 significant tornadoes.......1 day every 3.2 years
5 days with at least 5 significant tornadoes.........1 day every 6.4 years
4 days with at least 6 significant tornadoes.........1 day every 8.0 years
3 days with at least 7 significant tornadoes.........1 day every 10.7 years


Using Grazulis ratings for 1875-1949 and NOAA for 1950-2011, here are the top 20 significant tornado days and the number of significant tornadoes they produced.  A list of all days with 2 or more F2/EF2+ tornadoes is below that.


June 2, 1990:  20
April 3, 1974:  17
April 11, 1965:  10
November 22, 1992:   10
March 23, 1917:  7
March 28, 1920:  7
March 10, 1986:  7
June 14, 1880:  6
May 12, 1886:  6
April 17, 1922:  6
March 6, 1956:  6
April 3, 1956:  6
November 26, 1965:  6
October 24 1967:  6
March 12, 1976:  6
May 25, 2011:  6
February 25, 1956:  5
March 6, 1961:  5
April 30, 1962:  5
May 30, 2004:  5

Significant Tornadoes/Tornado Days By Month, 1875-2011

Significant tornadoes represent a greater threat to life and property compared to weak tornadoes, which means that they deserve more attention.  What defines a "significant" tornado?  Some define a significant tornado to be any tornado that causes fatalities or one of at least F2/EF2 strength.  There is no right or wrong answer but the latter criteria will be used for the purpose of this post.

When examining Indiana's tornado record, it is clear that there is a long history of significant tornadoes.  Some years/decades have been more active than others to be sure, which may be due to cyclical weather patterns or just plain luck (a tornado must hit something to even have a chance to be rated EF2, after all).
In most instances on this blog, I use Grazulis ratings for tornadoes prior to 1950 and NOAA ratings for tornadoes since 1950.  I have done that again here, but this time will also utilize the Grazulis database up to 1991 to demonstrate the differences.

Combining Grazulis data from 1875-1949 and NOAA data for 1950-2011, there were a total of 602 significant tornadoes and 332 significant tornado days.




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The March to June period contributes a majority of the significant tornadoes and tornado days, but other months certainly should not be overlooked.  November, for example, has produced a respectable number of significant tornadoes despite the low number of significant tornado days.

When using Grazulis data from 1875-1991 and NOAA data for 1992-2011, there were a total of 505 significant tornadoes and 282 significant tornado days.  This is a substantial drop compared to above (97 fewer tornadoes and 50 fewer tornado days), but this trend is not unique to Indiana.  The Fujita scale was not invented until the early 1970's, which means that tornadoes that occurred prior to that were rated retroactively, often by inexperienced individuals.  There is not a large difference in the degree of damage between a high end EF1 and a low end EF2 tornado, and ratings (NOAA) were particularly liberal in the 1950's-1970's as the Fujita scale was just in its infancy.




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Although the totals vary depending on the database, the March to June period is still the most active.

There are probably countless ways to analyze 137 years of data and this just a quick look.  I will have another post later.

April 20, 2004 "Surprise" Tornado Outbreak

Today is the eight year anniversary of the April 20, 2004 tornado outbreak.  It is hard to believe it has been that long.  Simply put, it remains one of the most poorly forecasted severe weather events I have ever seen.  Thankfully no lives were lost in Indiana but that was not the case in other areas.  You can view an excellent writeup on this event here

Also, be sure to check out the photo gallery, which contains several pictures from this event.

Map of Tornado Tracks

Remembering A Pair Of Significant April 19 Outbreaks

April 19, 1996 - 13 tornadoes

Map of Tornado Tracks

April 19, 2011 - 29 tornadoes

Map of Tornado Tracks

April Tornadoes By F/EF Scale Rating

1950-2010

Tornado Photo Gallery - 2006 To Present

Here are some tornado pictures from 2006 to present.  More pictures will be added here (and possibly the older photo sections) in the future so be sure to check back from time to time.

Click each image for larger version.

