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.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
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
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
Friday, September 23, 2011
Biggest Fall Tornado Outbreaks Since 1950
As I did in Summer, I have scanned the tornado database back to 1950 in order to establish our biggest Fall tornado outbreaks. Here are some of the biggest outbreaks between the Autumn Equinox and Winter Solstice (roughly September 23-December 22).
November 15, 1955: 5 tornadoes struck central and southern Indiana, injuring 9 people.
November 26, 1965: 6 tornadoes struck mainly central Indiana, injuring 8 people. All of these tornadoes were ranked in the F2-F3 range.
October 24, 1967: This was the first of multiple significant Fall outbreaks that year. There were 9 tornadoes in this outbreak with 6 of them F2 or higher. 5 people were injured.
December 11, 1967: 7 tornadoes struck mainly southern Indiana, injuring 1 person.
September 26, 1976: Although there were only 3 tornadoes, two of them were deadly F3's. 2 people were killed and 12 were injured.
November 22, 1992: Perhaps the largest Fall tornado outbreak in state history, this outbreak produced 15 tornadoes, many of which occurred in a zone about 40 miles north and south of the I-70 corridor. 10 of the tornadoes were at least F2 with 5 of them F3. Although no fatalities occurred, 6 people were injured.
October 24, 2001: 9 tornadoes struck the state with the worst of the outbreak occurring in northern areas. 3 tornadoes were rated F2 with another rated F3. 2 people were killed and 19 were injured.
November 15, 2005: 4 tornadoes occurred with 3 of them striking southern Indiana. 2 of the tornadoes were rated F3 and a total of 32 people were injured.
October 18, 2007: 5 tornadoes struck northern and southern Indiana with 2 of them being EF3. The worst tornado, an EF3, struck Nappanee.
October 26, 2010: 13 tornadoes touched down as part of the historic "Octobomb" low pressure system. All tornadoes were EF0 or EF1 and no injuries were reported.
Special mention: On November 6, 2005, a F3 tornado struck the Evansville area, killing 25 people and injuring over 230. This was the only tornado to occur in the state on that day, but it was the deadliest single tornado here since 1965.
November 15, 1955: 5 tornadoes struck central and southern Indiana, injuring 9 people.
November 26, 1965: 6 tornadoes struck mainly central Indiana, injuring 8 people. All of these tornadoes were ranked in the F2-F3 range.
October 24, 1967: This was the first of multiple significant Fall outbreaks that year. There were 9 tornadoes in this outbreak with 6 of them F2 or higher. 5 people were injured.
December 11, 1967: 7 tornadoes struck mainly southern Indiana, injuring 1 person.
September 26, 1976: Although there were only 3 tornadoes, two of them were deadly F3's. 2 people were killed and 12 were injured.
November 22, 1992: Perhaps the largest Fall tornado outbreak in state history, this outbreak produced 15 tornadoes, many of which occurred in a zone about 40 miles north and south of the I-70 corridor. 10 of the tornadoes were at least F2 with 5 of them F3. Although no fatalities occurred, 6 people were injured.
October 24, 2001: 9 tornadoes struck the state with the worst of the outbreak occurring in northern areas. 3 tornadoes were rated F2 with another rated F3. 2 people were killed and 19 were injured.
November 15, 2005: 4 tornadoes occurred with 3 of them striking southern Indiana. 2 of the tornadoes were rated F3 and a total of 32 people were injured.
October 18, 2007: 5 tornadoes struck northern and southern Indiana with 2 of them being EF3. The worst tornado, an EF3, struck Nappanee.
October 26, 2010: 13 tornadoes touched down as part of the historic "Octobomb" low pressure system. All tornadoes were EF0 or EF1 and no injuries were reported.
Special mention: On November 6, 2005, a F3 tornado struck the Evansville area, killing 25 people and injuring over 230. This was the only tornado to occur in the state on that day, but it was the deadliest single tornado here since 1965.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
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)
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)
Monday, September 12, 2011
September 12, 1988 Indianapolis Tornado
Still waiting for the May Storm Data to come in so the May tornado statistics can be finalized. Hopefully this occurs sometime in the next couple weeks.
Anyway, since posts have been lacking as of late, I thought I'd mention that today is the anniversary of a F1 tornado that hit Indianapolis. The tornado began on the north side of the city and moved northeast through Marion, Hamilton and Madison counties. Roofs and automobiles were reportedly damaged along the path. The tornado caused intermittent damage over a path length of about 35 miles and resulted in 1 injury.
Anyway, since posts have been lacking as of late, I thought I'd mention that today is the anniversary of a F1 tornado that hit Indianapolis. The tornado began on the north side of the city and moved northeast through Marion, Hamilton and Madison counties. Roofs and automobiles were reportedly damaged along the path. The tornado caused intermittent damage over a path length of about 35 miles and resulted in 1 injury.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
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