March 18, 1925 Tri-State Tornado

Today marks the 87th anniversary of the Tri-State tornado which blasted across parts of Missouri, Illinois and Indiana.  This was an exceptional tornado in many ways.  A list of some of the records held by this tornado is provided below.


-at least 695 fatalities, the most by a single tornado in the United States

-219 to 234 mile path length

-3 1/2 hours on the ground

-613 fatalities in Illinois, the most on record for a single state

-234 fatalities in Murphysboro, Illinois, the most on record for a single town

-69 deaths in schools, including 33 deaths at one Illinois school


The most infamous tornado in U.S. history was born in a field in southern Missouri in the early afternoon on March 18, 1925.  The tornado moved rapidly northeastward, killing 11 in Missouri before moving into Illinois.  The tornado took its first lives in Illinois at Gorham, where 34 were killed.  Over the course of just 40 minutes, 541 people died and more than 1,500 were injured.  After wreaking terrible havoc in Illinois, the tornado crossed the Wabash River in northwest Posey county Indiana and caused heavy damage in Griffin, where 25 died.  It then proceeded northeastward through rural farmland between Griffin and Princeton, destroying dozens of farms.  The tornado struck a direct hit on Princeton, killing at least 45.  The tornado finally dissipated southwest of Petersburg.

In Indiana, at least 71 people were killed, making it the deadliest tornado in state history.  The death toll at Princeton is among the highest for a single Indiana town, only rivaled by the 1917 New Albany tornado (more on that tornado in an upcoming post).

In all, at least 695 people were killed and over 2,000 were injured.  Approximately 15,000 homes were destroyed with total damage estimated at over $16 million.  When adjusted to modern day values, this tornado is among the costliest of all-time.

Although the Tri-State tornado was by far the most significant event of the day, it was not the only tornado to occur in Indiana.  A tornado touched down in Harrison county near Mauckport and passed near Laconia and Elizabeth, killing 4.  The tornado then proceeded into Kentucky.


Source:

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

October 24, 2001 Tornado Outbreak

Today marks the 10 year anniversary of the October 24, 2001 tornado outbreak.  This event produced 9 tornadoes in the state, killing 2 and injuring 19.

The first tornado, rated EF0, touched down in northern Warren county at 2:46 PM local time.  It was tracked by storm spotters and was on the ground for approximately one tenth of a mile and caused no damage.

The first in a series of several tornadoes to strike the northern part of the state struck La Porte county around 3:15 PM.  This twister sliced across the county from southwest to northeast and was up to a mile wide.  One woman was killed when her mobile home was destroyed. 

The next tornado touched down just southwest of Crumstown in St. Joseph county and moved northeast.  The most significant damage was across Crumstown, where EF3 damage with a path width up to 3/4 mile occurred. The tornado then moved to near the Michiana Regional Airport and across the Indiana Toll Road.  Two men were injured northwest of South Bend. One man later died from his injuries. 

Another tornado, an EF2 up to three quarters of a mile wide, touched down southeast of Mishawaka.  A separate EF1 tornado touched down about 4 miles northwest of Osceola.

An EF1 tornado touched down in extreme southeastern Marshall county and moved northeast across Kosciusko county and into Noble county where the tornado dissipated near Rome City.  The worst damage was north of Warsaw where 14 people were hurt at a factory when a wall collapsed.

The last tornado to strike northern Indiana touched down in Noble county east of Kendallville.  It produced some damage to homes and warehouses in and near the Kendallville East Industrial park.  The tornado then moved northeast into Dekalb county where EF2 damage occurred around Fairfield Center with significant damage to homes. Then tornado moved southeast of Ashley and then moved into Steuben county doing damage to a barn before lifting north of Steubenville.

Two other tornadoes hit southern Indiana.  An EF0 briefly touched down in Petersburg.  Two houses were unroofed and their windows were blown out.  Two car windshields were shattered by blowing debris.  Metal siding was deposited in power lines. The walls of two businesses were knocked down or cracked. 

The last tornado touched down at 5:29 PM.  It was an EF1 which struck northeast of Williams in Lawrence county, blowing off the roofs of 2 barns and a house.

