Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Indiana, March 8, 2009

Name: Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Indiana, March 8, 2009
Start: 2009-03-08T13:43
End: 2009-03-08T15:40
Location: Indiana

March 8, 2009 · NWS IND · 17 events in 8 counties and zones

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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 2
Property damage: $492,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 17

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS IND wrote it up.

By late morning a warm front stretched approximately from low pressure over northeast Missouri through central Illinois to between Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, Indiana while the cold front trailed from the low into Oklahoma. At 1040 EST tornado watch number 49 was issued for much of western Indiana, much of Illinois, and locations south, effective until 1600 EST. National Weather Service radar showed scattered storms in the watch area in Indiana, better organized storms firing up over eastern Iowa and western Illinois, and an area of rain north of the warm front.

At 1400 EST radar showed a broken line of storms with isolated supercells and line segments extending from northern Indiana south-southwestward through southern Indiana into western Kentucky with an eastward movement at 40-45 knots along central and northern portions of the line. The thermodynamic environment was marginally unstable but becoming more unstable with time. Supporting factors for severe weather were: large-scale atmospheric ascent, forcing associated with an ejecting short wave trough, significant shear, and increasing sunshine along and behind the warm front as it lifted north.

At 1343 EST the first severe weather report occurred with a measured thunderstorm wind gust of 91 MPH in Vincennes in Knox county. An additional tornado watch, watch number 50, was issued at 1355 EST to cover the rest of Indiana east of watch number 49. At this point 90+ knot mid-level winds and 55+ knot 850 millibar winds were across the region. Portions of the watches were canceled starting shortly before 1600 EST.

By the end of the severe weather episode an EF3 tornado had touched down in Lawrence County just west of Bedford. Portions of Daviess county experienced wind gusts of 80 to 90 MPH, while Tippecanoe, Clinton and Howard Counties had gusts from 60 to 70 mph. Significant damage occurred to several homes and farms in Lawrence County.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Indianapolis, IN wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 8, 1:25 PM EST, 18 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 8, 1:25 PM EST, 18 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN
225 PM EDT SUN MAR 8 2009

.DISCUSSION...PROGRESSIVE AND UNSETTLED PATTERN XPCTD FOR THE NEXT
SEVERAL DAYS AS LONG WV TROF CURRENTLY OVR THE W CST MOVES INTO THE
MIDDLE OF THE COUNTRY BY THE MIDDLE OF THE WEEK. INTITAL UPPR SYS
CURRENTLY OVR ERN IA/NW IL...XPCTD TO MOV NEWD ACRS THE GRTLKS
TONIGHT...WHILE THE NEXT IMPULSE MOVES INTO THE AREA ARND TUES.
MODELS IN GENERAL AGREEMENT ON THE MAIN DETAILS. FCST FOCUS CENTERS
ON WNDS TONIGHT AND POPS.

IN THE NR TERM...CDFNT PROGRESSING EWD ACRS IL WITH SCT LN OF
CONVECTION JUST AHEAD OF IT. MODELS PROG CDFNT TO THE ERN BORDER ARND
00Z/MON. SVR THREAT WL CONTINUE AHEAD OF CDFNT...WITH WT49 IN EFFECT
FOR THE WRN AREAS TIL 21Z. PCPN THREAT SHOULD END WITH FROPA. WL
LEAVE SOME CHC POPS OVR THE FAR ERN/SERN ZONES FOR AN HR OR TWO PAST
00Z TO COVER ANY LINGERING PCPN. APPEARS SOME 40-45KT GUSTS ARE
LIKELY IN THE DRY SLOT BEHIND FROPA LTR THIS AFT...SO PLANNING ON
ADJUSTING WND ADVISORY TO COVER XPCTD GUSTS LTR THIS AFT. COULD BE A
FEW HRS OF CLRG UNDERNEATH DRY SLOT BEFORE LWR CLDS FILL BACK IN.

IN THR LTR PDS...MON XPCTD TO BE DRY WITH SFC HI PRES RDG SETTLING
INTO THE AREA. BY LT MON NIGHT...STG LLJ NOSES BACK INTO THE AREA
WHICH SHOULD AID IN PCPN DVLPMT AGAIN. WL GO WITH LIKELY POPS FOR LT
MON NIGHT AND TUES.

