Tornadoes of July 29, 2021

Overview

Thunderstorms developed along a boundary across central Indiana during the evening of July 29. The storms brought 2 tornadoes, gusty winds, and heavy rain. Heavy rain brought flash flooding to parts of southern Shelby County and northern Bartholomew County.

Tornado
Storm Reports
Environment

Tornadoes

Tornado - SE of Shelbyville
Shelby County

Date	7/29/21
Time (Local)	7:58 PM - 8:04 PM EDT
EF Rating	EF-1
Est. Peak Winds	90 mph
Path Length	2.5 miles
Max Width	50 yards
Injuries/Deaths	0/0
Summary: The first tornado of the day initially began as a funnel cloud over Shelbyville with roof damage to a building across the southeast part of town. This funnel cloud continued until it touched down northwest of a small subdivision off of CR 250 E. There it damaged numerous trees and damaged support beams on a porch. A masonry wall was also knocked down. The tornado continued to the southeast where it caused tree damage to a home on CR 350S. The most extensive tree damage would occur along CR 375E near 500S where two homes had widespread tree damage along with an antenna pole that was snapped. The tornado then lifted in a field to the southeast. The damage path was not always clear at all times, but it appears that the tornado was either on the ground or just off the ground through the duration. A text summary of the tornado is available.

Track Map


Radar at 8:00 PM EDT	Storm Relative Velocity at 8:00 PM EDT	Path of Tornado in Field (Image courtesy of Shelby Co. Emergency Management)

Tornado - 2 South Waldron
Shelby County

Date	7/29/21
Time (Local)	8:14 PM - 8:15 PM EDT
EF Rating	EF-1
Est. Peak Winds	90 mph
Path Length	0.71 miles
Max Width	50 yards
Injuries/Deaths	0/0
Summary: This short lived tornado initially touched down near a river cabin and caused a narrow but intense swath of tree damage along CR 500E. The tornado then crossed the Flatrock River where it impacted the Van Pelt cemetery. Several grave stones were knocked over by the tornado with additional tree damage on the property. The tornado may have briefly lifted before touching down again in a field to the south. A text summary of the tornado is available.

Track Map


Radar at 8:13 PM EDT	Storm Relative Velocity at 8:14 PM EDT	Wind Damage and Path of Tornado in Field (Image courtesy of Shelby Co. Emergency Management)	Cemetery Headstones Moved in Different Directions by Tornado (NWS Storm Survey)

The Enhanced Fujita (EF) Scale classifies tornadoes into the following categories:

EF0 Weak 65-85 mph	EF1 Moderate 86-110 mph	EF2 Significant 111-135 mph	EF3 Severe 136-165 mph	EF4 Extreme 166-200 mph	EF5 Catastrophic 200+ mph

Storm Reports


PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0758 PM     TORNADO          4 SE SHELBYVILLE        39.48N 85.73W
07/29/2021                   SHELBY             IN   NWS STORM SURVEY

            NWS STORM SURVEY CONFIRMED AN EF-1 TORNADO
            WITH MAX WIND SPEED OF 90 MPH AND A PATH
            LENGTH OF 2.50 MILES. MAX WIDTH WAS 50
            YARDS.


0814 PM     TORNADO          2 S WALDRON             39.42N 85.67W
07/29/2021                   SHELBY             IN   NWS STORM SURVEY

            NWS STORM SURVEY CONFIRMED AN EF1 TORNADO
            WITH MAX WIND SPEED OF 90 MPH AND A PATH
            LENGTH OF 0.71 MILES. THE MAX WIDTH WAS 50
            YARDS.
            
1000 PM     FLOOD            GENEVA                  39.39N 85.72W
07/29/2021                   SHELBY             IN   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            FLOODED ROADS ARE BEING REPORTED IN NUMEROUS
            LOCATIONS, REQUIRING ROAD SIGNS AND PEOPLE
            TURNING AROUND TO FIND ANOTHER ROUTE. THE
            FOLLOWING LOCATIONS SPECIFICALLY HAVE THESE
            PROBLEMS...1100 S AND 300 E...1000 S AND 275
            E...SR 9 AND SOUTH OF 252. WATER IS ON THE
            ROADWAY BUT NOT PRESENTLY DEEP AT 350 EAST
            SOUTH OF VANDALIA ROAD, AND 252 AND 25 W.
            
1100 PM     FLASH FLOOD      HOPE                    39.30N 85.77W
07/29/2021                   BARTHOLOMEW        IN   BROADCAST MEDIA

            ROAD FROM HOPE TOWN SQUARE TO THE SHELBY
            COUNTY LINE IS IMPASSABLE/WASHED OUT. AT
            LEASE ONE WATER RESCUE WAS PERFORMED.

Environment

Thunderstorms developed along a surface boundary in an unstable environment with high moisture content. The boundary aided in the tornado development.


Figure 1: Surface Map at 8:00 PM EDT	Figure 2: Mixed Layer CAPE at 8:00 PM EDT	Figure 3: Effective Storm Relative Helicity at 8:00 PM EDT


Figure 4: 0-3km CAPE and Surface Vorticity at 8:00 PM EDT	Figure 5: Lifted Condensation Levels (LCL) at 8:00 PM EDT	Figure 6: Precipitable Water at 8:00 PM EDT

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