June 25, 2006 - Odell.  Photo by Tanya Snoeberger



June 25, 2006 - Odell.  Photo by Kerri Wagner



April 11, 2007 - near Arcadia.  Photo by David Gorman



April 11, 2007 - near Lizton.  Photo by Rebecca Saylor



June 3, 2008 - Edinburgh.  Photo by Gary Stofer and David Eaton



June 4, 2010 - near Wolcott.  Photo by Ray Allie



May 22, 2011 - near Rensselaer.  Photo by Joann Skinner



May 25, 2011 - near Bedford.  Photo by Stacey Cummings



May 25, 2011 - near Bedford.  Photo by Stacey Cummings



May 25, 2011 - near Bedford.  Photo by Stacey Cummings



March 2, 2012 - near Borden.  Photo by Larry Williams



March 2, 2012 - Henryville.  Photo by Evan Bentley



March 2, 2012 - Henryville.  Photo by Skip Talbot



Tornado Photo Gallery - 1990 To 2005

This post covers the years from 1990 through 2005.  The final part (2006-present) will be up tomorrow.

Click each image for larger version.

June 2, 1990 - Loogootee.  Photo by Tony Dant



October 24, 2001 - near North Webster.  Photo by Ed Sloan



April 20, 2004 - Jamestown.  Photo by Greg Gochenour



April 20, 2004 - Jamestown.  Photo by Andrew McLendon



April 20, 2004 - Jamestown.  Photo by Andrew McLendon



April 20, 2004 - Lincolnville.  Photo by Russ Kennedy



May 30, 2004 - Indianapolis.  Photo by Chris and Becky Kuhlman



May 30, 2004 - northeast of Mooresville.  Photo by Chris and Becky Kuhlman



May 30, 2004 - northeast of Mooresville.  Photo by Chris and Becky Kuhlman



May 30, 2004 - near Little Point.  Photo by Eric Wasson



May 30, 2004 - west of Monrovia.  Photo by Brett and Rebecca Everett



May 30, 2004 - west of Monrovia.  Photo by Brett and Rebecca Everett



May 30, 2004 - west of Monrovia.  Photo by Brett and Rebecca Everett



November 6, 2005 - Evansville.  Photo by Deaconess Women's Hospital



Tornado Photo Gallery - Pre 1990 Tornadoes

This is part 1 of a collection of tornado photographs that I have gathered.  All pictures are of tornadoes prior to 1990.  Many of these pictures were taken from various NWS websites.

Part 2 of the collection (1990-2005) will be posted soon.

Click each image for larger version.

April 11, 1965 - near Goshen.  Photo by Paul Huffman

April 11, 1965 - near Kokomo.  Photo by Kokomo Morning Times



April 3, 1974 - Hanover.  Photo by Paul Blume



April 3, 1974 - Hanover.  Photo by Paul Blume



April 3, 1974 - Hanover.  Photo by Rosie Graves



April 3, 1974 - Hanover.  Photo by Rosie Graves



April 3, 1974 - Hanover.  Photo by Rosie Graves



April 3, 1974 - Hanover.  Photo by Rosie Graves



April 3, 1974 - Hanover.  Photo by Rosie Graves



April 3, 1974 - Parker City.  Photo by Mick



April 3, 1974 - Parker City.  Photo by Mick



April 11, 1965 Palm Sunday Tornado Outbreak

Today marks the anniversary of the 1965 Palm Sunday tornado outbreak - not only one of the worst tornado events in U.S. history but also Indiana history.  In Indiana, 137 people were killed and nearly 2000 were injured as a series of violent tornadoes impacted the northern and central part of the state.

