2013 Year In Review

With 2013 now complete, here is a recap of this year's tornadoes.


January:

2 tornadoes occurred in southern Indiana during the early morning hours of January 30.  A brief EF1 occurred in Orange county and an EF0 occurred in Harrison county.


May:

After no tornadoes in February, March and April, several tornadoes occurred in the month of May.  Two EF0 tornadoes occurred in Vigo county on May 9.  Two more EF0 tornadoes occurred in Hendricks and Putnam counties during the early morning hours of May 21.  Finally, an EF0 struck Benton county on May 31.  


June:

Much of June was quiet in terms of tornadoes until June 26.  On that day, two EF1 tornadoes occurred in Pike and Perry counties.  The Perry county tornado was on the ground for over 5 miles and caused damage in and around Tell City.


July:

One tornado occurred in July.  An EF1 struck Miami county on July 10, resulting in 2 injuries.  This tornado was on the ground for about 3.5 miles. 


November:

This month will be remembered for the massive tornado outbreak that occurred on the 17th.  This outbreak is the biggest fall tornado outbreak on record in Indiana and is one of the more impressive fall outbreaks to ever occur in the United States.  28 tornadoes struck the state with major damage occurring in numerous locations.  Some of the hardest hit areas were Kokomo, Lebanon and Lafayette.  For more on this outbreak, see this post.

NWS Confirms Tornado In Orange County

The NWS in Louisville has confirmed that a second tornado touched down in southern Indiana on Wednesday.  


PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY  
130 PM EST THU JAN 31 2013 
  
..EF-1 TORNADO CONFIRMED IN ORANGE COUNTY INDIANA

DAMAGE TYPE: TORNADO

DATE: JAN 30 2013
BEGIN TIME: 1:47 AM EST
END TIME: 1:47 AM EST

BEGIN POINT: 3.10 MILES NORTH OF WEST BADEN SPRINGS, INDIANA
END POINT: 3.18 MILES NORTH OF WEST BADEN SPRINGS, INDIANA

EF SCALE: EF-1
WIND SPEED: 85-95 MPH

PATH LENGTH: 550 YARDS
PATH WIDTH: 75 YARDS

NARRATIVE: AN EF-1 TORNADO HAS BEEN CONFIRMED IN ORANGE COUNTY, 
INDIANA.  SEVERAL TREES WERE TOPPLED IN A FOREST IN THE SOUTHWEST 
PORTION OF THE PATH. THE TORNADO THEN AFFECTED A RESIDENCE, BADLY
DAMAGING THE ROOF AND THROWING THE PORCH OF THE HOUSE SEVERAL YARDS
TO THE NORTHEAST.  SEVERAL SMALL TWIGS WERE DRIVEN THROUGH THE 
SIDING OF THE HOME.    

NWS Confirms Tornado In Harrison County

The NWS in Louisville has confirmed an EF0 tornado occurred in Harrison county on Wednesday.  This tornado then crossed the border into Kentucky.


PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY
1205 PM EST THU JAN 31 2013
 
 
...EF-0 TORNADO CONFIRMED IN HARRISON COUNTY INDIANA AND JEFFERSON 
COUNTY KENTUCKY...

DAMAGE TYPE: TORNADO 
 
DATE: JAN 30 2013
BEGIN TIME: 4:17 AM EST 
END TIME: 4:17 AM EST
 
BEGIN POINT: 3.2 MILES EAST OF ELIZABETH, INDIANA 
END POINT: 2.6 MILES NORTHWEST OF VALLEY STATION, KENTUCKY 
 
EF SCALE: EF-0 
WIND SPEED: 80MPH

PATH LENGTH: 1 MILE
PATH WIDTH: 215 YARDS

NARRATIVE: AN NWS SURVEY TEAM HAS CONFIRMED AN EF-0 TORNADO TOUCH 
DOWN EAST OF ELIZABETH IN HARRISON COUNTY, INDIANA. FOUR HOMES AND
TWO BARNS WERE DAMAGED ALONG HIGHWAY 111. THE PORCH OF ONE HOME WAS 
LIFTED AND THROWN 30 FEET.  THE WALLS OF ONE OF THE BARNS COLLAPSED 
IN MULTIPLE DIRECTIONS. TREES WERE DOWN AT THIS LOCATION AS WELL.  
THE TRACK OF THE TORNADO EXTENDED EAST OVER THE OHIO RIVER AND INTO 
JEFFERSON COUNTY, KENTUCKY.  NORTHWEST OF VALLEY STATION MANY 
SOFTWOOD TREES WERE DAMAGED, A PINE TREE WAS SNAPPED, AND A 
TRAMPOLINE WAS BLOWN OVER BEFORE THE TORNADO LIFTED.    

