Thursday, January 26, 2012
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:
Saturday, January 21, 2012
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.
Friday, January 20, 2012
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.
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.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
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.
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.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
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.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
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.
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.
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.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
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.
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
Saturday, January 7, 2012
The Relationship Between Tornadoes And Tornado Days
In the previous post I provided a monthly breakdown of tornadoes from 1950-2010. Here, we will take a look at the relationship between the number of tornadoes and the number of tornado days.
The chart below shows the number of tornadoes divided by the number of tornado days for each month, again from 1950-2010. In other words, this is the average number of tornadoes that occur per tornado day. It is important to note that this is NOT the same as the average number of tornadoes per month. We are looking at how "efficient" the tornado days are at producing tornadoes.
As you can see, March and April tend to produce a relatively high number of tornadoes per tornado day with a decrease as we head into May and June. Although June leads the way in number of tornadoes and number of tornado days, the RATIO is not as high. The decrease continues in July and August with both months producing just under 1.5 tornadoes per tornado day. After a modest increase in September, there is a rapid increase as we get into the fall months before another decline in the middle of winter.
The chart below shows the number of tornadoes divided by the number of tornado days for each month, again from 1950-2010. In other words, this is the average number of tornadoes that occur per tornado day. It is important to note that this is NOT the same as the average number of tornadoes per month. We are looking at how "efficient" the tornado days are at producing tornadoes.
 |
| Click For Larger Image |
Friday, January 6, 2012
Tornadoes By Month For 1950-2010
I posted a breakdown of tornado days a while back. You can find that post here
The chart below depicts the number of tornadoes for every month of the year from 1950-2010.
Here is the same info as above in text format:
January: 17
February: 21
March: 100
April: 228
May: 210
June: 292
July: 129
August: 71
September: 43
October: 62
November: 47
December: 16
The chart below depicts the number of tornadoes for every month of the year from 1950-2010.
Here is the same info as above in text format:
January: 17
February: 21
March: 100
April: 228
May: 210
June: 292
July: 129
August: 71
September: 43
October: 62
November: 47
December: 16
Monday, January 2, 2012
100th Post
It has been 10 months since I created this blog...and though the work at times has been tedious, I hope you have enjoyed my posts. You may be thinking that I'm about to run out of stuff to post. Well, I have more "fun" planned for this year. I'm not going to spill the beans right now of course!
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)