NWS Confirms Four Additional Tornadoes

NWS Northern Indiana has confirmed four additional tornadoes from the June 30-July 1 outbreak, all of which were EF1.  Also, one of the previously confirmed tornadoes had its rating changed from EF0 to EF1 (tornado #3 in this post, which has been edited to reflect the change).

TORNADO #8 - LAPORTE COUNTY  
  
RATING:                 EF-1  
ESTIMATED PEAK WIND:    105 MPH  
PATH LENGTH /STATUTE/:  AROUND 0.25 MILE  
MILES PATH WIDTH /MAXIMUM/: EST. 200 YARDS   
FATALITIES: NONE  
INJURIES: NONE  
  
START DATE:              JUL 01 2014   
TIME:                    EST. 1211 AM EDT  
START LOCATION:          PINHOOK, IN   
START LAT/LON:           41.5625 / -86.858   
  
END DATE:                JUL 01 2014  
END TIME:                EST. 1212 AM EDT  
END LOCATION:            PINHOOK, IN   
END LAT/LON:             41.5617 / -86.853  
  
SURVEY SUMMARY: A BRIEF EF1 TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN JUST SOUTH OF   
HIGHWAY 2 NEAR THE TOWN OF PINHOOK AND LIFTED JUST EAST OF SOUTH   
WOZNIAK ROAD. THE TORNADO CAUSED WIDESPREAD SEVERE TREE DAMAGE AND   
DAMAGED MANY STRUCTURES INCLUDING A 2 STORY BARN WHICH WAS   
DESTROYED.   

TORNADO #9 - LAPORTE COUNTY  
  
RATING:                 EF-1  
ESTIMATED PEAK WIND:    95 MPH  
PATH LENGTH /STATUTE/:  4.8 MILES  
MILES PATH WIDTH /MAXIMUM/: EST. 200 YARDS   
FATALITIES: NONE  
INJURIES: NONE  
  
START DATE:              JUL 01 2014   
TIME:                    EST. 1224 AM EDT  
START LOCATION:          1 EAST KINGSFORD HEIGHTS, IN   
START LAT/LON:           41.4787 / -86.6837   
  
END DATE:                JUL 01 2014  
END TIME:                EST. 1228 AM EDT  
END LOCATION:            3 ENE OF SOUTH CENTER, IN  
END LAT/LON:             41.4849 / -86.5928  
  
SURVEY SUMMARY: AN EF1 TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN JUST EAST OF KINGSFORD   
HEIGHTS AND TRAVELED ENE TO JUST NORTH OF US 6 BEFORE DISSIPATING AS   
IT CROSSED THE KANKAKEE RIVER. EXTENSIVE WIDESPREAD TREE DAMAGE   
ALONG THE PATH OF THE TORNADO WAS NOTED. MANY HOMES IN THE PATH OF   
THE TORNADO SUFFERED DAMAGE FROM FELLED TREES.   

TORNADO #10 - STARKE COUNTY  
  
RATING:                 EF-1  
ESTIMATED PEAK WIND:    100 MPH  
PATH LENGTH /STATUTE/:  5 MILES  
MILES PATH WIDTH /MAXIMUM/: EST. 400 YARDS   
FATALITIES: NONE  
INJURIES: NONE  
  
START DATE:              JUL 01 2014   
TIME:                    EST. 1225 AM EDT  
START LOCATION:          4 S OF SOUTH CENTER, IN   
START LAT/LON:           41.4189 / -86.6409   
  
END DATE:                JUL 01 2014  
END TIME:                EST. 1228 AM EDT  
END LOCATION:            3 WNW OF KOONTZ LAKE, IN  
END LAT/LON:             41.4317 / -86.5472  
  
SURVEY SUMMARY: AN EF1 TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF   
N CR 300 E AND E CR 800 N. EXTENSIVE WIDESPREAD TREE DAMAGE ALONG   
THE PATH OF THE TORNADO WAS NOTED. SEVERAL HOMES IN THE PATH OF THE   
TORNADO SUSTAINED DAMAGE AS THE TORNADO MOVES EAST. A BARN WAS   
DESTROYED NEAR CR 700 E AND ROBBINS ROAD. MULTIPLE CENTER PIVOTS   
WERE FLIPPED IN CORN FIELDS.   