LO LVL THICKNESSES SUGGEST THE GFS MOS HIGHS FOR MON MAY BE ABOUT 5
DEGS TOO COOL...OTRW GUIDANCE LOOKS OK FOR NOW.

THE EXTENDED LOOKS DRY AND COOLER AS COOL CANADIAN HIGH PRES BUILDS
IN. MADE LITTLE CHANGES THERE.

&&

.AVIATION...DISCUSSION FOR 18Z TAFS
AWIPS DISTANCE SPEED TOOL IS ESTIMATING ETA OF WRN IL SQUALL LINE TO
LAF AND HUF AROUND 19Z AND IND AND BMG AROUND 21Z. SO...WL JUST PUT
TRWS IN THE MAIN GROUP FOR A COUPLE OF HOURS. TRENDS HAVE BEEN FOR
MVFR CIGS AND IFR VSBYS WITHIN THE STORM ACTIVITY. AFTER
THAT...EXPECT AREAS OF MVFR CIGS THROUGH AT LEAST 06Z MON PER MODEL
TIME SECS...SATELLITE TRENDS AND SFC OBS. BUFKIT AND MODEL TIME SECS
ALONG WITH UPSTREAM OBS FAVOR SW WINDS GUSTING TO OVER 30 KTS. WINDS
TO SHIFT TO THE NW AT FROPA WHICH SOULD BE AROUND 01Z AT LAF AND HUF
AND 03Z AT IND AND BMG. THE GUSTS SHOULD END IN THE EARLY OVERNIGHT
AND HIGH PRES BUILDS IN.

&&

.IND WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WIND ADVISORY FROM 4 PM THIS EVENING TO MIDNIGHT TONIGHT FOR
INZ021-028>031-035>049-051>057-060>065-067>072.

&&

PUBLIC...JAS
AVIATION...MK

Hazardous weather outlook, Mar 8, 8:24 AM EST, 5 hours 19 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN
924 AM EDT SUN MAR 8 2009

INZ021-030-031-036>042-044>049-052>057-061>065-068>072-091100-
CARROLL-CLINTON-HOWARD-MONTGOMERY-BOONE-TIPTON-HAMILTON-MADISON-
DELAWARE-RANDOLPH-PARKE-PUTNAM-HENDRICKS-MARION-HANCOCK-HENRY-
CLAY-OWEN-MORGAN-JOHNSON-SHELBY-RUSH-GREENE-MONROE-BROWN-
BARTHOLOMEW-DECATUR-DAVIESS-MARTIN-LAWRENCE-JACKSON-JENNINGS-
924 AM EDT SUN MAR 8 2009

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL INDIANA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT.

THERE IS A MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE STORMS FROM MIDDAY INTO THIS
EVENING. THE PRIMARY THREAT FROM THE STRONGEST STORMS WILL BE
ISOLATED DAMAGING WIND GUSTS TO 65 MPH. LARGE HAIL TO ONE INCH IN
DIAMETER IS ALSO POSSIBLE. GIVEN THE STRONG AND SHEARED
ATMOSPHERIC WINDS...AN ISOLATED TORNADO CANNOT BE RULED OUT.

THERE IS ALSO A RISK OF FLOODING...ESPECIALLY THIS MORNING...ALONG
AND NORTHWEST OF A FRANKFORT TO KOKOMO LINE FROM PERSISTENT HEAVY
RAINFALL.

STRONG WEST WINDS WILL FOLLOW THE STORMS AS A SHARP COLD FRONT
SWEEPS EAST THROUGH INDIANA. WEST WINDS OF 20 TO 30 MPH WITH BRIEF
GUSTS OF 45 TO 50 MPH CAN BE EXPECTED THIS EVENING INTO TONIGHT.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY.

THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE TUESDAY. PRESENT INDICATIONS ARE THAT
SOME OF THE STORMS MAY BE STRONG TO SEVERE.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS LIKELY MIDDAY INTO THIS AFTERNOON.

&&

MORE INFORMATION...ALONG WITH OTHER WEATHER...HYDROLOGICAL AND
CLIMATE INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND...AT HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/IND (ALL
LOWERCASE)

INZ028-029-035-043-051-060-067-091100-
WARREN-TIPPECANOE-FOUNTAIN-VERMILLION-VIGO-SULLIVAN-KNOX-
924 AM EDT SUN MAR 8 2009

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL INDIANA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT.

