May 25, 2011 Tornado Outbreak - One Year Later

Today is one year since the May 25, 2011 tornado outbreak.  This outbreak is a notable one in state history.  In terms of tornado count, it is our second largest May tornado outbreak on record, only trailing the May 30, 2004 event (23 tornadoes).  Below is a map of tornado tracks.

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 

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

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



Some Perspective On Our 2011 Tornado Season

You don't need me to tell you that 2011 was a very active tornado year for the country as a whole.  Locally, we experienced plenty of activity and I thought I would take some time to put our season in perspective. 

One way to put our year in context is to compare it to active years in other states.  How active was our year relative to the most active years elsewhere?  Since states vary in size, let's consider the record number of tornadoes per 10,000 square miles (land) for some other states.  A few of these may surprise you.

Delaware:  30.71 (1992)

Rhode Island:  28.71 (1986)

South Carolina:  28.56 (2004)

Maryland:  24.56 (1995)

Mississippi:  23.24 (2008)

Kansas:  22.86 (2008)

Illinois:  22.13 (2006)

Iowa:  21.48 (2008)

Florida:  21.33 (1997)

Oklahoma:  21.12 (1999)

Virginia:  20.96 (2004)

Arkansas:  20.55 (1999)

Indiana:  20.07 (2011)

Alabama:  18.52 (2008)

Louisiana:  18.14 (1992, 2008)

Massachusetts:  15.31 (1958)

Ohio:  14.90 (1992)

Missouri:  14.66 (2006)

Nebraska:  14.44 (2004)

Minnesota:  14.19 (2010)

Although I don't have the finalized 2011 numbers for other states, it is clear that we were not the only state to experience a record amount of activity so this list will need some modification in the future.

Knowing that we broke our yearly record with 72 tornadoes, it should not be a surprise that there were some other firsts in 2011.  Here are a few:

-58 tornadoes in the 5 week period from 4/19 through 5/25

-2 consecutive months with at least 25 tornadoes (April/May)

-29 tornadoes on April 19-20, the biggest April outbreak on record

-9 tornadoes in Dubois county, the most for any Indiana county in one year

Other noteworthy achievements:

-6 tornadoes on February 28, the second biggest February outbreak on record

-22 tornadoes on May 25, the second biggest May outbreak and overall fourth biggest outbreak on record

-33 tornadoes in April, the second most on record for any month

-16 tornado days, the fourth most on record



2011 Tornadoes By Month/Intensity And Month/CWA

Here is a table showing tornadoes by month/intensity and tornadoes by month/county warning area for 2011.  There are 2 tornadoes that crossed CWA boundaries, 1 in May which moved from LMK into IND and 1 in June which moved from PAH into LMK. I gave each CWA a half point for those tornadoes in order to have a consistent total, but obviously in reality IND has had 18, LMK 31 and PAH 11.  Hopefully that makes sense.

Click For Larger Image

 

2011 Year In Review

As we move toward the end of 2011, I thought it would be prudent to post a summary of this year's tornadoes.  Here it is month by month.


February:

6 tornadoes occurred, all of them on the last day of the month.  An EF2 tornado cut a 14 mile swath in Dubois county, injuring 1 person.  A separate EF2 struck portions of Gibson and Pike counties.


April:

This was a quiet month for tornadoes until the 19th.  29 tornadoes struck the state on the 19th and into the 20th, the second most in a single outbreak.  This event was followed up on the 23rd by an EF0 tornado in Jackson county.  Three additional tornadoes struck the state on the 26th and 27th, one of them an EF2 which had a 5 mile path through Warrick county.  There were 33 tornadoes in total during April, making it our second most active month on record.


May:

May followed a similar trend as April with a quiet early and middle part of the month.  Then an EF1 tornado in Jasper county kicked things off on May 22.  EF0 tornadoes struck Huntington and Ripley and Dearborn counties on the 23rd.  After a 1 day break, another significant outbreak happened on May 25.  This outbreak produced 22 tornadoes, including several EF2's and an EF3 in Lawrence county.  The Lawrence county tornado began east of Bedford and moved northeast for about 7 miles before lifting.  In all, there were 25 tornadoes in May.


June:

Like the preceding months, much of June was quiet.  The first tornado was a brief EF0 in Perry county on the 19th.  Another tornado struck Harrison county on the 22nd.  Two more tornadoes occurred during the early morning hours of the 26th, bringing the monthly total to 4. 


July:

Only 1 tornado happened in July, a brief EF0 in Newton county on the 23rd.


September:

After nearly 2 months without a tornado, an EF1 hit Jennings county early on the 26th.  An EF0 struck Elkhart county the following day. 


November:

An EF1 tornado touched down in Orange county on the 14th, the only tornado during November.  This was the last tornado of the year, bringing the 2011 total to 72.

Map Of May 25 Tornadoes

Map Of April 19-20 Tornadoes

Map Of February 28 Tornadoes

I will be posting maps of our significant 2011 tornado outbreaks in the next several days.  Kicking things off, here is the February 28 outbreak:

2011 Tornado Map

Here is a map of our 2011 tornadoes, drawn to the best of my ability.

