NATURE'S FURY-9/20/02 INDIANA TORNADOES



Track and intesity maps of 9/20 tornadoes courtesy NWS Indianapolis.


BLOG

10/9/02 2:08 PM CT - The NWS in Louisville concluded that the damage from the October 4th storm in New Albany, IN was due to a downburst wind event. They have also concluded that a waterspout touched down on the Ohio River prior to an F1 tornado touching down in Eastern Jefferson County, KY. I have posted the Public Information Statement below.

9/26/02 4:05 AM CT - More links have been added below, including new photos from the Martinsville and Greenwood areas by Joseph Nield, along with a new summary page. As of yesterday, Central and Southern Indiana had been officially declared Federal Disaster Areas, so federal funds will now be available to assist with cleanup efforts.

9/24/02 7:00 PM CT - I have received 3 aerial tornado damage pictures from the Edgewood area photographed by Bruce Pritchett. They are available in the links below.

9/23/02 3:20 PM CT - I now have 5 pictures of tornado damage from the Southport area photographed by Darin Kaiser (mrtwister83@earthlink.net). They are available in the links below.

9/23/02 3:35 AM CT - The Indianapolis NWS office has released a map showing the damage path of the 9/20 tornadoes. See the link below. At last report, some areas of Indianapolis are still restricted to residents only and the cleanup continues.

9/21/02 6:50 PM CT - The NWS has concluded that at least 3 tornadoes were spawned from one thunderstorm, and that the majority of the damage was F2-F3 from these tornadoes. See the official Public Information Statement in the links below.

9/21/02 5:00 PM CT - Local states of Emergency are now in effect in Morgan, Rush, Johnson, and Monroe counties, and Indiana Governor Frank O'Bannon has declared a State Emergency for Central and Southern Indiana. The mayor of Indianapolis has ordered 3 areas of the city closed to all but residents as the damage cleanup continues. Thousands remain without power. We expect an update from the NWS sometime this evening...stay tuned.

9/21/02 4:40 PM CT - Some photos of damage are up at the Indianapolis Star website now, and the Martinsville Times has updated their homepage with some amazing pictures as well (links below). They are reporting 27 injuries (2 serious) now from the storm.

9/21/02 5:15 AM CT - I have just returned from Central Indiana where extensive damage has occurred due to a tornado outbreak during the early afternoon of Friday 9/20/02. The first reports of a tornado on the ground and injuries came from Knox County near Vincennes shortly before Noon, and the last reports came in shortly before 3:30 in Delaware County near Muncie. This is a path nearly 180 miles long. Along the path, there was major destruction in several cities and towns, including Ellettsville (Monroe County), Martinsville (Morgan County), Greenwood (Johnson County), Beech Grove, Southport, and Indianapolis (Marion County), McCordsville (Hancock County), and Anderson (Madison County). Confirmed injuries as of Friday evening at the 3 area hospitals on the Southside of Indianapolis were 30 (all considered minor), and 20-25 injuries (some serious and at least 1 life-threatening) in Martinsville. Another injury was reported by Knox County EMA. There will likely be more reports in the coming days. Luckilly as of this time, no fatalities have been discovered. There was significant property loss in many of these areas, including destruction of vehicles, homes, and businesses. Of note was a K-Mart and Big Lots suffering severe damage in Martinsville, a Galyans store and a Pier 1 virtually destroyed, and a YMCA suffering severe structural damage to its second floor near Greenwood. Damage assessment teams from the NWS, along with the Governor and National Guard, will be flying the entire damage path today to determine the number of tornadoes involved in this extensive damage, and the estimated strength of them. Some TV meteorologists have put the first look at damage at a strong F3 to F4. As of this writing, both Morgan and Monroe counties are under a State Of Emergency, and the city of Indianapolis is under a Local Emergency State. IPL reports nearly 40,000 without power in Marion County, and PSI Energy reports power out countywide in Morgan County. The last outbreak of this magnitude as far as damage goes in Indiana appears to be the outbreak of June 2, 1990 in Central and Southern Indiana. This page will be updated as additional details become available throughout the weekend.

