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What we know about 5 tornados that hit Indiana on July 9, 2024

NWS confirms EF-3 tornado with 140 mph winds

(WISH) — Five tornadoes hit southern Indiana as the remnants of Hurricane Beryl moved through the state on Tuesday, the National Weather Service said Thursday.

No injuries were reported in the weather service surveys.

The largest tornado had peak winds of 140 mph. The Mount Vernon storm produced the “strongest July tornado” that the Paducah, Kentucky, weather service’s area has seen since the 1950s. The weather service at Paducah oversees 58 counties across portions western Kentucky, southern Illinois, southeast Missouri, and southwest Indiana.

Paducah’s service area has reported four tornadoes in Indiana.

The weather service at Indianapolis surveyed a fifth Tuesday tornado, which hit Martin County.

Here are details on the five tornadoes (times are EST):

1. 5:18-5:28 p.m., Mount Vernon, Posey County

  • Estimated peak winds: 140 mph (Enhanced Fujita scale rating of EF-3).
  • Path length: 5.85 miles.
  • Maximum width: 300 yards.

Kenco Management Services, a logistics service, suffered the brunt of the tornado’s damage. Roughly half of the warehouse’s roof was destroyed, and several large segments of the outer walls fell. Northward from the warehouse, the tornado overturned semis and train cars near Old U.S. 62. A manufactured home near Seibert Lane had its roof blown off, and its walls collapsed. Damage to roofs on homes and farm buildings happened on Nation Road just west of Breeze Road. The tornado lifted north of Johnson Road.

2. 5:32-5:39 p.m., Springfield, Posey County

  • Estimated peak winds: 105 mph (Enhanced Fujita scale rating of EF-1).
  • Path length: 3.29 miles.
  • Maximum width: 300 yards.

This tornado developed from the same long-track storm cell that produced the Mount Vernon tornado. The tornado began just west of the unincorporated community of Springfield. The tornado bent a power pole, and damaged trees before lifting ahead of Shakerag Road.

3. 5:51-6:14 p.m., Poseyville to Johnson, Gibson County

  • Estimated peak winds: 120 mph (Enhanced Fujita scale rating of EF-2).
  • Path length: 8.38 miles.
  • Maximum width: 400 yards.

This tornado was the third of the long-track storm cell that produced the previous two twisters in Indiana. It touched down on the north side of the town of Poseyville, just south of I-64. The tornado collapsed an outbuilding on County Road West 850 South, and removed an outbuilding’s roof along County Road South 1075 West. Next, the tornado collapsed a manufactured home and multiple farm buildings near the intersection of County Road West 800 South and County Road South 1050 West. An outbuilding was the next to fall and a home’s roof was damaged along State Road 165. The tornado lifted north of the unincorporated community of Johnson.

4. 5:50-5:52 p.m., Patoka, Gibson County

  • Estimated peak winds: 100 mph (Enhanced Fujita scale rating of EF-1).
  • Path length: 1.06 miles.
  • Maximum width: 25 yards.

The brief tornado touched down on the west side of the town of Patoka. A power pole on County Road West 350 North was bent. More of the damage was to trees and crops.

5. 7:21-7:24 p.m., Shoals to Loogootee, Martin County

  • Estimated peak winds: 85 mph (Enhanced Fujita scale rating of EF-0).
  • Path length: 1.77 miles.
  • Maximum width: 20 yards.

The brief and weak touched down about 4 miles northwest of the town of Shoals and lifted about 4 miles north-northeast of the city of Loogootee. Small trees and larger tree limbs down were the only damage reported.