January Tornadoes By F/EF Scale Rating

This is the first post of a new series that I will be doing every month over the course of the next year.  Here are all January tornadoes by F/EF scale rating from 1950-2010:

Do January Tornadoes Portend An Active Tornado Season?

In the wake of Tuesday's tornadoes, I thought I would take a minute to comment about whether January tornadoes signal an active tornado season locally.  As mentioned previously, there have been 8 years prior to 2012 that had tornadoes in January.  It turns out that 6 out of those 8 years ended up being above average, 1 was below average and 1 was near average.  Based on this, one might lean toward an above average tornado season but it is important to note that the sample size of years is rather small so it is not etched in stone.

Update On January 17 Dubois County Tornado

NWS Louisville has posted an update regarding the Dubois county EF1 tornado from January 17.  The path length has been extended to 9 miles.



PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY
547 PM EST THU JAN 19 2012 
  
..UPDATE TO EF-1 TORNADO IN DUBOIS COUNTY INDIANA

DAMAGE TYPE: TORNADO
       DATE: JAN 17 2012
START TIME: 9:54 AM EST
   END TIME: 10:03 AM EST
WIND SPEED: 95 MPH
PATH LENGTH: 9 MILES
PATH WIDTH: 100 YARDS

NARRATIVE: AN EF-1 TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN 3 MILES NORTHEAST OF 
HUNTINGBURG, DESTROYING A BARN AND BLOWING SEVERAL OUTBUILDINGS OFF 
THEIR FOUNDATION ON A FARM ON COUNTY ROAD 350S. THE TORNADO SKIPPED 
EAST-NORTHEAST FOR NEARLY 9 MILES, ACROSS PRIMARILY OPEN FIELDS. 
STRUCTURAL DAMAGE OCCURRED ALONG INDIANA HIGHWAY 162, WHERE OVER 50 
FEET OF A 600 FOOT LONG COMMERCIAL OUTBUILDING WAS DESTROYED. 
ONE-HALF MILE EAST OF HIGHWAY 162, SEVERAL OUTBUILDINGS WERE DAMAGED
ON A FARM AND A SMALL GRAIN HOPPER WAS TOPPLED. CONTINUING 
EAST-NORTHEAST, A ROOF WAS BLOWN OFF ONE BARN, AND ANOTHER BARN HAD 
ROOF SECTIONS PEELED OFF ON ST. ANTHONY ROAD WEST. THREE TREES WERE 
BLOWN ONTO A HOME AT THE SAME LOCATION. OCCASIONAL UPROOTED AND 
SNAPPED TREES OCCURRED FOR AN ADDITIONAL 5 MILES BEFORE THE TORNADO 
DISSIPATED AFTER DESTROYING A 40 BY 50 FOOT TOOL SHED 1.6 MILES 
SOUTH-SOUTHEAST OF CELESTINE.          

NWS Confirms Two Additional Tornadoes From January 17

The NWS in Louisville has confirmed two more tornadoes from the January 17 event, bringing the total to 5.  Both tornadoes struck Dubois county.  Here are the details:


 
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT...CORRECTED ISSUANCE TIME/DATE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY
525 PM EST WED JAN 18 2012  

  
..EF-0 TORNADO CONFIRMED IN DUBOIS COUNTY INDIANA

DAMAGE TYPE: TORNADO
       DATE: JAN 17 2012
START TIME: 9:44 AM EST
   END TIME: 9:44 AM EST
WIND SPEED: 80 MPH
PATH LENGTH: 0.1 MILES
PATH WIDTH: 25 YARDS

NARRATIVE: EF-0 TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN 2.7 MILES SW OF HUNTINGBURG. AN 
OUTBUILDING WAS DESTROYED, AND DEBRIS WAS SCATTERED FOR ANOTHER 
QUARTER MILE.  
  


 
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY
525 PM EST WED JAN 18 2012     

..EF-1 TORNADO CONFIRMED IN DUBOIS COUNTY INDIANA

DAMAGE TYPE: TORNADO
       DATE: JAN 17 2012
START TIME: 9:53 AM EST
   END TIME: 9:55 AM EST
WIND SPEED: 90 MPH
PATH LENGTH: 1.9 MILES
PATH WIDTH: 100 YARDS

NARRATIVE: EF-1 TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN 5 MILES NE OF HUNTINGBURG. 
NUMEROUS OUTBUILDINGS WERE DAMAGED AND A SMALL GRAIN HOPPER WAS 
TOPPLED. DOZENS OF TREES WERE DOWNED BEFORE THE TORNADO LIFTED, 6.9 
MILES NE OF HUNTINGBURG.  
  

January 18, 1996 Tippecanoe/White County Tornado

It has been some time since I've done an anniversary post and today is a good time to end the streak.  On January 18, 1996, an unusual January tornado moved across northern Tippecanoe county and into southern White county on a path that lasted several miles.  Although the tornado was weak, it damaged several barns and homes and overturned two trucks on I-65.