TORNADO #11 - STARKE/MARSHALL COUNTIES  
  
RATING:                 EF-1  
ESTIMATED PEAK WIND:    110 MPH  
PATH LENGTH /STATUTE/:  4.9 MILES  
MILES PATH WIDTH /MAXIMUM/: EST. 400 YARDS   
FATALITIES: NONE  
INJURIES: NONE  
  
START DATE:              JUL 01 2014   
TIME:                    EST. 1229 AM EDT  
START LOCATION:          2 W OF KOONTZ LAKE, IN   
START LAT/LON:           41.4187 / -86.5304   
  
END DATE:                JUL 01 2014  
END TIME:                EST. 1233 AM EDT  
END LOCATION:            3 ENE OF KOONTZ LAKE, IN  
END LAT/LON:             41.4384 / -86.4407  
  
SURVEY SUMMARY: A STRONG EF-1 TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN JUST EAST OF CR   
850 E AND JUST NORTH OF CR 800 N IN STARKE COUNTY. AS THE TORNADO   
MOVED ENE IT CAUSED EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO HARDWOOD TREES...ESPECIALLY   
NORTH OF KOONTZ LAKE ALONG THE STARKE/MARSHALL COUNTY LINE. MINOR   
STRUCTURAL DAMAGE WAS NOTED TO SEVERAL HOMES NEAR THE END OF THE   
TORNADO. THE TORNADO LIFTED IN A GROVE OF TREES JUST EAST OF UNION   
ROAD.   

NWS Confirms Two Additional Tornadoes

NWS Northern Indiana has confirmed two additional tornadoes, one of which occurred in Wabash/Kosciusko counties and the other which occurred in Whitley county.  Both of them have been rated EF1.  This brings the total number of tornadoes from this outbreak to 9 as of this time.

TORNADO #5 - WABASH/KOSCIUSKO COUNTY  
  
RATING:                 EF-1  
ESTIMATED PEAK WIND:    100 MPH  
PATH LENGTH /STATUTE/:  APPROX 7 MILES  
MILES PATH WIDTH /MAXIMUM/: EST. 150 YARDS   
FATALITIES: NONE  
INJURIES: NONE  
  
START DATE:              JUL 01 2014   
TIME:                    EST. 1208 AM EDT  
START LOCATION:          2.8 MI SSW OF SILVER LAKE, IN   
START LAT/LON:           41.0314 / -85.8964   
  
END DATE:                JUL 01 2014  
END TIME:                EST. 1215 AM EDT  
END LOCATION:            6.9 MI ESE OF SILVER LAKE, IN   
END LAT/LON:             41.048 / -85.7639  
  
SURVEY SUMMARY: AN EF-1 TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN JUST WEST OF SR 15 IN A   
CORN FIELD IN NORTHWEST WABASH COUNTY. THIS TORNADO PROCEEDED EAST   
NORTHEAST WITH EXTENSIVE TREE AND CROP DAMAGE NOTED. SEVERAL   
FARMSTEADS ALONG THE PATH SUSTAINED MINOR TO MODERATE DAMAGE. ONE   
FARM JUST NORTH OF THE COUNTY LINE ROAD IN KOSCIUSKO COUNTY HAD A   
HOG BARN DESTROYED WITH MUCH OF THE DEBRIS THROWN SOUTHEASTWARD INTO   
A LARGE GRAIN SILO FACILITY WITH ONE LARGE GRAIN BIN COMPLETELY   
FLATTENED AND SEVERE DAMAGE TO A HARVESTER SILO. IN ADDITION A CORN   
CROP FIELD TO THE SOUTH OF THE COUNTY LINE ROAD AND JUST EAST OF THE   
FARM WAS FLATTENED AND SHREDDED. ADDITIONAL EXTENSIVE TREE AND CROP   
DAMAGE CONTINUED BEFORE THE TORNADO DISSIPATED IN A GROVE OF TREES   
JUST WEST OF CR 400E.  

TORNADO #6 - WHITLEY COUNTY  
  
RATING:                 EF-1  
ESTIMATED PEAK WIND:    100 MPH  
PATH LENGTH /STATUTE/:  APPROX 0.4 MILES  
MILES PATH WIDTH /MAXIMUM/: EST. 50 YARDS   
FATALITIES: NONE  
INJURIES: NONE  
  
START DATE:              JUL 01 2014   
TIME:                    EST. 1222 AM EDT  
START LOCATION:          2.7 MI SW OF SOUTH WHITLEY, IN   
START LAT/LON:           41.0516 / -85.6567   
  
