A thunderstorm squall line produced two small, brief tornadoes Wednesday evening near Terre Haute. The first touchdown occurred near 815 PM EDT along East Curry Road near Hultz Road about 5 miles south of Terre Haute.
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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 IND wrote it up.
A thunderstorm squall line produced two small, brief tornadoes Wednesday evening near Terre Haute. The first touchdown occurred near 815 PM EDT along East Curry Road near Hultz Road about 5 miles south of Terre Haute. The tornado was observed by a storm spotter and caused damage to several trees. The tornado was rated an EF0 with winds around 80 mph. A second tornado from the same storm occurred near 825 PM EDT in Riley, about 5 miles southeast of Terre Haute. This tornado was observed by Riley volunteer fireman in a field just west of their fire station. The second tornado destroyed a small shed and downed several tree limbs. This tornado was rated an EF0 with associated winds also around 80 mph.
A cluster of showers and thunderstorms also produced a singular wind damage and hail report from central Indiana.
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 May 9, 6:00 PM EST, 1 hour 10 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN 700 PM EDT THU MAY 9 2013 .UPDATE... THE AVIATION SECTION HAS BEEN UPDATED BELOW && .SYNOPSIS... ISSUED AT 246 PM EDT THU MAY 9 2013 A SURFACE LOW FROM SOUTHWEST OF ILLINOIS MERGES WITH A COLD FRONT FROM THE UPPER MIDWEST. AS A RESULT...PERIODS OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL DOMINATE THE FORECAST THROUGH SATURDAY. THAT IS WHEN A STRONGER...BUT DRY COLD FRONT IS PROGGED TO SWEEP ACROSS CENTRAL INDIANA. IN ITS WAKE...COOLER AND DRY WEATHER WILL PERSIST INTO THE BEGINNING OF NEXT WEEK. ANOTHER SYSTEM WILL APPROACH THE REGION LATE NEXT WORK WEEK. && .NEAR TERM /LATE THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH TONIGHT/... ISSUED AT 246 PM EDT THU MAY 9 2013 SPC CONTINUES TO KEEP MOST OF CENTRAL INDIANA UNDER A SLIGHT RISK FOR SEVERE WEATHER THROUGH THE REST OF THE DAY ONE OUTLOOK. 850MB JET HAS WEAKENED SIGNIFICANTLY FROM PREVIOUS MODELS RUNS...THEREFORE LIMITING THE LIFT WITH THE COLD FRONT AFTER 00Z. ALSO THE WEAK SCATTERED ACTIVITY WE ARE HAVING THIS AFTERNOON IN THE WARM SECTOR COULD INHIBIT DEVELOPMENT LATER THIS EVENING. DECENT SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW ALLOWED TEMPS TO WARM INTO THE UPPER 70S EARLIER THIS AFTERNOON...HOWEVER THESE ARE ALREADY FALLING THANKS TO CLOUDS AND PRECIPITATION. BEST CHANCES FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS STILL APPEARS TO BE LATER THIS EVENING WITH COLD FRONTAL PASSAGE AND HAVE CONTINUED THE LIKELY POPS ALREADY IN PLACE DURING THIS TIME. SEVERE THREAT MAY BE SOMEWHAT DIMINISHED BASED ON RECENT TRENDS...HOWEVER SMALL HAIL AND SOME DAMAGING WINDS AND VERY HEAVY RAINFALL WITH ANY OF THE THUNDERSTORMS IS STILL POSSIBLE. LOWS TONIGHT AROUND 60. && .SHORT TERM /FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/... ISSUED AT 246 PM EDT THU MAY 9 2013 AFOREMENTIONED COLD FRONT WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE SOUTHEAST ACROSS CENTRAL INDIANA EARLY TOMORROW. INSTABILITY WILL START TO WANE OVER THE NORTHWEST PORTIONS OF THE FORECAST AREA THROUGH THE COURSE OF THE DAY ON FRIDAY. AS A RESULT...SPC SHIFTED THE SLIGHT RISK FOR SEVERE WEATHER THREAT TO WELL EAST OF THE THE IND CWA. THEREFORE...SLOWLY TRENDED THUNDERSTORMS OUT OF FORECAST FROM NORTHWEST TO SOUTHEAST...KEEPING THE BEST CHANCES FOR CONVECTION ALONG AND AHEAD OF THE FRONT. THERE WILL BE A BRIEF LULL IN ACTIVITY SATURDAY MORNING. A SECONDARY (MUCH DRIER) COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH SATURDAY AFTERNOON...TRIGGERING ADDITIONAL RAIN SHOWERS. HOWEVER...MOISTURE STILL APPEARS LIMITED...SO ANY SHOWERS THAT DO DEVELOP WILL BE LIGHT AND SHORT-LIVED. WENT WITH 20-30% POPS SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND THEN A DRY FORECAST BY SATURDAY NIGHT...AND ACTUALLY FOR THE REST OF THE WEEKEND. DRY COOL WEATHER TO FINISH UP THE WEEKEND IN THE WAKE OF THE FRONTAL PASSAGE ON SATURDAY. STRONG CANADIAN HIGH PRESSURE AND A BROAD UPPER TROUGH WILL BRING MUCH COOLER AIR SOUTH INTO THE OHIO VALLEY SUNDAY. HIGH TEMPS WILL LIKELY REMAIN IN THE 50S TO NEAR 60 ON SUNDAY WITH STRONG COLD ADVECTION AND GUSTY NORTHWEST WINDS. && .LONG TERM /SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY/... ISSUED AT 224 PM EDT THU MAY 9 2013 AFTER A BIT OF A MORE ACTIVE PERIOD...THE LONG TERM PERIOD IS LIKELY TO BE CHARACTERIZED BY THE BOTTOMING OUT OF THE WEEKEND COOL DOWN...FOLLOWED BY A STEADY WARMUP THROUGH NEXT WEEK AFTER A COOL WEEKEND. ALLBLEND INITIALIZATION HANDLED THINGS FAIRLY WELL. SHOULD SEE VERY TRANQUIL WEATHER EARLY IN THE WEEK AS A BROAD AREA OF HIGH PRESSURE SLIDES ACROSS THE REGION. LATE IN THE PERIOD...A BOUNDARY WILL SLOWLY DROP THROUGH THE AREA AND PROVIDE THUNDERSTORM CHANCES THROUGHOUT THE LATTER HALF OF THE WEEKEND. && .AVIATION /DISCUSSION FOR THE 100000Z TAFS/... ISSUED AT 650 PM EDT THU MAY 9 2013 UNSETTLED WEATHER PATTERN EXPECTED DURING THIS TAF PERIOD WITH SEVERAL PERIOD OF MVFR TO IFR CONDITIONS POSSIBLE. RADAR TRENDS SHOW CONVECTION OVER SOUTHERN ILLINOIS POISED TO PUSH INTO CENTRAL INDIANA DURING THE FIRST THREE HOURS OF THE TAF PERIOD. THE STORMS SHOULD NOT GROW IN INTENSITY AS THE ATMOSPHERE SHOULD BE MORE STABLE DUE TO THE EARLIER ROUND OF RAIN AND LOSS OF DAYTIME HEATING. STILL A ROUND OF TSRA WILL EFFECT THE HUF AND BMG SITES...AS WELL AS POSSIBLE IND. MVFR VISIBILITIES AND CIGS ARE LIKELY WITH ANY STORM. HIGH DEWPOINTS ACRE EXPECTED TO REMAIN ACROSS THE AREA TONIGHT LEADING TO LOW DEW POINT DEPRESSIONS. GIVEN THE RECENT RAINS THIS WILL RESULT IN SOME PATCHY FOG OVERNIGHT...PARTICULARLY AT HUF...LAF AND BMG. AFTER MORNING FOG BURNS OFF...YET ANOTHER TROUGH IS EXPECTED TO PUSH ACROSS CENTRAL INDIANA. FORECAST SOUNDINGS THEN ONCE AGAIN POINT TO STEEP LAPSE RATES AND FAVORABLE CONDITIONS FOR CONVECTION. THUS WILL PAIN YET ANOTHER WINDOW OF VCTS DURING FRIDAY AFTERNOON. && .IND WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && SYNOPSIS...SMF NEAR TERM...SMF SHORT TERM...SMF LONG TERM....NIELD AVIATION...JP