September 20, 2002 Tornadoes

Today marks the 9 year anniversary of the September 20, 2002 tornado outbreak.  When we think about local tornado climatology, we don't tend to think of September as being an active month.  The events of September 20, 2002 - and one tornado in particular - would turn climatology on its head.

The first of 6 tornadoes touched down in Posey county at 9:40 AM local time.  It was on the ground for less than a quarter mile and caused no significant damage.  The same thunderstorm would produce a stronger F2 tornado near Poseyville at 9:50 AM local time.  This tornado destroyed 10 mobile homes and 4 other buildings and had a path length just under 5 miles.

After a break, another tornado would form in northwestern Pike county and move into Knox and Daviess counties.  In Knox county, the tornado destroyed a few homes and damaged several others and peaked at F2 intensity.  A conservation officer in his vehicle was thrown an eighth of a mile by the tornado.  The tornado weakened to F0 as it moved into Daviess county, finally lifting after being on the ground for over 13 miles.

After another break in the action, the most notable tornado of the day touched down in Ellettsville at 12:59 PM local time and started producing F3 damage shortly thereafter.  After weakening and heading northeast into Morgan county, the tornado reintensified and produced more F3 damage in Martinsville.  The tornado remained at F2-F3 strength as it continued northeast into Johnson and Marion counties, producing additional F3 damage at Greenwood.  The tornado took a slight left turn and entered the city of Indianapolis around 1:45 PM, generally producing F1-F2 damage on its trek through the southern and eastern portions of the city.  The tornado exited Marion county just after 2 PM and continued northeast through several more counties, producing its final damage in Hartford City at 3:20 PM.  In all, about 130 people were injured by this tornado with damage in excess of $150 million.

2 other tornadoes occurred simultaneous to the long track tornado.  One of them damaged 10 single family homes and 30 mobile homes in Henry county and was rated F2.  The other tornado destroyed 2 barns and 2 mobile homes in Rush county and was rated F0.

This event probably would've been forgettable were it not for the long-tracked F3 tornado.  This tornado is interesting in several respects:

1) Its path length of 112 miles makes it one of the longest tracked tornadoes to ever hit the state (reanalysis of the April 3, 1974 Monticello tornado reduced the path length from 121 to 108 miles).  The tornado was on the ground for a total of 2 hours and 21 minutes, giving it an average forward speed of about 48 miles per hour.

2) The tornado passed through 9 counties, second most behind the April 3, 1974 Monticello tornado

3) It is the second longest tornado to hit the United States in the month of September since 1950

4) The tornado did not occur as part of a discrete supercell; rather, it formed along a QLCS/squall line

5) Although the tornado was rain-wrapped much of the time and passed through urbanized areas, no deaths occurred      


Here is a map of the tornado paths courtesy of NWS Indianapolis (note:  Posey county tracks not included)

Top 10 Tornadoes Since 1950

This is the opening post of a series I will do over the next ten days which will rank the ten worst tornadoes in the state since 1950.  This list is highly subjective and is based on a combination of deaths, injuries, strength, path length and width. 


#10 - June 2, 1990 Petersburg Tornado


This 13 mile long tornado was part of our largest outbreak on record. It was rated F4 and did heavy damage to the town of Petersburg, killing several and injuring 60.

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.

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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.

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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.

3 More Tornadoes Confirmed From May 25th Outbreak; Total Stands At 21

The NWS in Paducah has confirmed 3 more tornadoes from the May 25th outbreak.  One of them was an EF2 southeast of Oakland City in Pike county and the other two EF1's occurred simultaneously south of Winslow in Pike county.  It appears those two are being counted as separate tornadoes.

Updated numbers for this year:

2/28:  6
4/19-4/20:  26
4/23:  1
5/22:  1
5/23:  2
5/25:  21


EF0:  19 (note:  2/28 Clark county tornado was rated EF0 in Indiana and EF1 in Kentucky)
EF1:  26
EF2:  12
EF3:  0
EF4:  0
EF5:  0