Harrison County Tornado on December 31, 2018

Overview

A line of strong to severe thunderstorms rolled through southern Indiana and central Kentucky during the afternoon hours of December 31st, 2018. In addition to strong straight line wind gusts that caused sporadic tree damage in the region, a brief, small EF-1 tornado touched down in Harrison County, IN, and caused structural damage to several buildings, as well as uprooting and snapping trees.

Barn damage near Dogwood from an EF-1 tornado in Harrison County, Indiana.

Tornado
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Radar
Storm Reports
Environment

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Tornado - Near Dogwood, IN
Harrison County

Date	12/31/2018
Time (Local)	3:38 - 3:41 PM EST
EF Rating	EF-1
Est. Peak Winds	100 mph
Path Length	2.2 miles
Max Width	140 yards
Injuries/Deaths	0/0
Summary: The National Weather Service conducted a damage survey in Southern Harrison County, IN to survey damage from storms that occurred mid afternoon New Years Eve. The team found an intermittent skipping tornado varying in width, size and speed. A maximum wind speed of 100 mph wind was found along with a max width of 140 yards. The tornado initially touched down at 7231 IN-337. At this location, a heavy metal chain fence weighing several hundred pounds was picked up and thrown 30 yards into the back of the house causing significant damage to the house. A chicken house weighing hundreds of pounds was rolled over and moved several feet. A purple Martin house was bent over 60 degrees facing east. Shingles and yard decorations were thrown in various directions east of the house along with driveway gravel thrown in every direction. A swing set was thrown from the back of the house to the front. Throughout the property there were twisted and uprooted trees. Just before crossing the highway, the tornado increased from 75 yards to 140 yards and picked up hundreds of cornstalks tossing them in various directions across the road up to 300 yards away. Across the street at 7768 IN-337 there was significant cedar tree damage along with a 30 by 40 foot barn that was destroyed. The tornado twisted and snapped several cedar trees before going across the farmers field. The tornado narrowed and went to about 50 yards in width. At 4368 Rogers Campground Road there were several trees twisted and snapped. One single wide mobile home had siding panels blown out in several spots. An older, well built barn with sturdy cedar poles sustained significant side panel damage. The metal sheeting was thrown a northwesterly to northeasterly direction. One 2x4 wood pole was embedded in the ground. The tornado was very narrow along Rogers Campground Road, likely no more than 50 yards wide. A tornado warning was issued at 3:12 PM EST providing a 26 minute lead time for the residents of Harrison County, Indiana. The National Weather Service would like to thank Gerald Price for his assistance along Rogers Campground Road and for reporting the damage.

Track Map

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

Photos & Video

Header


Tornado damage to a barn east of Dogwood, IN.	Debris from a barn tossed into a field from a tornado east of Dogwood, IN.	Tornado damage to a barn near Dogwood, IN.	Straight line wind damage to a barn near Mauckport, Indiana.

Radar

Header


KLVX Reflectivity at 3:38pm EST when the tornado touches down near Dogwood, IN.	KLVX Velocity at 3:38pm EST when the tornado touches down near Dogwood, IN.	KLVX Reflectivity at 3:40pm EST as the tornado begins to dissipate Dogwood, IN.	KLVX Velocity at 3:40pm EST as the tornado touches down in Dogwood, IN.

Storm Reports

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

0255 PM     TSTM WND DMG     CLOVERPORT              37.83N 86.63W
12/31/2018                   BRECKINRIDGE       KY   911 CALL CENTER  

            TREES DOWN. 

0305 PM     TSTM WND GST     1 WSW WOODBURY          37.18N 86.66W
12/31/2018  M53 MPH          BUTLER             KY   MESONET          

            53 MPH GUST RECORDED AT KYMESONET SITE IN 
            BUTLER COUNTY. 

0305 PM     TSTM WND GST     ENGLISH                 38.33N 86.46W
12/31/2018  E50 MPH          CRAWFORD           IN   TRAINED SPOTTER  

            REPORTED AT ENGLISH, INDIANA. 

0307 PM     TSTM WND DMG     1 ESE STEPHENSPORT      37.91N 86.52W
12/31/2018                   BRECKINRIDGE       KY   911 CALL CENTER  

            TREES DOWN. 

0315 PM     TSTM WND GST     3 E HARTFORD            37.45N 86.84W
12/31/2018  M50 MPH          OHIO               KY   MESONET          

            50 MPH GUST RECORDED AT KYMESONET SITE. 

0320 PM     TSTM WND DMG     1 E PAYNEVILLE          37.98N 86.30W
12/31/2018                   MEADE              KY   911 CALL CENTER  

            TREE DOWN ON SACKLER ROAD NEAR PAYNEVILLE, 
            IN. 

0327 PM     TSTM WND DMG     1 WSW SWEEDEN           37.24N 86.30W
12/31/2018                   EDMONSON           KY   911 CALL CENTER  

            1 TREE DOWN COMPLETELY BLOCKING P LINDSEY 
            ROAD AND ANOTHER TREE DOWN BLOCKING POPLAR 
            SPRINGS ROAD. BOTH IN SWEEDEN AREA. TIME 
            ESTIMATED FROM RADAR. 

0338 PM     TORNADO          DOGWOOD                 38.10N 86.09W
12/31/2018                   HARRISON           IN   NWS STORM SURVEY 

            AN EF-1 TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN NEAR DOGWOOD, 
            IN DESTROYING MULTIPLE TREES, DAMAGING 
            MULTIPLE BARNS/OUTBUILDINGS, AND DAMAGING A 
            MARTIN HOUSE AND CHICKEN HOUSE ALONG ITS 2.2 
            MILE PATH. MAX WIND SPEED WAS 100 MPH WITH 
            MAX PATH WIDTH 140 YARDS. 

0346 PM     TSTM WND DMG     1 NNE BOWLING GREEN     36.99N 86.43W
12/31/2018                   WARREN             KY   PUBLIC           

            MORE THAN 4000 CUSTOMERS REPORTED WITHOUT 
            POWER IN WARREN COUNTY. 

0414 PM     TSTM WND DMG     1 E ELK CREEK           38.10N 85.35W
12/31/2018                   SPENCER            KY   911 CALL CENTER  

            TREE DOWN BLOCKING ROADWAY ON NORMANDY RD 
            NEAR TAYLORSVILLE KY. 

0425 PM     TSTM WND GST     3 SW SIMPSONVILLE       38.19N 85.40W
12/31/2018  M53 MPH          SHELBY             KY   MESONET          

            53 MPH GUST RECORDED AT KYMESONET SITE NEAR 
            FINCHVILLE (SHELBY CO).

Environment

Insert synoptic summary.


Figure 1: 500mb Model Analysis (21z)	Figure 2: Surface Observations (21z)	Figure 3: Regional Radars (2030z)


Figure 4: MUCAPE/LPL Height (21z)	Figure 5: Effective Bulk Shear (21z)	Figure 6: 0-1km Shear Vector (21z)

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