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN 553 PM EDT THU MAY 9 2013 INZ043-044-051-060-067-101000- VERMILLION-PARKE-VIGO-SULLIVAN-KNOX- 553 PM EDT THU MAY 9 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL INDIANA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. OUTLOOK: RIVER FLOODING. STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. HAZARDS: RIVER FLOODING...WITH SOME LOCAL ROADS CLOSED DUE TO FLOODING. DAMAGING WINDS...LARGE HAIL...FREQUENT LIGHTNING...AND HEAVY DOWNPOURS. TIMING: FLOODING ONGOING. THUNDERSTORMS TONIGHT. THE BEST CHANCES FOR SEVERE STORMS THROUGH ABOUT 900 PM EDT. DISCUSSION: RIVER FLOODING CONTINUES IN SOME LOCATIONS. SOME ROADS ARE FLOODED AND CLOSED. PLEASE SEE THE LATEST HYDROLOGIC STATEMENTS FOR MORE INFORMATION ON RIVER FLOODING. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TONIGHT IN THE WARM SECTOR OF A SURFACE LOW. SOME OF THE STORMS COULD BECOME SEVERE AT TIMES EARLY THIS EVENING WITH DAMAGING WINDS...LARGE HAIL...FREQUENT LIGHTNING...AND HEAVY DOWNPOURS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. OUTLOOK: THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY IS POSSIBLE AT TIMES FRIDAY AND FRIDAY NIGHT. PRESENT INDICATIONS ARE THAT A FEW STORMS MAY BE STRONG WITH CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING...GUSTY WINDS...SMALL HAIL...AND BRIEF DOWNPOURS. RIVER FLOODING WILL BE ONGOING IN SOME LOCATIONS THIS WEEK. PLEASE SEE THE LATEST HYDROLOGIC STATEMENTS FOR MORE INFORMATION ON RIVER FLOODING. DISCUSSION: A COLD FRONT WILL PASS ACROSS CENTRAL INDIANA ON FRIDAY AND FRIDAY NIGHT TRIGGERING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ALONG AND AHEAD OF IT. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS POSSIBLE THROUGH ABOUT 900 PM EDT TONIGHT. && MORE INFORMATION...ALONG WITH OTHER WEATHER...HYDROLOGICAL AND CLIMATE INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND...AT HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/IND (ALL LOWERCASE) INZ021-028>031-035>042-045>049-052>057-061>065-068>072-101000- CARROLL-WARREN-TIPPECANOE-CLINTON-HOWARD-FOUNTAIN-MONTGOMERY- BOONE-TIPTON-HAMILTON-MADISON-DELAWARE-RANDOLPH-PUTNAM-HENDRICKS- MARION-HANCOCK-HENRY-CLAY-OWEN-MORGAN-JOHNSON-SHELBY-RUSH-GREENE- MONROE-BROWN-BARTHOLOMEW-DECATUR-DAVIESS-MARTIN-LAWRENCE-JACKSON- JENNINGS- 553 PM EDT THU MAY 9 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL INDIANA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. OUTLOOK: STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. HAZARDS: DAMAGING WINDS...LARGE HAIL...FREQUENT LIGHTNING... HEAVY DOWNPOURS. TIMING: THUNDERSTORMS TONIGHT. THE BEST CHANCES FOR SEVERE STORMS THROUGH ABOUT 900 PM EDT. DISCUSSION: SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TONIGHT IN THE WARM SECTOR OF A SURFACE LOW. SOME OF THE STORMS COULD BECOME SEVERE AT TIMES EARLY THIS EVENING WITH DAMAGING WINDS...LARGE HAIL...FREQUENT LIGHTNING...AND HEAVY DOWNPOURS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. OUTLOOK: THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY IS POSSIBLE AT TIMES FRIDAY AND FRIDAY NIGHT. PRESENT INDICATIONS ARE THAT A FEW STORMS MAY BE STRONG WITH CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING...GUSTY WINDS...SMALL HAIL...AND BRIEF DOWNPOURS. DISCUSSION: A COLD FRONT WILL PASS ACROSS CENTRAL INDIANA ON FRIDAY AND FRIDAY NIGHT TRIGGERING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ALONG AND AHEAD OF IT. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS POSSIBLE THROUGH ABOUT 900 PM EDT TONIGHT. && MORE INFORMATION...ALONG WITH OTHER WEATHER...HYDROLOGICAL AND CLIMATE INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND...AT HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/IND (ALL LOWERCASE)
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN
736 PM EDT THU MAY 9 2013
INZ043-044-051-052-060-061-100015-
CLAY-GREENE-PARKE-SULLIVAN-VERMILLION-VIGO-
736 PM EDT THU MAY 9 2013
...STRONG THUNDERSTORM ADVISORY FOR CLAY...WESTERN GREENE...PARKE...
SULLIVAN...SOUTHERN VERMILLION AND VIGO COUNTIES UNTIL 815 PM EDT...
AT 736 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A
STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR WEST UNION...OR 11 MILES SOUTH OF
MARSHALL...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.
HAIL UP TO ONE-HALF INCH IN DIAMETER AND WIND GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH ARE
EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM...ALONG WITH HEAVY RAIN.
LOCATIONS NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE...
TERRE HAUTE...
SULLIVAN...
LINTON...
BRAZIL...
CLINTON...
ROCKVILLE...
CARLISLE...
PAXTON...
SHELBURN...
PLEASANTVILLE...
PRAIRIETON...
FARMERSBURG...
DUGGER...
PIMENTO...
HYMERA...
WEST TERRE HAUTE...
VICKSBURG...
COALMONT...
INDIANA STATE UNIVERSITY...
RILEY...
TORRENTIAL RAIN...WHICH MAY FLOOD LOW LYING AREAS SUCH AS DITCHES AND
UNDERPASSES...IS ALSO LIKELY. DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE ON A FLOODED
ROADWAY.
&&
LAT...LON 3995 8709 3987 8709 3986 8707 3985 8701
3949 8702 3932 8706 3917 8705 3891 8724
3890 8751 3974 8754
TIME...MOT...LOC 2336Z 243DEG 28KT 3924 8768
PUMAThe Indianapolis radar (KIND), 102 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:09 UTC.
2 thunderstorm wind, 2 tornado, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Trees were reported down near the intersection of US Highway 41 and Carlisle Street due to damaging thunderstorm wind gusts.
The tornado touchdown occurred along East Curry Road near Hultz Road, about five miles south of Terre Haute. The tornado was observed by a storm spotter and caused damage to several trees. It was rated an EF-0 with associated winds around 80 mph.
The Riley Fire Department reported a tornado traveling northwest through a field, west of the town of Riley. This tornado leveled a storage shed and downed several tree limbs at a residence off of East Gross Road, near State Road 159. This tornado was rated an EF-0 with associated winds around 80 mph.
A tree was reported down on Smith Street in Columbus due to damaging thunderstorm wind gusts. Tree limbs were elsewhere in the county.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Indiana in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Indiana, 2013Warnings in Indiana, May 2013
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: 444097, 457119, 457052, 444105, 444108.