END DATE:                JUL 01 2014  
END TIME:                EST. 1223 AM EDT  
END LOCATION:            2.2 MI SSW OF SOUTH WHITLEY, IN   
END LAT/LON:             41.0551 / -85.6495  
  
SURVEY SUMMARY: A BRIEF EF-1 TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN JUST WEST OF CR   
850W IN A BEAN FIELD AND HIT A FARMSTEAD DESTROYING A BARN AND   
CHICKEN COOP ALONG WITH EXTENSIVE TREE DAMAGE. MUCH OF THE DEBRIS   
FROM THE BARN WAS LOFTED AND SCATTERED ACROSS THE ADJACENT FIELD TO   
NORTHEAST AND EMBEDDED THROUGH THE TREELINE ONE QUARTER MILE   
NORTHEAST. THIS IS ALSO WHERE A HORSE BARN LOST MOST OF ITS ROOF AND   
A NEARBY HOME AND GARAGE SUSTAINED MINOR DAMAGE TO ROOFING AND   
SIDING MATERIAL. HOWEVER SEVERE TREE DAMAGE OCCURRED THROUGH A LARGE   
GROVE OF TREES JUST NORTH OF THIS LOCATION WITH SIGNIFICANT DEBRIS   
LOADING NOTED IN THE TREES...MANY OF WHICH WERE SNAPPED AND/OR UPROOTED.  

NWS Confirms Three Tornadoes In Lake And Jasper Counties

NWS Chicago has confirmed three tornadoes affected their Indiana area of coverage.  One of the tornadoes crossed into Lake county from Kankakee county Illinois with a separate tornado occurring south and east of Lowell.  Finally, a tornado occurred in northern Jasper county near DeMotte.  All of these tornadoes have been rated EF1.

Survey information for the tornado that started in Illinois and crossed into Indiana, followed by the tornado south/east of Lowell and the tornado in the DeMotte area:

TORNADO NORTHEAST OF GRANT PARK ILLINOIS  
  
RATING:                 EF-1  
ESTIMATED PEAK WIND:    105-110 MPH  
PATH LENGTH /STATUTE/:  3.4 MILES  
PATH WIDTH /MAXIMUM/:   200 YARDS  
FATALITIES:             NONE  
INJURIES:               NONE  
  
START DATE:             JUNE 30 2014  
START TIME:             1032 PM CDT  
START LOCATION:         4.3 MILES NORTHEAST OF GRANT PARK  
START LAT/LON:          41.2651/-87.5685  
  
END DATE:               JUNE 30 2014  
END TIME:               1037 PM CDT  
END LOCATION:           4.8 MILES WEST-SOUTHWEST OF LOWELL IN    
END LAT/LON:            41.2841/-87.5080  
  
SURVEY SUMMARY:   
  
THE TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN NEAR A CHURCH ON COUNTY RD 13...SNAPPING  
HARDWOOD AND SOFTWOOD TREES. A LARGE LIMB SMASHED THROUGH THE  
STAINED GLASS WINDOWS OF THE CHURCH AND THE FORCE OF THIS CAUSED  
DAMAGE TO THE WINDOW FRAME INSIDE THE BUILDING. IN  
ADDITION...LARGE TREE BRANCH IMPALED ITSELF INTO THE CHURCH. A  
DOOR INSIDE THE CHURCH WAS BLOWN OPEN AND RIPPED OFF. THERE WAS  
SOME MINOR STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY DAMAGE NOTED INSIDE THE CHURCH.  
  
THE TORNADO THEN CONTINUED TO N 16750E ROAD...WHERE THE MOST  
SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE ON A FARMSTEAD INCLUDED LARGE HARDWOODS  
SNAPPED...WINDOWS IN THE RESIDENCE BLOWN IN AND THE COMPLETE  
DESTRUCTION OF THREE STORY TALL BARN WITH DIMENSIONS OF 88X60.  
FURTHERMORE..A LARGE BRANCH WAS IMPALED INTO THE FRONT OF THE  
RESIDENCE. THE FEMALE HOMEOWNER REPORTED THE COMMON FREIGHT TRAIN  
SOUND OF A TORNADO AND EXPERIENCED EAR POPPING AS THE TORNADO  
PASSED.   
  
