Numerous strong to severe thunderstorms occurred in the warm sector of a low pressure system over central Missouri. The air mass in the warm sector was very unstable, with afternoon mixed-layer cape values in the 2500 to 4000 j/kg range.
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
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 episode as NWS PAH wrote it up.
Numerous strong to severe thunderstorms occurred in the warm sector of a low pressure system over central Missouri. The air mass in the warm sector was very unstable, with afternoon mixed-layer cape values in the 2500 to 4000 j/kg range. A 65 to 75 knot mid level jet was located across Arkansas, with the nose of the jet moving into western Kentucky. This feature enhanced the lift and strong deep-layer shear already in place, creating an environment very favorable for supercells and tornadoes. A 40 to 55 knot low level jet across eastern Arkansas moved into western Kentucky during the evening, resulting in isolated tornadoes and widespread damaging winds.
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 Paducah, KY wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 25, 12:36 PM CST, 6 hours 19 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
136 PM CDT WED MAY 25 2011
.DISCUSSION...
BIGGEST CHALLENGE WILL BE THE DETAILS ASSOCIATED WITH A
POTENTIALLY SIGNIFICANT SEVERE WEATHER OUTBREAK OVER THE NEXT 10-12
HOURS OR SO.
WILL KEEP THIS BRIEF WITH ONSET OF SEVERE WEATHER IMMINENT. STRONG
SFC AND UPPER LOW MOVING EASTWARD OUT OF THE PLAINS WILL PUSH A
COLD FRONT ACROSS OUR CWA THIS EVENING. IN THE MEANTIME...WITH
SFC TEMPS IN THE LOW 80S AND SFC DEWPOINTS NEAR 70...THE ATMOSPHERE
HAS BECOME VERY UNSTABLE ACROSS THE AREA. THIS COMBINED WITH
FAVORABLE DEEP LAYER SHEAR...JET DYNAMICS...AND HUGE AMOUNTS OF
CAPE AND HELICITY HAS SET THE STAGE FOR A WIDESPREAD OUTBREAK OF
SEVERE WEATHER INCLUDING LARGE LONG-TRACK TORNADOES...VERY LARGE
HAIL...AND INTENSE STRAIGHT LINE WINDS (DOWNBURSTS).
LATEST RADAR IMAGES ARE SHOWING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER
THE NORTHEAST SECTIONS OF OUR CWA...BUT THESE STORMS HAVE
REMAINED BELOW SEVERE LEVELS SO FAR. THE LACK OF CONVECTION
ELSEWHERE ACROSS OUR CWA CORRESPONDS WELL TO A POCKET OF 9-10C
WARM AIR IN THE MID LEVELS. THE THINKING IS THAT AS THE SEVERE
CONVECTION TO OUR WEST BEGINS TO MOVE INTO THE WESTERN SECTIONS
WITHIN THE NEXT COUPLE OF HOURS...THE CAP WILL BE BROKEN AND
THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT WILL BE VERY RAPID AND INTENSE.
MOST LIKELY SCENARIO WILL BE DISCREET SUPERCELLS THIS AFTERNOON
INTO THE EARLY EVENING HOURS...THEN A LINE (QLCS) OF THUNDERSTORMS
WITH EMBEDDED SUPERCELLS THROUGH THE REST OF THE EVENING. EACH
NEW MODEL RUN CONTINUES TO SPEED UP THE EASTWARD PROGRESS OF THIS
SYSTEM...SO THE LATEST THINKING IS THAT THE THREAT FOR SEVERE
WEATHER WILL CLEAR THE EASTERN SECTIONS OF OUR CWA SHORTLY AFTER
MIDNIGHT.
PRECIP CHANCES WILL LINGER INTO THURSDAY NIGHT ON THE BACK SIDE OF
THIS SYSTEM. AFTER A BRIEF RESPITE ON FRIDAY...THE COMBINATION OF
UPPER LEVEL ENERGY AND THE APPROACH OF A FRONTAL SYSTEM WILL BRING
PRECIP CHANCES TO THE HEARTLAND FRIDAY NIGHT INTO SATURDAY.
BEYOND SATURDAY AN UPPER RIDGE ESTABLISHES ITSELF OVER OUR AREA
THROUGH THE REST OF THE PERIOD...ESPECIALLY PER THE ECMWF. THE GFS
CRANKS OUT A BIT OF PRECIP NEXT WEDNESDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT AS
IT DROPS A FRONT INTO OUR AREA. THE ECMWF CONTINUES TO KEEP THE
RIDGE OVER OUR AREA WITH NO PRECIP SO FOR NOW WILL KEEP IT DRY.
&&
.AVIATION...
SEVERE STORMS WILL GRADUALLY INCREASE IN COVERAGE DURING THE
AFTERNOON...PEAKING WITH THE PASSAGE OF A COLD FRONT THIS EVENING.
