Tornadoes and Severe Storms of March 15, 2025

Tornadoes

Tornado - Near Mecca Parke County Date 03/15/25 Time (Local) 2:14-2:16 AM EDT EF Rating EF-1 Est. Peak Winds 110 MPH Path Length 2.66 miles Max Width 75 yards Injuries/Deaths 0/0 Summary: The tornado began just west of Mecca with sporadic tree damage that continued north of West 275 South. The tornado crossed Coxville Road before tracking mostly through rural woods and farmland west of McAdams Road. The worst damage occurred along McAdams Road towards West 100S where a small garage was completely destroyed and a 150 year old barn was mostly destroyed. The tornado centerline was just to the west of the residences along McAdams Road. Several other residences nearby had tree and pole barn damage. The tornado then moved into farmland before dissipating just north of West 100S. Track Map

Radar/Storm Relative Velocity at 2:15 AM EDT

Tornado - West of Loogootee Daviess County Date 03/15/25 Time (Local) 4:17-4:44 AM EDT EF Rating EF-1 Est. Peak Winds 110 mph Path Length 24.43 miles Max Width 400 yards Injuries/Deaths 0/0 Summary: The tornado crossed the East Fork White River into southern Daviess County and continued to skip northeast, ending just west of Loogootee. The most significant damage was to a farm at CR100S and CR 1025E in Daviess County. This farm sustained damage consistent with an EF1 tornado with winds around 100 mph. Damage occurred to several metal farm outbuildings. A piece of 2x4 was thrown southeast and driven through the windshield of a semi- truck. Two large grain bins were completely destroyed and torn apart, with debris thrown at least a mile northeast. The remainder of damage along the path was mostly snapped and uprooted trees, minor damage to roofs and siding on houses. Widespread damage consistent with straight line winds was also observed to the west and also east of the main tornado track, associated with the thunderstorm outflow winds and forward flank downdraft to the east of tornado track. This wind caused damage through the town of Loogootee. The tornado continued into Martin county causing sporadic tree damage through rural areas northeast of Loogootee before doing more significant damage to two farmsteads near Killion Mill Road and additional damage near Wadsworth lane Track Map

Radar/Storm Relative Velocity at 4:25 AM EDT

Tornado - South of Brownstown Jackson County Date 03/15/25 Time (Local) 5:14-5:17 AM EDT EF Rating EF-1 Est. Peak Winds 105 mph Path Length 2.22 miles Max Width 50 yards Injuries/Deaths 0/0 Summary: Brief spin up at the leading edge of a severe bowing line of storms. Touch down occurred just south of E County Road 500 S and east of S Base Road. High end EF-1 damage occurred to a mobile home on E County Rd 500 S where the entire roof was torn off with walls collapsed. Tornado lifted before the intersection of E County Rd 400s and 39, then straight line winds to 80 mph produced further damage to barns down to S county road 300 E. Track Map

Radar/Storm Relative Velocity at 5:13 AM EDT

Tornado - Near Fayetteville Lawrence County Date 03/15/25 Time (Local) 4:53-4:59 AM EDT EF Rating EF-0 Est. Peak Winds 80 mph Path Length 2.25 miles Max Width 50 yards Injuries/Deaths 0/0 Summary: A weak tornado began southwest of Silverville and impacted several farm buildings and causing sporadic tree damage through and northeast of Silverville. It then tracked through wooded areas north of State Road 158 before impacting mostly wooded areas north of Fayetteville. The tornado began southwest of Old Farm Road where an old shed was destroyed along with some minor barn roof damage. The tornado skipped around causing sporadic damage between Old Farm Road and Tipton Pike before ending just south of Indiana Creek Camp Road. There was clear evidence of trees blown to the southwest along the northern portion of Old Farm road, but otherwise it was often difficult to differentiate the straight line wind and tornadic damage. The tornado also likely skipped around and may have been just off the ground for some of the path. Track Map

4 Panel of Radar (upper left), Storm Relative Velocity (upper right), Correlation Coefficient (lower left), and Spectrum Width (lower right) at 4:58 AM EDT

Tornado - Needmore Lawrence County Date 03/15/2025 Time (Local) 5:01-5:02 AM EDT EF Rating EF-0 Est. Peak Winds 85 mph Path Length 0.97 miles Max Width 25 yards Injuries/Deaths 0/0 Summary: A short-lived tornado began in a ravine to the southwest of Kentucky Hollow Road. The majority of the damage was on the southwest corner of Kentucky Hollow Road where a shed was completely destroyed along with significant damage to the porch of the residence. There was some shingle damage with insulation blown on all 4 sides of the house. Tornadic winds blew in the garage and partially blew out the cinder block foundation. Track Map

Radar/Storm Relative Velocity at 5:00 AM EDT

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

Radar

Selected Images from the Event. A loop is available.