AS THE TORNADO THEN MOVED ALONG E 10500N ROAD...IT CAUSED  
SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO AN UNDER CONSTRUCTION BUT SEALED SINGLE  
FAMILY RESIDENCE. A SECTION OF THE ROOF WAS REMOVED...WHICH CAUSED  
A CRACK IN THE FRAME OF THE HOUSE AND A LARGE WALL SECTION  
COLLAPSED OUTWARD. CONSISTENT SNAPPING OR UPROOTING OF TREES WAS  
NOTED IN A CONVERGENT MANNER AS THE TORNADO PATH CONTINUED INTO  
LAKE COUNTY BEFORE ENDING WEST-SOUTHWEST OF LOWELL. ALL OF THE  
MOST INTENSE DAMAGE WITH THIS TORNADO WAS CONSISTENT WITH THAT OF   
A HIGHER END EF-1 TORNADO.  

TORNADO SOUTHEAST OF LOWELL INDIANA  
  
RATING:                 EF-1  
ESTIMATED PEAK WIND:    105-110 MPH   
PATH LENGTH /STATUTE/:  2.4 MILES  
PATH WIDTH /MAXIMUM/:   500 YARDS   
FATALITIES: NONE   
INJURIES: NONE  
  
START DATE:             JUNE 30 2014  
START TIME:             1046 PM CDT  
START LOCATION:         4.2 MILES SOUTHEAST OF LOWELL IN  
START LAT/LON:          41.2683/-87.3452  
  
END DATE:               JUNE 30 2014  
END TIME:               1048 PM CDT  
END LOCATION:           6.1 MILES EAST-SOUTHEAST OF LOWELL IN  
END LAT/LON:            41.2818/-87.3024  
  
SURVEY SUMMARY:   
  
THE TORNADO LIKELY BEGAN IN A FIELD WEST OF HARRISON STREET AND  
TRACKED EAST-NORTHEAST TO NEAR INTERSTATE 65. THE MOST SIGNIFICANT  
DAMAGE NOTED INCLUDED TWO SNAPPED WOODEN POWER POLES AND  
SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED GRAIN BINS ON A FARM EAST OF HARRISON STREET  
THAT COULD NOT BE ACCESSED DUE TO DOWNED POWER LINES. AT A  
FARMSTEAD NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF HARRISON STREET AND W 191ST  
AVENUE...A WOODEN BARN WAS COMPLETELY DESTROYED...ALONG WITH  
SEVERAL LARGE HARDWOODS AND SOFTWOODS SNAPPED AT THE TRUNK. THE  
DAMAGE WAS CONSISTENT WITH A HIGHER END EF-1 TORNADO.  
  
SOUTH OF THE TORNADO PATH...THERE WAS A WIDE SWATH OF SIGNIFICANT  
STRAIGHT LINE WIND DAMAGE. THIS INCLUDED THE SNAPPING OF SEVEN OR  
EIGHT ADDITIONAL WOODEN POWER POLES ALONG HARRISON  
STREET...SNAPPED TREES AND AN AT LEAST A ONE MILE WIDE SWATH OF  
COMPLETELY FLATTENED CORN CROP. THE STRAIGHT LINE WIND DAMAGE WAS  
SOME OF THE MOST NOTEWORTHY ON THE SURVEY AND WAS CONSISTENT WITH  
WIND SPEEDS OF 100-110 MPH.  

TORNADO IN AND NEAR DE MOTTE INDIANA  
  
RATING:                 EF-1  
ESTIMATED PEAK WIND:    100-105 MPH  
PATH LENGTH /STATUTE/:  8.0 MILES  
PATH WIDTH /MAXIMUM/:   200 YARDS  
FATALITIES:             NONE  
INJURIES:               NONE  
  
START DATE:             JUNE 30 2014  
START TIME:             1049 PM CDT  
START LOCATION:         3.3 MILES WEST OF DE MOTTE IN  
START LAT/LON:          41.1909/-87.2613  
  
END DATE:               JUNE 30 2014  
END TIME:               1056 PM CDT  
END LOCATION:           4.9 MILES NORTHEAST OF DE MOTTE IN  
END LAT/LON:            41.2240/-87.1138  
  
SURVEY SUMMARY:   
  