PHOTOS

Edgewood, IN area damage photographed by Bruce Pritchett (theprichetts@netzero.net). The barn is located about 3 miles SW of Edgewood, the overturned camper is 2 miles southwest of Edgewood, and the white house and debris is on Indiana 32 in Edgewood. All damage is along the same tornado path.:



Southport, IN area damage photographed by Darin Kaiser (mrtwister83@earthlink.net):







ARCHIVE


Louisville tornadoes-
Final NWS SDF Local Storm Report for Fri. 10/4/02
Louisville, KY NWS office
SPC Tornado/Storm Damage Reports for Fri. 10/4/02
SDF Public Information Statement - ...Final details of October 4th severe weather... (10/9)
SDF Public Information Statement - ...Friday evening tornado in Louisville metro area... (10/5)
SDF Tornado Warning for Northern Jefferson Co., KY/Louisville (10/4)
SDF Tornado Update for Northern Jefferson Co., KY/Louisville (10/4)

Indiana tornadoes-
NWS Indianapolis summary page of 9/20/02 Indiana tornadoes
NWS Indianapolis damage pictures of 9/20/02 Indiana tornadoes
University Of Colorado Report on Response to Indianapolis Tornado of 9/20/02
SPC Monthly Tornado Statistics report updated 10/7/02
SPC 2002 Tornado Fatality Map
SPC Tornado Fatalities Statistics for 2002 (updated 10/3/02)
SPC Tornado/Storm Damage Reports for Fri. 9/20/02
Latest NWS IND Local Storm Report for Fri. 9/20/02
PM Indiana State Weather Summary from IND 9/20/02

IND Public Information Statement - ...Tornado damage investigated today... (9/21)
IND Public Information Statement - ...Tornado damage in Indiana is widespread and will be more closely investigated Saturday... (9/20)
PAH Public Information Statement - Summary of Posey County, Indiana Tornado, 9/20/02


9/20/02 IND/SPC WEATHER PRODUCT ISSUANCE TIMELINE BROUGHT TO YOU BY INTERWARN AND WEATHERWARN 2000:

2:23 PM TORNADO UPDATE - HANCOCK/MADISON COUNTIES
2:09 PM TORNADO UPDATE - MADISON/HANCOCK/MARION COUNTIES
2:05 PM TORNADO WARNING - SOUTHERN MADISON COUNTY
2:00 PM TORNADO UPDATE - MARION COUNTY
1:46 PM TORNADO WARNING - HANCOCK COUNTY
1:44 PM TORNADO UPDATE - MARION/JOHNSON COUNTIES
1:38 PM TORNADO UPDATE - MARION/NORTHERN JOHNSON COUNTIES
1:29 PM TORNADO UPDATE - MARION/NORTHERN JOHNSON/MORGAN COUNTIES
1:21 PM TORNADO WARNING - MARION/NORTHERN JOHNSON COUNTIES
1:12 PM TORNADO UPDATE - MORGAN COUNTY
1:03 PM TORNADO WARNING - MORGAN COUNTY
12:41 PM TORNADO WARNING - WESTERN MORGAN/NORTHEASTERN OWEN COUNTIES
12:38 PM TORNADO WARNING - NORTHWESTERN MONROE/EASTERN GREENE/SOUTHEASTERN OWEN COUNTIES
12:35 PM TORNADO WATCH - SPC TORNADO WATCH #695 - NORTHERN/CENTRAL INDIANA
12:34 PM TORNADO WATCH - COUNTY OUTLINE FOR #695
11:50 AM TORNADO WARNING - NORTH CENTRAL DAVIESS/WESTERN GREENE/EXTREME NORTHEASTERN KNOX COUNTIES
11:32 AM TORNADO WATCH - COUNTY OUTLINE FOR #693
11:30 AM TORNADO WATCH - SPC TORNADO WATCH #693 - SOUTHERN INDIANA
11:28 AM TORNADO WARNING - SOUTHERN KNOX COUNTY

LINKS



Back To Main Menu
© 2009 Weatherman's World!