Click For Larger Image

NWS Confirms Tornado In Orange County

The NWS in Louisville has confirmed that an EF1 tornado touched down in Orange county during the early evening of November 14.  Here are the details:


PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY
1231 PM EST TUE NOV 15 2011   
..DAMAGE REPORT

DAMAGE TYPE: TORNADO

       DATE: NOV 14 2011
BEGIN TIME: 7:32 PM EST
   END TIME: 7:35 PM EST

BEGIN POINT: 0.7 W PAOLI
  END POINT: 1.3 ENE PAOLI

   EF SCALE: 1 
WIND SPEED: 100 MPH

PATH LENGTH: 2 MILES
PATH WIDTH: 50 YARDS

   INJURIES: 0
FATALITIES: 0 
  

NARRATIVE: THE TORNADO SPUN UP WEST OF STAR FIELD ON THE NORTH SIDE 
OF PAOLI SCHOOL COMPLEX...DESTROYING A 100 YEAR OLD BARN AND HEAVILY
DAMAGING THE ROOFS OF TWO OTHER OUTBUILDINGS.  IT THEN TOOK A LARGE 
SECTION OF ROOFING OFF THE PAOLI POLICE DEPARTMENT BUILDING ON WEST 
MAIN STREET BEFORE SNAPPING SEVERAL TREES ALONG LICK CREEK AS IT 
MOVED EAST-NORTHEAST TOWARD TO CITY SQUARE.  ON THE SQUARE THE 
TORNADO RIPPED THE METAL ROOFS OFF OF REFLECTIONS FLOWER SHOP AND 
LIBERTY FURNITURE.  THREE CHIMNEYS OF THE ORANGE COUNTY COURTHOUSE 
COLLAPSED...MOST LIKELY WHEN HIT BY ROOFING DEBRIS. AFTER CROSSING 
THE SQUARE THE TORNADO CONTINUED MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST FOR ANOTHER 
ONE AND A QUARTER MILES...SNAPPING AND UPROOTING TREES AND CAUSING 
MINOR ROOF DAMAGE TO SEVERAL HOMES. NEAR THE END OF THE PATH THE 
TORNADO SPREAD DEBRIS FROM A METAL OUTBUILDING...EXTENSIVELY 
DAMAGING A METAL OUTBUILDING ONE TENTH OF A MILE ONTO NORTH MARSHALL 
ROAD. 
  

Revised 2011 Preliminary Tornado Count

Tornado data through July has now been confirmed.  Here are number of tornadoes by date:


2/28:  6
4/19-4/20:  29
4/23:  1
4/26:  2
4/27:  1
5/22:  1
5/23:  2
5/25:  22
6/19:  1
6/22:  1
6/26:  2
7/23:  1
9/26:  1*
9/27:  1*

*preliminary

NWS Confirms Tornado In Jennings County

The NWS in Indianapolis has confirmed that an EF1 tornado touched down in Jennings county shortly after midnight on September 26.  Here are the details:


A small brief tornado occurred in northwest Jennings County early Monday morning, September 26.  The tornado began at approximately 12:33 AM EDT around 6 miles west of North Vernon along County Road 700 West between County Roads 150 North and 300 North.  The tornado destroyed a pole barn and damaged 2 homes before lifting around 12:34 AM EDT.  The path was approximately a half mile long and 75 yards wide.  Based on the damage, the tornado was rated an EF1 on the Enhanced Fujita scale with winds estimated near 100 mph.

NWS Confirms Tornado In Elkhart County

The NWS in North Webster has confirmed that an EF0 tornado touched down in Elkhart county in the early afternoon hours of September 27.  Survey details are provided below.  For more information, including damage photographs, see this page


PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA
438 PM EDT TUE SEP 27 2011   


..EF0 TORNADO CONFIRMED IN ELKHART COUNTY

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CONFIRMED AN EF0 TORNADO ON THE EAST
SIDE OF NAPPANEE. THE TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN APPROXIMATELY 2 MILES
EAST OF DOWNTOWN...BETWEEN COUNTY ROADS 7 AND 9 ALONG US 6. MINOR
ROOF AND TREE DAMAGE WAS OBSERVED. SEVERAL WITNESSES SAW ROTATING
DEBRIS IN THE AIR WITH AN AUDIBLE LOUD ROAR. THE TORNADO WAS RAIN
WRAPPED AND TRAVELED NORTH APPROXIMATELY ONE HALF MILE SKIPPING
ALONG THE PATH. THE MOST INTENSE DAMAGE WAS ALONG US 6.

PATH LENGTH    0.58 MILES
PATH WIDTH     30 YARDS
RATING         EF0 WINDS ESTIMATED 70-75 MPH  

No July Tornadoes This Year?

July is not known as one of our particularly active tornado months, but it has produced a non-trivial amount of activity over the years.  Although information is still preliminary and subject to change, it appears that no tornadoes have been confirmed this month. 