A 100-200 YARD SWATH OF CONSISTENT TREE DAMAGE...WITH NUMEROUS  
SNAPPED TREES...BEGAN EAST-SOUTHEAST OF DE MOTTE BETWEEN N CR 1150  
W AND N CR 1100 W JUST NORTH OF W CR 1200 N. THE DAMAGE CONTINUED  
EAST-NORTHEAST JUST TO THE EAST AND THEN THROUGH THE CENTER OF DE  
MOTTE NORTH OF 9TH STREET. JUST EAST OF DE MOTTE ALONG ORCHID  
STREET...A BARN WAS COMPLETELY DESTROYED AND DOUBLE WIDE  
MANUFACTURED HOME EXPERIENCED SOME STRUCTURAL AND/OR ROOF DAMAGE.  
FURTHER NORTHEAST ALONG W CR 1450 N NEAR THE END OF THE DAMAGE  
PATH...THERE WERE SNAPPED TREES...WOOD POWER POLES LEANING AND  
DAMAGE TO TWO FARMSTEADS. ON ONE...THE DOORS COLLAPSED IN A POLE  
BARN. IN ANOTHER POLE BARN...THE WALLS COLLAPSED AFTER THE ROOF  
WAS BLOWN OFF. THE DAMAGE IN THIS TORNADO PATH WAS CONSISTENT WITH  
MAXIMUM SPEEDS OF 100-105 MPH.  
  
IT CANNOT BE CONCLUSIVELY RULED OUT THAT MORE THAN ONE TORNADO  
TOUCHED DOWN ALONG THE 8 MILE LONG DAMAGE PATH.  

NWS Confirms Tornadoes In Marshall County

NWS Northern Indiana has confirmed two additional tornadoes from July 1, both of which occurred in Marshall county. 

TORNADO #3 - MARSHALL COUNTY  
  
RATING:                 EF-1  
ESTIMATED PEAK WIND:    105 MPH  
PATH LENGTH /STATUTE/:  APPROX 7 MILES  
MILES PATH WIDTH /MAXIMUM/: EST. 150 YARDS   
FATALITIES: NONE  
INJURIES: NONE  
  
START DATE:              JUL 01 2014   
TIME:                    EST. 1235 AM EDT  
START LOCATION:          1 MI S OF DONALDSON, IN   
START LAT/LON:           41.346 / -86.4435   
  
END DATE:                JUL 01 2014  
END TIME:                EST. 1242 AM EDT  
END LOCATION:            1 MI N OF PLYMOUTH, IN   
END LAT/LON:             41.361 / -86.3138  
  
SURVEY SUMMARY: AN EF-1 TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN JUST SOUTH OF DONALDSON   
WHERE IT CAUSED EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO HARDWOOD TREES. THE TORNADO   
MOVED EAST AND HEAVILY DAMAGED A FARM ON SYCAMORE ROAD JUST SOUTH OF   
THE RAILROAD TRACKS. EXTENSIVE TREE DAMAGE CONTINUED TO THE   
EAST/NORTHEAST INTO THE TOWN OF PLYMOUTH TO THE LEAR CORPORATION   
WHERE MULTIPLE TREES WERE SNAPPED AND TOPPED. AN EMPTY SEMI TRAILER   
WAS FLIPPED. THE TORNADO CONTINUED NE WITH WIDESPREAD MIXED   
HARDWOOD/SOFTWOOD TREE DAMAGE AND MINOR STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TO THE   
BEHAVIOR SCIENCE BUILDING ON N OAK ROAD. THE TORNADO CAUSED PARTIAL   
UPLIFT OF THE NW SIDE OF THE ROOF AND COLLAPSED THE INTERIOR CINDER   
BLOCK WALL ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE DEPT OF TRANSPORTATION GARAGE   
JUST SOUTH OF US 30 BEFORE LIFTING.   

TORNADO #4 - MARSHALL COUNTY  
  
RATING:                 EF-1  
ESTIMATED PEAK WIND:    95 MPH  
PATH LENGTH /STATUTE/:  APPROX 0.2 MILES  
MILES PATH WIDTH /MAXIMUM/: EST. 50 YARDS   
FATALITIES: NONE  
INJURIES: NONE  
  
START DATE:              JUL 01 2014   
TIME:                    EST. 1241 AM EDT  
START LOCATION:          2 MI NE OF PLYMOUTH, IN   
START LAT/LON:           41.361 / -86.2893   
  
END DATE:                JUL 01 2014  
END TIME:                EST. 1242 AM EDT  
END LOCATION:            2.2 MI NE OF PLYMOUTH, IN   
END LAT/LON:             41.3629 / -86.2875  
  
SURVEY SUMMARY: A BRIEF EF-1 TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN NEAR THE   
INTERSECTION OF LILAC ROAD AND PLYMOUTH GOSHEN TRAIL JUST NE OF   
PLYMOUTH AROUND 1241 AM EDT. HARDWOOD TREE DAMAGE WAS NOTED IN THIS   
LOCATION WITH SEVERAL UPROOTED TREES AND A SHED WAS FLATTENED. AS   
THE CIRCULATION MOVED NE IT SHIFTED A BARN OFF ITS FOUNDATION AND   
CAUSED WIDESPREAD SEVERE TREE DAMAGE IN A GROVE OF TREES BEFORE   
LIFTING IN A FIELD ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE TREE GROVE.   