THERE IS A MODERATE RISK OF SEVERE STORMS FROM MIDDAY INTO MID
AFTERNOON. THE PRIMARY THREAT FROM THE STRONGEST STORMS WILL BE
ISOLATED DAMAGING WIND GUSTS TO 65 MPH. LARGE HAIL TO ONE INCH IN
DIAMETER IS ALSO POSSIBLE. GIVEN THE STRONG AND SHEARED
ATMOSPHERIC WINDS...AN ISOLATED TORNADO CANNOT BE RULED OUT.

THERE IS ALSO A RISK OF FLOODING...ESPECIALLY THIS MORNING...ALONG
AND NORTHWEST OF A FRANKFORT TO KOKOMO LINE FROM PERSISTENT HEAVY
RAINFALL.

STRONG WEST WIDENS WILL FOLLOW THE STORMS AS A SHARP COLD FRONT
SWEEPS EAST THROUGH INDIANA. WEST WINDS OF 20 TO 30 MPH WITH BRIEF
GUSTS OF 45 TO 50 MPH CAN BE EXPECTED THIS EVENING INTO TONIGHT.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY.

THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE TUESDAY. PRESENT INDICATIONS ARE THAT
SOME OF THE STORMS MAY BE STRONG TO SEVERE.

FLOODING IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ALONG THE WABASH RIVER AFTER
TUESDAY. SEE THE LATEST HYDROLOGIC STATEMENT FOR ADDITIONAL
DETAILS.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS LIKELY MIDDAY INTO THIS AFTERNOON.

&&

MORE INFORMATION...ALONG WITH OTHER WEATHER...HYDROLOGICAL AND
CLIMATE INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND...AT HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/IND (ALL
LOWERCASE)

MK/JS/AB/CS/MURPHY

The radar

The Evansville,IN radar (KVWX), 49 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:43 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

12 thunderstorm wind, 3 tornado, 2 funnel cloud. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Knox

When: March 8, 1:43 PM EST
Where: Knox County, Vincennes Oneal Arpt
Measured: 79 kt (91 mph) measured gust
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 38.680, -87.550

Automated equipment recorded a thunderstorm wind gust of 91 MPH.

Tornado, Knox

When: March 8, 1:48 PM EST to 1:49 PM EST
Where: Knox County, 3.51 mi W of Emison to 3.38 mi W of Emison
Rating: EF0
Path length: 0.2 mi
Path width: 75 yd
Reported by: NWS Storm Survey
Coordinates: 38.804, -87.515

This tornado crossed over into Knox County from Lawrence County, IL. Information shown here reflects only the time the tornado was in Knox County. The affected area in Indiana was very short and remote with no known residences or other man-made structures. Tree damage was noted.

Thunderstorm Wind, Knox

When: March 8, 2:00 PM EST
Where: Knox County, 0.47 mi SW of Freelandville
Measured: 60 kt (69 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Broadcast Media
Coordinates: 38.865, -87.306

State Road 58 was blocked by debris blown onto the road by thunderstorm winds in Freelandville. Exact location or details about the debris are unknown.

Thunderstorm Wind, Knox

When: March 8, 2:00 PM EST
Where: Knox County, 1.48 mi SSW of Freelandville
Measured: 75 kt (86 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Broadcast Media
Coordinates: 38.850, -87.310

Grain bins were blown down and a farmhouse was heavily damaged. The time of the event is estimated.

Funnel Cloud, Martin

When: March 8, 2:12 PM EST to 2:13 PM EST
Where: Martin County, 0.88 mi NW of Bramble
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 38.790, -86.910

A funnel cloud was observed to the west from this location.

Funnel Cloud, Daviess

When: March 8, 2:13 PM EST to 2:14 PM EST
Where: Daviess County, 0.69 mi N of Elnora
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 38.880, -87.080

Thunderstorm Wind, Daviess

When: March 8, 2:20 PM EST
Where: Daviess County, 1.28 mi ENE of Raglesville
Measured: 72 kt (83 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Broadcast Media
Coordinates: 38.810, -86.950

A measured thunderstorm wind gust of 83 MPH and a lot of debris in the air was reported 3 miles southeast of Odon, IN.