HIGHEST CHANCES FOR CONVECTION AT EACH TAF SITE APPEAR TO BE LATE IN
THE AFTERNOON AND EARLY IN THE EVENING. HOWEVER...ISOLATED
SUPERCELLS COULD OCCUR AT ANY TIME. IN ADDITION TO LOCALLY DAMAGING
WINDS...LARGE HAIL AND TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE. THE CONVECTION WILL
END WITH THE PASSAGE OF THE FRONT LATE THIS EVENING. SOME LOW CLOUDS
WILL ARRIVE BY 12Z THURSDAY...WITH MVFR CIGS LIKELY DURING THE
MORNING.
&&
.PAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
KY...LAKE WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 8 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR BALLARD-
CALDWELL-CALLOWAY-CARLISLE-CHRISTIAN-CRITTENDEN-DAVIESS-
FULTON-GRAVES-HENDERSON-HICKMAN-HOPKINS-LIVINGSTON-LYON-
MARSHALL-MCCRACKEN-MCLEAN-MUHLENBERG-TODD-TRIGG-UNION KY-
WEBSTER.
MO...LAKE WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 8 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR BOLLINGER-
BUTLER-CAPE GIRARDEAU-CARTER-MISSISSIPPI-NEW MADRID-PERRY
MO-RIPLEY-SCOTT-STODDARD-WAYNE MO.
IL...LAKE WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 8 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR ALEXANDER-
EDWARDS-FRANKLIN-GALLATIN-HAMILTON-HARDIN-JACKSON-JEFFERSON-
JOHNSON-MASSAC-PERRY IL-POPE-PULASKI-SALINE-UNION IL-WABASH-
WAYNE IL-WHITE-WILLIAMSON.
IN...LAKE WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 8 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR GIBSON-PIKE-
POSEY-SPENCER-VANDERBURGH-WARRICK.
&&
MY/JAPHAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY 813 AM CDT WED MAY 25 2011 ILZ075>078-080>094-INZ081-082-085>088-KYZ001>022-MOZ076-086-087- 100-107>112-114-261315- JEFFERSON-WAYNE IL-EDWARDS-WABASH-PERRY IL-FRANKLIN-HAMILTON- WHITE-JACKSON-WILLIAMSON-SALINE-GALLATIN-UNION IL-JOHNSON-POPE- HARDIN-ALEXANDER-PULASKI-MASSAC-GIBSON-PIKE-POSEY-VANDERBURGH- WARRICK-SPENCER-FULTON-HICKMAN-CARLISLE-BALLARD-MCCRACKEN-GRAVES- LIVINGSTON-MARSHALL-CALLOWAY-CRITTENDEN-LYON-TRIGG-CALDWELL- UNION KY-WEBSTER-HOPKINS-CHRISTIAN-HENDERSON-DAVIESS-MCLEAN- MUHLENBERG-TODD-PERRY MO-BOLLINGER-CAPE GIRARDEAU-WAYNE MO-CARTER- RIPLEY-BUTLER-STODDARD-SCOTT-MISSISSIPPI-NEW MADRID- 813 AM CDT WED MAY 25 2011 ...AREA UPGRADED TO HIGH RISK... ...WIDESPREAD SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN ILLINOIS...SOUTHWEST INDIANA...WESTERN KENTUCKY AND SOUTHEAST MISSOURI. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THE ENTIRE QUAD STATE AREA IS IN A HIGH RISK OF SEVERE WEATHER TODAY AND TONIGHT. THIS IS A PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION...AS THE POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR A SIGNIFICANT AND WIDESPREAD SEVERE WEATHER EVENT ACROSS THE REGION. SOME LOCATIONS MAY EXPERIENCE 2 OR 3 SEPARATE ROUNDS OF SEVERE WEATHER THROUGH THIS EVENING. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP OVER SOUTHEAST MISSOURI AND SOUTHERN ILLINOIS...POSSIBLY AS EARLY AS THE LATE MORNING HOURS. VERY STRONG WIND FIELDS AND PLENTIFUL INSTABILITY WILL ALLOW THE STORMS TO QUICKLY BECOME SEVERE...WITH LARGE HAIL...STRONG TORNADOES...AND DAMAGING WINDS. THE STORMS WILL MOVE RAPIDLY NORTHEAST ACROSS THE QUAD STATE REGION THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. OTHER SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS MAY DEVELOP FARTHER EAST ACROSS THE AREA DURING THE AFTERNOON. FINALLY...A LINE OF SEVERE STORMS WITH AN INCREASING DAMAGING WIND THREAT WILL MOVE INTO WESTERN PORTIONS OF THE AREA AROUND 5 PM...AND THEN SWEEP THROUGH THE ENTIRE AREA THROUGH THE EVENING. TORNADOES...LARGE HAIL...AND HEAVY RAINFALL WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE WITH THIS LINE. THE SEVERE WEATHER THREAT SHOULD BE EAST OF THE ENTIRE AREA BY MIDNIGHT. OUTSIDE OF THUNDERSTORMS...STRONG SOUTH WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO GUST 25 TO 35 MPH THROUGH THE DAY AND INTO THE EARLY EVENING. CONSULT THE LAKE WIND ADVISORY FOR DETAILS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY A FEW THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE AS AN UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM MOVES EAST THROUGH THE REGION THURSDAY. ANY THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN BELOW SEVERE LIMITS. ANOTHER UPPER LEVEL STORM SYSTEM WILL SWEEP THROUGH THE AREA WITH A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS FRIDAY NIGHT. AT THIS TIME...SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL MOST LIKELY BE NEEDED THROUGHOUT THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. DRS/PS