How common is it to have no tornadoes in July?  During the period from 1950-2010, 46 out of 61 years (or 75%) produced at least one tornado.  So while it is uncommon to not have any tornadoes in July, it is not unheard of. 

Three Additional Tornadoes Confirmed From Late April

Here is some info on the 3 newly added tornadoes from April 26 and April 27:

5 mile long EF2 in Warrick County:

At the initial damage point just southwest of Greenbrier, many trees were snapped or uprooted. As the tornado crossed Highway 61, it demolished a barn and tossed the debris about 50 to 75 yards. Another barn was damaged, and numerous large trees were uprooted and snapped. Several homes suffered roof damage from both the wind and from trees or large branches falling on them. Three telephone poles were snapped on Highway 61. Parts of the damage path were over inaccessible, roadless coal mine property. Peak winds were estimated near 120 mph. The average path width was 300 yards.

========================

1 mile long EF1 in Pike County:

The tornado began on Indiana Route 61 just south of Spurgeon. It travelled northeast across the eastern outskirts of Spurgeon. Numerous trees were snapped at the base. Several trees were uprooted. Several homes received minor roof damage. A barn was damaged, with debris carried a couple hundred yards. A small building was destroyed. Severe straight-line winds caused other damage throughout the town of Spurgeon. Peak winds were estimated near 105 mph. The average path width was 200 yards.

========================

Brief EF0 in Sullivan County:
An EF0 tornado briefly occurred near 621 E. Silver Street in Sullivan, Indiana. Damage was done to a home at this location. There was damage to a roof, one bathroom window was blown out, and a trampoline was blown over. Roof debris was spread out over the owner's lawn, with some shingles blown into a nearby tree and one large piece of ply wood from the roof was blown over the neighbor's house, up into a tree approximately 40 feet high.

Updated Information On April 19-20 Tornado Outbreak

First off, you can view the original summary of this event here.

The following changes were made to this outbreak:


-NWS North Webster changed their preliminary ruling of 2 tornadoes in Cass County to microbursts.

-NWS Paducah added a 5 mile long EF1 tornado from Warrick to Gibson counties.

-NWS Indianapolis added 2 tornadoes, a 3 mile long EF0 in Tippecanoe county and an 11 mile long EF1 in
Knox county.

-NWS Indianapolis extended the path of the Vermillion county tornado into Montgomery county for a total path length of 31 miles.  It was also downgraded from EF2 to EF1.

-NWS Indianapolis downgraded the Tippecanoe county EF2 to EF1.

-NWS Louisville added 2 tornadoes, a 2 mile long EF1 and a 3 mile long EF0 in Jefferson county.


There was a net gain of 3 tornadoes, increasing the total from 26 to 29 but still ranking this outbreak as having the second most on record.  Here are some updated stats:


Tornadoes by NWS area:

NWS Louisville:  19
NWS Indianapolis:  5
NWS North Webster:  3
NWS Paducah:  1
NWS Wilmington:  1


Tornadoes by intensity:

11 EF0
16 EF1
2 EF2

Updated 2011 Preliminary Tornado Count

Tornado data through April has now been confirmed.  There have been some changes in number and intensity which I will detail in a post in the next day or so, but a quick rundown of tornadoes by date:


2/28:  6
4/19-4/20:  29
4/23:  1
4/26:  2
4/27:  1
5/22:  1
5/23:  2
5/25:  23
6/19:  1
6/22:  1
6/26:  2

Total:  69

NWS Confirms Tornado In Spencer/Perry Counties

We continue to add to our record setting tornado season as the NWS in Louisville has confirmed that an EF1 tornado touched down in Spencer and Perry counties on June 26.  Here are the details:


PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY
620 PM EDT MON JUN 27 2011  


...EF-1 TORNADO IN SPENCER AND PERRY COUNTIES IN INDIANA SUNDAY JUNE 
26 2011...


DAMAGE TYPE: TORNADO
BEGIN TIME:  2:12 AM CDT
END TIME:    2:17 AM CDT
BEGIN POINT: 0.7 MILE SOUTH OF ST. MEINRAD
END POINT:   2.3 MILES EAST OF ST. MEINRAD
EF SCALE:    EF-1
WIND SPEED:  95-100 MPH  
PATH LENGTH: 2.3 MILES
PATH WIDTH:  200 YARDS (MAXIMUM)
INJURIES:    0
FATALITIES:  0


NARRATIVE: THE TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN ON THE SOUTHERN END OF THE ST. 
MEINRAD SEMINARY GROUNDS...DESTROYING A CINDER BLOCK OUTBUILDING AND 
TAKING 100 FEET OF ROOFING OFF A LARGE METAL OUTBUILDING. THE 
TORNADO ALSO UPROOTED NUMEROUS TREES AND RIPPED SECTIONS OF ROOFING 
OFF SEVERAL OTHER BUILDINGS BEFORE MOVING OFF TO THE EAST-NORTHEAST. 
IT WEAKENED AS IT MOVED INTO FORESTED HILLS WHERE IT SNAPPED AND 
UPROOTED TREES ON A NARROWING PATH BEFORE LIFTING OFF CATNIP ROAD.