Tornado, Lawrence

When: March 8, 2:37 PM EST to 2:39 PM EST
Where: Lawrence County, 1.98 mi SW of Fayetteville to 1.26 mi SSW of Fayetteville
Rating: EF3
Path length: 1.06 mi
Path width: 1,408 yd
Injuries: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $420,000
Reported by: NWS Storm Survey
Coordinates: 38.850, -86.606

This brief but powerful tornado had a steady track to the east-northeast, creating damage consistent of an EF3 strength tornado. A rating of EF3 corresponds with winds of 136 to 165 MPH. The maximum width of the tornado was approximately 1/8 mile. It completely destroyed the above ground portions of two homes, seriously damaged a trailer home, and created lesser damage to two other homes. It picked a full size school bus up, turned it around and onto its side, and moved it uphill onto the foundation of what had been an occupied home. The damage estimate is very rough.

Tornado, Lawrence

When: March 8, 2:45 PM EST to 2:46 PM EST
Where: Lawrence County, 0.87 mi NNW of Bedford to 1.03 mi NNW of Bedford
Rating: EF0
Path length: 0.17 mi
Path width: 50 yd
Property damage: $45,000
Reported by: NWS Storm Survey
Coordinates: 38.882, -86.485

A tornado, rated EF0, caused very brief damage along North Jackson Street in Lawrence County. Damage was mainly limited to a construction trailer, a metal corrugated garage rooftop, removal of roof tiles from a couple homes, and broken tree branches. The damage estimate is very rough.

Thunderstorm Wind, Lawrence

When: March 8, 2:50 PM EST
Where: Lawrence County, 0.21 mi W of Holtonville
Measured: 70 kt (81 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Broadcast Media
Coordinates: 38.930, -86.374

Damage of unspecified nature and extent was reported by a television station helicopter crew over Heltonville, IN. The event time is estimated.

Thunderstorm Wind, Tippecanoe

When: March 8, 2:54 PM EST
Where: Tippecanoe County, Lafayette
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 40.420, -86.870

Thunderstorm Wind, Tippecanoe

When: March 8, 2:55 PM EST
Where: Tippecanoe County, 0.69 mi S of Lafayette
Measured: 60 kt (69 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 40.410, -86.870

Trees were blown down by thunderstorm winds.

Thunderstorm Wind, Tippecanoe

When: March 8, 3:00 PM EST
Where: Tippecanoe County, Dayton
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Injuries: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $12,000
Reported by: Broadcast Media
Coordinates: 40.380, -86.770

A semi-trailer was blown off Interstate 65 by thunderstorm winds. The driver was traveling north on I-65 about 10 miles north of Frankfort when the wind forced his empty vehicle off the road, tearing the roof open. The driver sustained minor injuries.

Thunderstorm Wind, Tippecanoe

When: March 8, 3:06 PM EST
Where: Tippecanoe County, 3.5 mi ENE of Clarks Hill
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Department of Highways
Coordinates: 40.263, -86.656

A 52-knot gust of wind from a thunderstorm was measured by a highway mesonet site.

Thunderstorm Wind, Carroll

When: March 8, 3:15 PM EST
Where: Carroll County, Flora
Measured: 70 kt (81 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $15,000
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 40.550, -86.520

Thunderstorm winds blew the roof off of a building and downed trees and utility lines. Estimated damage cost is very rough.

Thunderstorm Wind, Clinton

When: March 8, 3:15 PM EST
Where: Clinton County, Rossville
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 40.420, -86.580

Thunderstorm winds blew down utility lines.

Thunderstorm Wind, Howard

When: March 8, 3:40 PM EST
Where: Howard County, Indian Hgts
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Amateur Radio
Coordinates: 40.430, -86.130

Thunderstorm winds blew a tree down.

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.
Funnel Cloud: A rotating column of cloud extending from a thunderstorm that did not reach the ground.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Indiana in 2009 Every state in 2009 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Indiana, 2009 Warnings in Indiana, March 2009

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: 157426, 157540, 157422, 157425, 157405, 157419, 157427, 157571, 161809, 157423, 157428, 157420, 157424, 157431, 157421, 157429, 157432.