NWS Confirms Additional Tornado From June 30

An additional EF1 tornado has been confirmed from the June 30-July 1 storms.  It occurred northeast of De Motte.  This brings the total number of tornadoes from June 30-July 1 to 15, including one tornado that crossed the border from Illinois.

..TORNADO NORTHEAST OF DE MOTTE IN JASPER COUNTY  
   
  
RATING:                 EF-1  
ESTIMATED PEAK WIND:    90 TO 100 MPH  
PATH LENGTH /STATUTE/:  1 MILE  
PATH WIDTH /MAXIMUM/:   100 YARDS  
FATALITIES:             NONE  
INJURIES:               NONE  
  
START DATE:             JUNE 30 2014  
START TIME:             1055 PM CDT  
START LOCATION:         4 ENE DE MOTTE IN  
START LAT/LON:          41.2230/-87.1280  
  
END DATE:               JUNE 30 2014  
END TIME:               1056 PM CDT  
END LOCATION:           5 ENE DE MOTTE IN  
END LAT/LON:            41.2240/-87.1099  
  
SURVEY SUMMARY:   
  
THIS TORNADO TRACKED ALONG W CR 1450 N WHERE 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.  

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.  

Frequency Of Tornadoes From Remnants Of Tropical Systems

Yesterday was the 6 year anniversary of Tropical Storm Arlene's passage (or at least its remnants) through Indiana.  While these events can bring us heavy rain from time to time, they are usually fairly forgettable.  However, Arlene is a bit of a stand out because it produced 2 tornadoes south of Indianapolis.  That got me thinking - how often do tropical remnants produce tornadoes here?

In an attempt to answer that question, I scanned the National Hurricane Center's records since 1950 (since that is about the time that tornado record keeping began to improve).  It was assumed that a remnant tropical system would've at least needed to reach the latitude of Kentucky to have a substantial chance of producing a tornado in Indiana.  I found 23 such systems which I am not going to list here.  I then chose to narrow the criteria to systems in which the remnant circulation passed through Illinois or Indiana, thus achieving greater latitude and putting us along or east of the track.  I found 14 of those systems and they are listed below:


1960 Tropical Storm #1
1961 Hurricane Carla
1965 Hurricane Betsy
1968 Tropical Storm Cindy
1979 Hurricane Bob
1979 Tropical Storm Claudette
1988 Hurricane Gilbert
1995 Hurricane Erin
2005 Tropical Storm Arlene
2005 Hurricane Dennis
2005 Hurricane Katrina
2005 Hurricane Rita
2008 Hurricane Gustav
2008 Hurricane Ike


In order to determine whether these tropical events produced any tornadoes in our area, I examined tornado records to coincide with the general timeframe that the remnant circulation passed through the area.  In a few cases, tornadoes occurred 1 or 2 days after the remnants passed and it was determined that those tornadoes were caused by a different weather system.  Out of the 14 storms listed above, I can only find 2 storms which were undoubtedly directly responsible for tornado production in the state - Tropical Storm Arlene in 2005 and Hurricane Gustav in 2008.  As previously stated, the remnants of Arlene produced 2 tornadoes, while the remnants of Gustav generated a tornado in Jasper county.

A potential third tornado case is Hurricane Gilbert in 1988.  The remnants of Gilbert moved northeastward through Missouri and Illinois, apparently in association with a significant trough/low pressure system in the Midwest.  5 tornadoes occurred in central and southern Indiana, but it is unclear if these tornadoes were directly caused by Gilbert or the larger weather system.

I have drawn the approximate tracks of Gilbert, Arlene, and Gustav below.    

So, to answer the question of how frequent these types of tornadoes are...not very frequent.  Depending on whether one includes Gilbert, there are either 3 or 8 tornadoes and either figure computes to well less than 1% of Indiana's tornadoes occurring from the remnants of tropical systems.  It is possible if not probable that these events have been underreported to some extent, but the same is probably true for other tornadoes which means that the percentages wouldn't change much.  

NWS Confirms Tornado Just North Of Rensselaer

The National Weather Service in Chicago has confirmed that an EF1 tornado struck just north of Rensselaer in Jasper county on Sunday.  Here are the stats from the storm survey:


PATH LENGTH: 1/4 MILE
PATH WIDTH: 20-33 YARDS
LOCATION: 1 MILE NORTH OF RENSSELAER, IN
TIME: 4:37 PM (PRELIMINARY)

Pictures and a summary can be found here:

http://www.crh.noaa.gov/news/display_cmsstory.php?wfo=lot&storyid=68657&source=0

It appears that additional tornadoes occurred today, and more information will be posted as soon as it becomes available.

Last but not least, it appears that a rather significant severe weather threat is taking shape for Wednesday, including the possibility of tornadoes.  I will have more on this later.