Radar at 2:20 AM EDT	Radar at 4:30 AM EDT	Radar at 5:20 AM EDT	Radar at 6:30 AM EDT

Storm Reports

Preliminary Local Storm Report...Summary
National Weather Service Indianapolis IN
1008 PM EDT Sat Mar 15 2025

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

0214 AM     Tornado          Mecca                   39.73N 87.33W
03/15/2025                   Parke              IN   NWS Storm Survey

            EF-1 tornado with peak wind of 110 MPH, path
            length of 2.66 miles, and a max width of 75
            yards. Destroyed a small garage. Severely
            damaged a 150 year old barn.

0216 AM     Tstm Wnd Dmg     1 NNE Mecca             39.74N 87.32W
03/15/2025                   Parke              IN   Fire Dept/Rescue

            Extensive tree damage, barn damage, road
            shutdown from being impassable.

0217 AM     Tstm Wnd Dmg     3 W Rockville           39.77N 87.28W
03/15/2025                   Parke              IN   Amateur Radio

            reports of tree damage.

0220 AM     Tstm Wnd Dmg     3 E Perrysville         40.05N 87.38W
03/15/2025                   Fountain           IN   911 Call Center

            Late report of thunderstorm winds downed
            dozens of trees and poles across Fountain
            County. Time estimated from radar.

0235 AM     Tstm Wnd Dmg     Alamo                   39.99N 87.06W
03/15/2025                   Montgomery         IN   Public

            Tree limbs downed on State Road 25.

0240 AM     Tstm Wnd Dmg     3 NW Rainsville         40.44N 87.36W
03/15/2025                   Warren             IN   911 Call Center

            Late report of thunderstorm winds downed
            dozens of trees across Warren County. Time
            estimated from radar.

0254 AM     Tstm Wnd Gst     1 SW Purdue University  40.42N 86.93W
03/15/2025  M66 MPH          Tippecanoe         IN   ASOS

            ASOS station KLAF W. Lafayette - Purdue
            Univ. Arpt.

0305 AM     Tstm Wnd Gst     2 S Cagles Mill Lake    39.44N 86.86W
03/15/2025  M53 MPH          Owen               IN   Public



0315 AM     Tstm Wnd Gst     3 WSW Frankfort         40.27N 86.57W
03/15/2025  M60 MPH          Clinton            IN   AWOS

            AWOS station KFKR Frankfort.

0319 AM     Tstm Wnd Dmg     2 NW Farmersburg        39.27N 87.41W
03/15/2025                   Vigo               IN   Public

            Large tree limb down over IN-246.

0330 AM     Tstm Wnd Dmg     Carlisle                38.96N 87.40W
03/15/2025                   Sullivan           IN   Public

            Multiple tree limbs snapped. Relayed via
            social media.

0339 AM     Tstm Wnd Dmg     Bicknell                38.77N 87.30W
03/15/2025                   Knox               IN   Emergency Mngr

            Late report of thunderstorm winds downed an
            old communication tower onto a cable line to
            a utility pole at 108 North Cleveland
            Street. These winds also downed a
            communication line down over New Jersey
            Street. Time estimated from radar.

0349 AM     Tstm Wnd Dmg     1 ESE Indian Heights    40.42N 86.10W
03/15/2025                   Howard             IN   Public

            Tree of unknown size downed over road. Time
            estimated from radar.

0410 AM     Tstm Wnd Dmg     Fillmore                39.67N 86.75W
03/15/2025                   Putnam             IN   911 Call Center

            Late report of thunderstorm winds downed
            several trees in and to the south of
            Fillmore. Time estimated from radar.

0415 AM     Tstm Wnd Dmg     Freedom                 39.21N 86.87W
03/15/2025                   Owen               IN   Public

            Tree snapped.

0419 AM     Tornado          3 W Glendale Fishery    38.54N 87.10W
03/15/2025                   Daviess            IN   NWS Storm Survey

            EF-1 tornado with max wind of 110 MPH, max
            width of 400 yards, and path length in
            central Indiana of 13.63 miles. This tornado
            crossed the East Fork White River into
            southern Daviess County and skipped
            northeast. Significant damage to farm
            outbuildings and grain bins.

0435 AM     Tstm Wnd Dmg     Loogootee               38.67N 86.91W
03/15/2025                   Martin             IN   Emergency Mngr

            Trees and power lines downed. Old masonry
            building leaning towards US231. Possible
            tornado damage near and west of town.

0437 AM     Tstm Wnd Dmg     5 SE Paragon            39.36N 86.49W
03/15/2025                   Morgan             IN   911 Call Center

            Late report of thunderstorm winds downed
            trees along Old Indiana State Route 37 at
            Brehop Lane. Time estimated from radar.

0454 AM     Tstm Wnd Gst     1 SW Indianapolis Int`l 39.72N 86.30W
03/15/2025  M52 MPH          Marion             IN   ASOS

            ASOS station KIND Indianapolis.

