Storm Summary October 15, 2021

Overview

A strong cold front moved through the Midwest Friday October 15. Rains for much of the day helped to limit coverage of strong to severe storms Friday evening, as the actual cold front moved into the Ohio Valley. A few stronger storms did develop however, as a couple of brief tornados spun up over portions of south central Indiana.

Tornado

Tornadoes:

Tornado - Northeast of New Pekin, IN
Washington County

Date	10/15/2021
Time (Local)	10:12 PM EDT
EF Rating	EF-0
Est. Peak Winds	80 mph
Path Length	2.7 miles
Max Width	70 yards
Injuries/Deaths	None
Summary: The National Weather Service conducted two storm damage assessment surveys across eastern Washington County Indiana, from storms Friday evening October 15 around 1015 pm. The second survey came about from new reports of damage along the Blue River east of New Pekin. The initial touchdown was just west of Bethel Church Road near the Blue River. This consisted of concentrated softwood and some hardwood tree damage. Drone imagery showed more significant amounts of tree damage, with many maple, elm, and cedar trees uprooted and twisted. Fallen trees were facing in a north, northeasterly, easterly, and southeasterly direction. Wind speeds of 80 mph were fairly consistent within the track with a width of 70 yards. The tornado lifted from time to time and was intermittent along the entire path. The survey team found winds of 70 to 75 mph in a cyclonic manner across a very small portion of eastern Washington County near Pine Hill Lake. A very narrow area of tree and roof damage occurred just southwest of the lake with a width of 60 yards. Most of the tree damage happened at 30 to 70 feet off the ground. Trees were facing to the north, northeast, and easterly direction. One car port had significant damage from large, 4-inch oak limbs falling on it. Minor roof damage occurred, including shingles and large limbs falling on a few homes. One tree fell on a homeowner's pick-up truck, resulting in significant damage. More substantial wind damage occurred at 10850 E. Blue river road. A large jacuzzi was picked up and thrown 10 yards. The hot tub was not full of water but weighed a substantial amount. Cedar trees were snapped and twisted and numerous maple and sycamore trees were uprooted, snapped and twisted all across the property. Drone footage showed trees going in multiple directions, especially from the north through southeasterly directions. Trees that were leaning were facing generally to the south. Wind speeds of 80 mph were fairly consistent within the track with a width of 70 yards. The tornado lifted on the very back edge of the wooded property at 10850 East Blue River Road. Overlaying radar imagery with the damage track showed that the damage was consistent around a cyclonic swirl, on a line segment within some heavy rain bands.

Track Map

Tornado - Lexington, IN
Scott County

Date	10/15/2021
Time (Local)	10:40 PM EDT
EF Rating	EF-0
Est. Peak Winds	80 mph
Path Length	0.6 miles
Max Width	75 yards
Injuries/Deaths	None
YouTube link of drone survey Summary: The National Weather Service in Louisville conducted a storm damage assessment survey across Scott county, Indiana. The survey team found damage consistent with 80 mph winds in Lexington, Indiana. The tornado began at the Lexington cemetery and continued all the way to the Lexington fire and rescue. The tornado uprooted, twisted, and snapped numerous trees at the cemetery with the trees falling in a northerly, northeasterly, southeasterly and even a few that pointed to the Southwest. This is where the widest part of the tornado was observed with approximately a 75 yard width. Several trees were snapped along Charlestown Road with more significant damage along S Stuard St. A couple of homes had shingle damage and loose items such as gas cans and Garden decorations that were thrown 50 yards. Power crews were working feverishly to restore power all along South Mulberry Street, where trees were thrown in multiple directions and across power lines. Power company workers told us that several of the power poles were snapped or cracked. The tornado continued along S. Cherry St. with a very narrow path of only 40 to 50 yards, and lifted around the Lexington fire and rescue. Several witnesses told us that they heard windows being opened up and a distinct roar in the air.

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

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