NWS Confirms Tornadoes In Kosciusko And LaGrange Counties

NWS Northern Indiana has confirmed that two tornadoes struck Kosciusko and LaGrange counties during the early morning hours of July 1.  Survey results are posted below.  Note that storm surveys are not complete and the total number of tornadoes from this event is likely to increase.


.TORNADO #1 - LAGRANGE COUNTY...

RATING:                 EF-1
ESTIMATED PEAK WIND:    95 MPH
PATH LENGTH /STATUTE/:  AROUND 1 MILE
MILES PATH WIDTH /MAXIMUM/: EST. 50 YARDS
FATALITIES: NONE
INJURIES: NONE

START DATE:              JUL 01 2014
TIME:                    EST. 138 AM EDT
START LOCATION:          1 MI WSW OF LAGRANGE, IN
START LAT/LON:           41.6414 / -85.4399

END DATE:                JUL 01 2014
END TIME:                EST. 140 AM EDT
END LOCATION:            LAGRANGE, IN
END LAT/LON:             41.6428 / -85.4218

SURVEY SUMMARY: A TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN JUST WEST OF LAGRANGE ON
U.S. 20 AROUND 130 AM EDT...WHERE TREE LIMB DAMAGE WAS OBSERVED.
THE TORNADO TRACKED EAST TOWARD LAGRANGE...UPROOTING TREES AS IT
ENTERED THE TOWN SOUTH OF THE HOSPITAL. NUMEROUS TREES WERE
UPROOTED AND SNAPPED JUST WEST OF S COUNTY ROAD 00 E BETWEEN
U.S. 20 AND GRANT STREET. THE TORNADO PRODUCED MINOR STRUCTURAL
DAMAGE TO HOMES ALONG GRANT STREET BEFORE LIFTING JUST WEST OF S
MOUNTAIN STREET. THIS TORNADO WAS EMBEDDED ALONG THE NORTH FLANK OF
A MUCH LARGER ONE MILE WIDE SWATH OF INTENSE DAMAGING WINDS OF 70-80
MPH ALONG AND SOUTH OF HIGHWAY 20 IN LAGRANGE. ESTIMATED WINDS WITH
THE TORNADO WERE 95 MPH.




.TORNADO #2 - KOSCIUSKO COUNTY...

RATING:                 EF-0
ESTIMATED PEAK WIND:    80 MPH
PATH LENGTH /STATUTE/:  1.9 MILES
MILES PATH WIDTH /MAXIMUM/: EST. 50 YARDS
FATALITIES: NONE
INJURIES: NONE

START DATE:              JUL 01 2014
TIME:                    EST. 106 AM EDT
START LOCATION:          3.5 MI W OF MILFORD, IN
START LAT/LON:           414122 / -85.9188

END DATE:                JUL 01 2014
END TIME:                EST. 108 AM EDT
END LOCATION:            2.2 MI WNW MILFORD, IN
END LAT/LON:             41.4194 / -85.8855

SURVEY SUMMARY: A TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN JUST SOUTH OF CR 1250N AND EAST
OF CR 400W AROUND 106 AM EDT...WHERE A LARGE METAL FARM BUILDING WAS
DESTROYED. TORNADO CROSSED CR 1250N AND WENT THROUGH A CORN FIELD AND
THEN DESTROYED A BARN NEAR 200W NORTH OF CR 1250N WITH MISSILE DEBRIS
SCATTERED TO THE EAST ACROSS 200W AND INTO ANOTHER CORN FIELD WHERE THE
CIRCULATION LIFTED AND OR DISSIPATED.

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.

"Near" F5/EF5 Tornadoes

Based on official records, Indiana has experienced three F5 tornadoes since 1950, all of which occurred on the infamous date of April 3, 1974.  But there are other tornadoes that have been deemed "near-F5" or actually rated F5 by non-official sources.  Here are the tornadoes from 1880-present that are rated F5 by another source or were said to be near-F5 by Tom Grazulis (note that the list below does not include those three official F5s).