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
743 PM CDT WED MAY 25 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0743 PM HAIL HICKMAN 36.56N 89.19W
05/25/2011 M1.00 INCH FULTON KY TRAINED SPOTTER
&&
SMITTYPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
744 PM CDT WED MAY 25 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0743 PM FUNNEL CLOUD BELLMONT 38.38N 87.91W
05/25/2011 WABASH IL TRAINED SPOTTER
&&
SMITTYPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
746 PM CDT WED MAY 25 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0745 PM HAIL 4 NW MOUNT CARMEL 38.46N 87.82W
05/25/2011 M0.88 INCH WABASH IL TRAINED SPOTTER
&&
SMITTYPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
747 PM CDT WED MAY 25 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0746 PM TSTM WND DMG ALBION 38.38N 88.06W
05/25/2011 EDWARDS IL TRAINED SPOTTER
TREES DOWN.
&&
SMITTYPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
748 PM CDT WED MAY 25 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0700 PM FUNNEL CLOUD BOYD 38.41N 89.01W
05/25/2011 JEFFERSON IL TRAINED SPOTTER
LATE REPORT. FUNNEL CLOUD CROSSED INTERSTATE 57 AND WINDS
DESTORYED A LOCAL SAW MILL.
&&
SMITTYPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
753 PM CDT WED MAY 25 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0700 PM TSTM WND DMG 8 E VIENNA 37.41N 88.75W
05/25/2011 JOHNSON IL TRAINED SPOTTER
LATE REPORT...DESTORYED SHED WITH MULTIPLE TREES DOWN
WITH SOME UPROOTED AND SNAPPED. EVENT OCCURRED IN THE
COMMUNITY OF GRANTSBURG ILLINOIS.
&&
SMITTYThe Evansville,IN radar (KVWX), 40 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:55 UTC.
7 thunderstorm wind, 6 tornado, 4 funnel cloud. Local standard time, as filed.
Trees were blown down. Wind gusts were measured to 91 mph.
Wind gusts were estimated from 60 to 70 mph by a trained spotter.
The tornado started north of St. Wendell, where trees were damaged along with a machine shed. As it moved across Highway 65, high-tension power lines were taken down. Peak winds were estimated near 125 mph. The tornado continued moving northeast into Vanderburgh County.
The tornado entered Vanderburgh County from Posey County and remained in Vanderburgh County for just a short time. Structures were destroyed at a small airfield. The tornado crossed Interstate 64 north of Nisbet into Gibson County. Peak winds were estimated near 125 mph. The average path width was 100 yards.
The tornado crossed into Gibson County from Vanderburgh County near Interstate 64. At a farm north of Interstate 64, a house was severely damaged and four barns were destroyed. In Haubstadt, power poles were snapped off at the base. Peak winds were estimated near 125 mph. The average path width was 100 yards.
Widespread damage to trees and power lines occurred in Evansville and surrounding suburbs. Power poles were down. Much of the west side of the metro area was without power. A wind gust to 75 mph was measured by the automated observing system at the Evansville airport.
Several large trees were uprooted, and dozens of large tree limbs were down throughout town. Some shingles were blown off the fire station. A large tree fell on a garage.
A large tree fell on a home, injuring one person. Multiple large trees were down on the south side of town.
Thousands of large trees were snapped or uprooted on mine reclamation land north of County Road 900. Peak winds were estimated near 120 mph.
Several dozen trees were uprooted or snapped. Peak winds were estimated near 95 mph. The average path width was 40 yards.
Several dozen trees were uprooted or snapped. Some trees had trunks of two feet in diameter. Peak winds were estimated near 95 mph. The average path width was 35 yards.
Trees and power lines were blown down in Rockport. Roofs were damaged in Grandview, and fire station doors were damaged.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Indiana in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Indiana, 2011Warnings in Indiana, May 2011
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: 301487, 301453, 303556, 301484, 307055, 307056, 307057, 301477, 307112, 301454, 301481, 301473, 301474, 301476, 301455, 301456, 301489.