0458 AM     Tstm Wnd Gst     3 S Monument Circle     39.72N 86.16W
03/15/2025  E60 MPH          Marion             IN   Public

            Spotter estimated 60 mph winds.

0500 AM     Tstm Wnd Gst     3 WSW Whitehall         39.15N 86.62W
03/15/2025  M64 MPH          Monroe             IN   ASOS

            ASOS station KBMG Bloomington.

0514 AM     Tstm Wnd Dmg     4 ESE Vallonia          38.82N 86.02W
03/15/2025                   Jackson            IN   Public

            Multiple power poles broken, trees down.
            Possible home damage.

0515 AM     Tornado          5 ESE Vallonia          38.81N 86.02W
03/15/2025                   Jackson            IN   Emergency Mngr

            EF-1 Tornado with max winds of 105 mph made
            a roughly 2.2 mile path through far southern
            Jackson Co, IN, significantly damaging a
            mobile home.

0516 AM     Tstm Wnd Gst     1 W Spurgeons Corner    39.07N 86.16W
03/15/2025  M60 MPH          Brown              IN   Public



0518 AM     Tstm Wnd Dmg     5 SE Brownstown         38.82N 85.98W
03/15/2025                   Jackson            IN   Emergency Mngr

            South and west facing walls of two story
            barn/house ripped off and blown into
            neighbors yard. Estimated winds around 80
            mph at the apex of a bow echo. This damage
            occurred right after an EF-1 tornado lifted
            just to the southwest.

0519 AM     Tstm Wnd Dmg     5 SE Brownstown         38.83N 85.98W
03/15/2025                   Jackson            IN   Emergency Mngr

            Newly built pole barn collapsed. Estimated
            winds around 80 mph at the apex of a bow
            echo. This damage occurred right after an
            EF-1 tornado lifted just to the southwest.

0520 AM     Tstm Wnd Dmg     5 NW Crothersville      38.86N 85.90W
03/15/2025                   Jackson            IN   Public

            Damage to home, tree damage around.

0530 AM     Tstm Wnd Dmg     6 E Gnaw Bone           39.19N 86.04W
03/15/2025                   Bartholomew        IN   Emergency Mngr

            Reports of trees and wires down along the
            western portion of Bartholomew Co.

0535 AM     Tstm Wnd Dmg     2 NE Taylorsville       39.32N 85.91W
03/15/2025                   Bartholomew        IN   Trained Spotter

            Late report of thunderstorm winds snapped
            two wooden power poles and a center-pivot
            sprinkler was overturned in the field north
            of County Road 800 North near Baseline Road.
            Time estimated from radar.

0554 AM     Tstm Wnd Dmg     3 NNW Waldron           39.50N 85.70W
03/15/2025                   Shelby             IN   Public

            Late report of thunderstorm winds downed a
            tree at St. Vincent Catholic Church. Time
            estimated from radar.

0558 AM     Tstm Wnd Dmg     Rushville               39.62N 85.45W
03/15/2025                   Rush               IN   Emergency Mngr

            Reports of trees down in Rushville and
            entire town without power due to wind
            damage.

0605 AM     Tstm Wnd Dmg     2 N Rushville           39.65N 85.44W
03/15/2025                   Rush               IN   Emergency Mngr

            *** 3 INJ ***
            Late report of over 50 locations spread
            across Rush County with tress or powerlines
            down with at least two dozen structures
            damaged. Three people were injured north of
            Rushville where winds blew over a security
            trailer. Time estimated from radar.

0249 PM     Flood            Indiana University      39.17N 86.53W
03/15/2025                   Monroe             IN   Trained Spotter

            Spotter Reports Flooding on Roadways,
            impacting Traffic.

Environment

A strong low pressure system brought a line of storms with widespread wind damage and a few tornadoes to central Indiana. The system had very strong winds not far off the ground, which was then brought down in the storms to cause the damage.

Figure 1: Surface Map at 2:00 AM EDT	Figure 2: CAPE & Shear at 2:00 AM EDT	Figure 3: 925mb Analysis at 2:00 AM EDT

Additional Information

The Forecast

SPC Day 6 Outlook	SPC Day 5 Outlook	SPC Day 4 Outlook
SPC Day 3 Categorical Outlook	SPC Day 3 Probabilistic Outlook	SPC Day 2 Categorical Outlook	SPC Day 2 Tornado Probabilistic Outlook
SPC Day 1 Categorical Outlook	WFO IND Graphic from March 15 (Uses SPC Day 1 Categorical Outlook)	WFO IND Graphic from March 15 (Uses SPC Day 1 Probabilistic Data)	SPC Day 1 Outlook with Storm Reports from the Event Overlaid

Summaries from other NWS Offices

• WFO Chicago, IL
• WFO Lincoln, IL
• WFO Louisville, KY (coming soon)
• WFO Paducah, KY