April 1, 1884 - Henry/Delaware (rated F5 by Grazulis)

May 26, 1917 - Monroe:  about 15 homes were destroyed, some with near-F5 damage

March 28, 1920 - Jay/Adams/Mercer OH/Van Wert OH:  homes were entirely swept away east of Geneva and south of Ceylon in possible F5 fashion

March 18, 1925 - MO/IL/Posey/Gibson/Pike (Tri-State Tornado, rated F5 by Grazulis)

May 21, 1949 - Crawford IL/Sullivan:  restaurant leveled and cars carried 100-300 yards  (recognized as F5 by Nuclear Regulatory Commission, or NRC)

April 17, 1963 - Kankakee IL/Newton/Jasper/Pulaski:  near-F5 damage occurred in IL and seven homes were swept away (near-F5) in Jasper county

April 11, 1965 - Elkhart/LaGrange:  a dozen homes were leveled in the Rainbow Lake area and intensity was near-F5

April 11, 1965 - St. Joseph/Elkhart/LaGrange - Sunnyside and Kingston Heights housing developments in Dunlap were devastated  (rated F5 by Grazulis)

April 11, 1965 - Montgomery/Boone/Hamilton:  cars were thrown over 100 yards  (recognized as F5 by NRC)

April 3, 1974 - Bartholomew/Decatur/Franklin:  near-F5 damage occurred on a Decatur county farm, 3 miles southwest of New Point


A recent interesting case is the Henryville tornado of March 2, 2012.  The tornado is officially rated EF4, but thick sections (6" thick or greater) of concrete were ripped up and thrown some distance at one point along the damage path.  There is no damage indicator on the EF scale to account for this type of damage but it would likely take incredible wind speeds to do that.  The fast forward speed of this tornado means that very strong winds would have impacted any particular spot very briefly, so it is not a case of the wind gradually weakening the pavement. 

Recap Of The November 17 Tornado Outbreak

The surveys are in, and what an outbreak it was.  As of this writing, a total of 28 tornadoes have been confirmed across the state, which makes it the third largest outbreak on record.  Impressively, 13 of the 28 tornadoes were rated EF2 or greater.  Instead of posting survey information for 28 tornadoes, I will just provide a list at the end of this post.  But first, here are some quick historical tidbits...


Previous largest November tornado outbreak:
November 22, 1992 - 15

Previous largest number of F2/EF2+ tornadoes in a November tornado outbreak:
November 22, 1992 - 10

There had only been 48 tornadoes in Indiana in November from 1950-2012, or an average of 1 every 1.3 years.

There had only been 27 F2/EF2+ tornadoes in Indiana in November from 1950-2012, or an average of 1 every 2.3 years.


November 17 Tornadoes:

EF1:  Newton/Jasper
EF1:  Jasper
EF2:  Benton/White
EF2:  White
EF1:  Pulaski
EF1:  White
EF3:  Tippecanoe/Clinton/Carroll/Cass
EF0:  Cass
EF1:  Miami
EF1:  Kosciusko
EF2:  Grant/Wabash
EF2:  Wabash/Kosciusko
EF1:  Kosciusko
EF0:  Grant
EF2:  Vermillion/Warren
EF2:  Fountain/Tippecanoe
EF1:  Montgomery
EF2:  Tippecanoe
EF0:  Tippecanoe
EF1:  Tippecanoe
EF2:  Knox
EF2:  Clinton/Howard
EF2:  Howard
EF2:  Daviess
EF2:  Boone
EF1:  Boone
EF1:  Lawrence
EF1:  Hamilton/Tipton

NWS Confirms Tornadoes In Hendricks And Putnam Counties

The NWS in Indianapolis has confirmed 2 tornadoes occurred during the early morning hours of May 21:


A NWS Indianapolis storm damage survey today identified at least one weak tornado occurring west of Brownsburg near North Salem in the storms early Tuesday morning.  Toppled trees, snapped limbs, and damage to a barn revealed evidence of rotation in the winds and damage consistent with an EF0 tornado with winds up to 85 mph.  The tornado occurred around 2:40 A.M. May 21 and was part of a large line of storms that swept across central Indiana overnight causing sporadic damage in many areas. 

Surveying in the Roachdale area north of Greencastle also yielded evidence of an EF0 tornado.  This occurred around 2:30 A.M. just south of Roachdale where barn, shed and tree damage were observed suggesting rotating winds of up to 85 mph. This tornado was on the ground for less than a quarter mile.

