Tornado and Damaging Wind in Indiana, August 17, 1997

Name: Tornado and Damaging Wind in Indiana, August 17, 1997
Start: 1997-08-17T12:45
End: 1997-08-17T18:00
Location: Indiana

August 17, 1997 · NWS ILN · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

1 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $95,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 2

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

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Event by event

1 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Ripley

When: August 17, 12:45 PM EST to 1:00 PM EST
Where: Ripley County, Versailles
Measured: 60 kt (69 mph)
Property damage: $75,000
Coordinates: 39.070, -85.250

Numerous trees were downed, many of which fell across power lines and one of which fell across a vehicle. A barn was damaged and a dozen campers and mobile homes suffered significant damage with two being destroyed.

Tornado, Dearborn

When: August 17, 5:55 PM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where: Dearborn County, Mt Sinai
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.5 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Property damage: $20,000
Coordinates: 39.080, -85.000

A tornado made a brief touchdown and downed numerous trees.

What these are

Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
Tornado: A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Indiana in 1997 Every state in 1997 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Indiana, 1997 Warnings in Indiana, August 1997

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5612242, 5612243.