Some Notes About The January 17 Tornadoes

Today's tornadoes certainly are not unprecedented for Indiana for the month of January, but it is a relatively infrequent occurrence.  Between 1950-2011, there were 8 Januarys that produced tornadoes - a frequency of about once every 8 years.  The last time it happened was on January 29, 2008, when 5 tornadoes struck central and southern portions of the state.  Here are the years that have produced tornadoes in January:

1963
1965
1975
1976
1989
1996
2000
2008
2012

Interestingly, all of the January tornadoes since 1950 have occurred during La Nina.

Further reinforcing how unusually early these tornadoes are, over 99% of our tornadoes from 1950-2011 occurred after January 17.

NWS Confirms The First Tornadoes Of 2012

The NWS in Louisville has confirmed 3 tornadoes struck far southern Indiana this morning.  Two of them were rated EF0 and one was rated EF1.  I will have more on these tornadoes shortly, but for now, here are the results of the storm surveys:



PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY
0514 PM EST TUE JAN 17 2012

..EF-0 TORNADO CONFIRMED IN JEFFERSON COUNTY INDIANA

DAMAGE TYPE: TORNADO
       DATE: JAN 17 2012
START TIME: 10:40 AM EST
   END TIME: 10:40 AM EST
   EF SCALE: 0 
WIND SPEED: 85 MPH
PATH LENGTH: 0.3 MILES
PATH WIDTH: 60 YARDS

NARRATIVE: AN EF-0 TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN AT THE MADISON COUNTY 
AIRPORT. DAMAGE WAS CONFINED TO IMS LANE. THE TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN 
BRIEFLY ALONG THIS PATH AND MOVED AN AT LEAST 500 POUND DUMPSTER 35
FEET SOUTHEAST. IT ALSO MOVED A BEECHCRAFT/KING AIR PLANE 10 DEGREES
AND THE NOSE GEAR WAS BROKEN. THE AIRPORT OPERATIONS BUILDING HAD A 
DISABLED AWNING AND POST. PART OF A HANGAR'S SIDING CAME OFF WITH 
SIDING AND INSULATION UP IN TREES. SEVERAL TREES WERE SNAPPED ALONG 
THE NARROW PATH. A WITNESS SAW THE SWIRL AS THE TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN.  



PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY
0649 PM EST TUE JAN 17 2012   

..EF-0 TORNADO CONFIRMED IN CLARK COUNTY INDIANA

DAMAGE TYPE: TORNADO
       DATE: JAN 17 2012
START TIME: 11:06 AM EST
   END TIME: 11:07 AM EST
WIND SPEED: 75 MPH
PATH LENGTH: 1.9 MILES
PATH WIDTH: 30 YARDS

NARRATIVE: AN EF-0 TORNADO FIRST TOUCHED DOWN AT THE WAL-MART 
PARKING LOT ON THE NORTHWEST CORNER OF THE VETERAN'S PARKWAY NEAR 
I-65. A VEHICLE WAS TURNED OVER ON I-65, THEN THE TORNADO SKIPPED 
OVER AN AREA BEFORE COMING DOWN AGAIN ON A SUBDIVISION TO THE EAST, 
WITH DAMAGE OCCURRING ALONG BELMAR DR AND MEADOWS DR AS WELL AS AT 
THE INTERSECTION OF KINGSFIELD ST AND CROWN CT. IT TOOK DOWN SEVERAL
FENCES, WITH EVIDENCE OF CYCLONIC CIRCULATION. IT LIFTED AGAIN 
BEFORE COMING DOWN AND TAKING THE ROOF OF A BARN ON ARMSTRONG RD., 
WHERE THE TORNADO ENDED.
  


PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY
0742 PM EST TUE JAN 17 2012  

..EF-1 TORNADO CONFIRMED IN FLOYD COUNTY INDIANA

DAMAGE TYPE: TORNADO
       DATE: JAN 17 2012
START TIME: 11:00 AM EST
   END TIME: 11:02 AM EST
WIND SPEED: 95-100 MPH
PATH LENGTH: 1.2 MILES
PATH WIDTH: 50 YARDS

NARRATIVE: EF-1 TORNADO FIRST TOUCHED DOWN ON EAST RILEY RD. IN 
FLOYDS KNOBS, WHERE A GARAGE WAS DESTROYED. THE TORNADO CONTINUED 
EAST ACROSS THE KNOBS TOWARD BINFORD RD, WHERE IT TOOK MULTIPLE 
TREES DOWN.  THE TORNADO CROSSED PAOLI PIKE JUST NORTH OF I-265 AND 
CAUSED ROOF DAMAGE AT THE KNOB POINT APARTMENTS.
   

January Tornadoes Per County Since 1950