Although tornado records are more limited farther back in time, there are some data available for Indiana tornadoes going back approximately 200 years.  During that time, few events have even come close to competing with the 1965 outbreak in terms of fatalities, number of killer tornadoes and number of violent tornadoes.  The deadliest tornado outbreaks in Indiana history are as follows:

1.  April 11, 1965:  137

2.  March 18, 1925:  75 (actual number may be slightly higher)

3.  April 3, 1974:  47

# of killer tornadoes:

1.  April 3, 1974:  8
2.  April 11, 1965:  7
3.  June 30, 1877;  June 14, 1880;  April 17, 1922:  4


# of violent tornadoes (F4 or greater):

1.  April 3, 1974:  9
2.  April 11, 1965:  8
3.  June 2, 1990:  5


To put the April 11, 1965 Indiana death toll in perspective, more people were killed in less than 4 hours than in the entire 40 year period prior to that.  The outbreak is also responsible for slightly more than half of our tornado deaths from 1950-2012.

In all, ten tornadoes were confirmed in Indiana.  The first tornado touched down around 5:45 PM in Starke county.  It moved from 3 miles southwest of Hamlet, passed across Koontz Lake and ended about 5 miles south of Elkhart.  Numerous homes and cottages were destroyed.

The second tornado touched down in St. Joseph county about 5 miles southwest of Wakarusa.  The tornado developed a double funnel structure as it crossed US 33 between Elkhart and Goshen.  Numerous deaths occurred at the Midway Trailer Court as many trailers were destroyed.  Additional deaths occurred in the Middlebury area as homes were leveled and swept away.  Elkhart Truth reporter Paul Huffman took a series of photographs, unknowingly capturing what would become the iconic image of this outbreak (the double funnel) and perhaps one of the most spectacular tornado photographs ever taken.  Huffman was standing in the shoulder of US 33 when the famous picture was shot.






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The third tornado affected Porter and La Porte counties, moving from Morgan Township to just beyond South Center.  Homes were heavily damaged southwest of Wanatah.  Other homes and barns were destroyed south of Kingsford Heights. 

The fourth tornado touched down southeast of Goshen in Elkhart county and ended near Brighton.  Most of the deaths occurred in the Rainbow Lake and Shore areas, where intensity was near F5.

The fifth tornado touched down in northwest Steuben county before moving into Michigan.  All of the deaths and most of the damage occurred in Michigan.

The sixth tornado, the first of the day to impact central Indiana, occurred in Tippecanoe and Clinton counties.  This tornado is often listed as touching down southeast of Lafayette but tornado damage may have started as far west as Odell.  A few homes were leveled at Mulberry and Moran with the worst damage occurring in Clinton county.

The seventh tornado touched down south of South Bend, passing through parts of St. Joseph, Elkhart and LaGrange counties.  Many people were killed at Dunlap as the Sunnyside and Kingston Heights housing developments were devastated.

The eighth tornado touched down in Montgomery county southeast of Crawfordsville.  This tornado affected parts of three counties - Montgomery, Boone and Hamilton.  The funnel cut a mile wide swath north of Lebanon, destroying dozens of homes and killing several people.  Additional deaths occurred around Sheridan before the tornado dissipated south of Arcadia.

The ninth tornado of the day touched down just southwest of Russiaville, heavily damaging much of that town.  Near Alto and Kokomo, the funnel widened to about 1 mile and destroyed dozens of homes.   Additional homes were leveled along the track before the tornado finally dissipated in Grant county north of Arcana.   


The tenth and final tornado to impact Indiana touched down in Blackford county near the town of Roll.  Heavy damage occurred in Wells county near Keystone and near Linn Grove in Adams county.  The tornado then moved into Ohio.

Map of Tornado Tracks



Tornado narratives and pre-1950 data obtained from:
Thomas P. Grazulis, Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991 (Environmental Films, 1993).

























2012 Preliminary Tornado Count

With the year about 25% over, here are the preliminary tornado statistics from January-March.  This infomation is not finalized and could change.


1/17:  5
2/29:  1
3/2:  4
3/23:  1

Total:  11

April 3, 1974 Super Outbreak

Today is the anniversary of the 1974 Super Outbreak which impacted Indiana in a big way.  Click the link below to view the post from last year.

http://indianadoes.blogspot.com/2011/04/recalling-biggest-tornado-outbreak-on.html