NWS Confirms Tornadoes In Vigo County

The NWS in Indianapolis has confirmed two EF0 tornadoes occurred yesterday.  Here is their writeup.

A thunderstorm squall line produced two small, brief tornadoes Wednesday evening near Terre Haute. The first touchdown occurred near 815 PM EDT along East Curry Road near Hultz Road about 5 miles south of Terre Haute. The tornado was observed by a storm spotter and caused damage to several trees. The tornado was rated an EF0 with winds around 80 mph. A second tornado from the same storm occurred near 825 PM EDT in Riley, about 5 miles southeast of Terre Haute. This tornado was observed by Riley volunteer fireman in a field just west of their fire station. The second tornado destroyed a small shed and downed several tree limbs. This tornado was rated an EF0 with associated winds also around 80 mph.

June 11, 1998 Tornado Outbreak

On this date in 1998, ten tornadoes struck northern and central parts of the state.  The strongest tornado touched down in far eastern Marion county in the early evening and quickly intensified to F4 as it passed into Hancock county.  Fortunately, this tornado resulted in no fatalities and only 4 injuries.  Another strong tornado touched down in Howard county, doing significant damage in Greentown.  In all, 17 people were injured in this outbreak.

Spring Tornado Lull - Is The Season Over?

After a quick start to tornado season, we have hit a relative lull.  There were no tornadoes confirmed in April and 4 at the beginning of May.  This begs the question:  will there be any more tornadoes this year?

I reviewed our tornado records for all years from 1950-2011, and it turns out that 62/62 years (that would be 100%) have produced tornadoes after the month of May.  Some of those years produced several tornado days after May.  While it has been rather quiet lately, if history is any guide, there is more to come.    

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.

May 21, 1949 Killer Tornadoes

As part of a large tornado outbreak sequence across the U.S., three significant tornadoes struck portions of central Indiana on May 21, 1949.  A short summary of each tornado is provided below.

Tornado #1 initially touched down southwest of Palestine, Illinois, and moved northeast through that town.  All four deaths and most of the damage (peaking at F4 intensity) occurred in Illinois before the tornado moved into Sullivan county.

Tornado #2 touched down south of Cox Field on the east side of Terre Haute.  The tornado damaged several houses on a NNE trek from Terre Haute to southwest of Burnett.  Three deaths occurred and about ten people were injured.

Tornado #3 proved to be the worst tornado of the group.  This tornado touched down near Graysville and moved through Shelburn, devastating part of that town.  The tornado continued northeast, passing south of Bowling Green and ending north of Jordan in Owen county.  Farms were destroyed at several points along the path.  The worst damage occurred in the northwest part of Shelburn, where many homes were damaged/destroyed and thirteen people died.  In all, this F4 tornado killed fourteen people on a path that may have exceeded 40 miles.  Hundreds of animals were also killed. 


Source:

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

May Tornadoes By F/EF Scale Rating

1950-2010

A Look At Tornado Emergencies

In any given year, dozens of tornado warnings are likely to be issued in Indiana.  Some of these result in confirmed tornadoes while others do not.  A rare type of tornado warning - a tornado emergency - is reserved for high-end events where a particularly dangerous tornado is known to be on the ground.

Since 2002, there have been 3 tornado emergency days here - 9/20/2002, 10/18/2007 and 3/2/2012.  In many cases, only follow-up statements and not the original tornado warning contained the emergency wording.  Warnings/statements containing the emergency wording and counties affected are listed below.

TOR = original tornado warning
SVS# = follow-up statement number


9/20/2002:

Northern Johnson/Marion counties:  TOR (no SVS statements available)
Hancock county:  TOR (no SVS statements available)


10/18/2007:

Southern Elkhart county:  SVS1, SVS2, SVS3


3/2/2012:

Northwestern Clark county:  SVS3
Northern Clark/southern Scott/Jefferson counties:  SVS1, SVS2, SVS3
Northern Clark county:  SVS1
Southern Ripley/southwestern Dearborn/Ohio/Switzerland counties:  SVS1, SVS2
Switzerland county:  SVS1

 

Tornadoes Reported In Several Counties Today

Several reports of tornadoes have come in today.  As of this writing, tornadoes have been reported in Bartholomew, Fountain and Montgomery counties.  There was also significant wind damage (possible tornado) in Franklin county.  Storm surveys are scheduled for tomorrow and they will be posted as they come in.

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 

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