After a string of record breaking warm February days, a potent cold front marched through southern Indiana during the late afternoon and evening hours February 24. An isolated severe thunderstorms developed which produced damaging winds.
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 LMK wrote it up.
After a string of record breaking warm February days, a potent cold front marched through southern Indiana during the late afternoon and evening hours February 24. An isolated severe thunderstorms developed which produced 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 Louisville, KY wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 24, 5:58 PM EST, 19 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Louisville KY 558 PM EST Fri Feb 24 2017 ...Updated Aviation Discussion... .Short Term (Now through Saturday Night)... Issued at 320 PM EST Fri Feb 24 2017 ...Severe Storms Possible This Evening... Main challenge is timing and impact of strong/severe storms this evening. 997mb surface low over southern Lake Michigan continues to draw strong southerly flow into the Ohio Valley, with record February warmth and wind gusts up to 35-40 mph. Strong cap in place over Kentucky, with model soundings suggesting 800mb temps near +10C. Thin line of storms over Indiana extending from near Muncie to Evansville is currently most notable for producing quite a bit of lightning. Once the cap breaks, expect rapid development as the mid-level lapse rates are near 9C/km. Limiting factor will be the ability to match up the 50-70 kt of effective shear near the front, and the 1000 J/kg CAPE out ahead of the front. Any window for supercell potential is quite narrow, but worth keeping an eye on. The more likely scenario is that storms will organize into a squall line, with damaging winds as the main threat. SPC Enhanced risk is now focused roughly along and north of I-64 and east of I-65, where there is a non-zero tornado threat, which will mostly be tied to brief meso-vortex spinups within the squall line. Areas west of I-65 have a lesser threat as it is a narrow window of opportunity for the cap to break before the forcing moves east. The cold front will push through around midnight or an hour or two after, bringing a quick end to the precip. Strong cold advection behind the front will send temperatures crashing, with Sat morning readings ranging from just above freezing in southern Indiana to the lower/mid 40s near the I-75 corridor. Saturday will be a cloudy and raw day under the cold pool aloft. Steep low-level lapse rates and just enough low-level moisture will support at least isolated showers, which could reach the ground as either rain or snow given cold enough temps in cloud. Minimal recovery in temps, especially over the Bluegrass region. Look for gradual clearing Sat night as the mid-level trof exits, and temps will drop into the 20s, which is actually just a few degrees below climo. .Long Term (Sunday through Friday)... Issued at 300 PM EST Fri Feb 24 2017 Upper-level pattern becomes zonal and the surface high shifts quickly to the east. Sunday looks like a dry day with temps recovering to near climo after a chilly start. As the flow aloft backs to WSW, a series of southern stream disturbances will swing through, bringing a few different rounds of precip to the Ohio Valley. Timing is always tricky in such a progressive pattern, so we'll keep POPs capped in the likely range and QPF on the light side. Best chances of rain will be Monday night, and again on Tuesday night. By Tue night/Wed the pattern is a bit more amplified, so will see the return of unseasonably warm temps and also include a slight chance for thunder. Surface high pressure and broad upper trofiness for the end of the work week, but heights do not drop that much and temps will run near climo. Fast-moving trof drops through the Great Lakes on Friday, but with most of the energy remaining to our north, will not include a Day 7 POP. && .Aviation (00Z TAF Update)... Issued at 550 PM EST Fri Feb 24 2017 Gusty SSW winds and high-based cu in place across central Kentucky to initialize this TAF set. Convection over southern Indiana and western Kentucky will push eastward and likely increase in coverage this evening as a strong mid-level cap finally breaks. The spotty nature of the initial convective line will likely allow storms along the cold front to hold together as they move in later in the evening, so will stretch the TEMPO TS groups out until roughly 05- 07Z. Will carry MVFR visibilities in those TEMPO groups, but thunderstorm cores could result in brief IFR conditions and wind gusts over 35 kt. Convection moves out after midnight, giving way to strong cold advection. Ceilings will be barely VFR for the rest of the night and most of Saturday, but we could see brief MVFR during the morning before mixing deepens in the afternoon. Will carry wind gusts in the 20-25 kt range for much of the day as the gradient remains tight. Light rain or snow showers can't be ruled out given the steep low- level lapse rates, but probabilities are too low for the TAFs. && .LMK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... KY...NONE. IN...NONE. && Short Term........RAS Long Term.........RAS Aviation..........RAS
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Louisville KY 332 PM EST Fri Feb 24 2017 INZ076>079-083-084-089>092-KYZ023>043-045>049-053>057-061>067- 070>078-081-082-252045- Orange-Washington-Scott-Jefferson-Dubois-Crawford-Perry-Harrison- Floyd-Clark-Hancock-Breckinridge-Meade-Ohio-Grayson-Hardin-Bullitt- Oldham-Trimble-Henry-Shelby-Franklin-Spencer-Anderson-Woodford- Fayette-Bourbon-Nicholas-Nelson-Mercer-Jessamine-Larue-Marion-Boyle- Garrard-Madison-Butler-Edmonson-Hart-Green-Taylor-Casey-Lincoln- Logan-Warren-Simpson-Allen-Barren-Monroe-Metcalfe-Adair-Russell- Cumberland-Clinton- Including the cities of Paoli, Salem, Scottsburg, Madison, Jasper, English, Tell City, Corydon, New Albany, Jeffersonville, Lewisport, Hawesville, Hardinsburg, Brandenburg, Hartford, Leitchfield, Elizabethtown, Shepherdsville, Louisville, La Grange, Bedford, Milton, New Castle, Shelbyville, Frankfort, Georgetown, Cynthiana, Taylorsville, Lawrenceburg, Versailles, Lexington, Paris, Carlisle, Bardstown, Springfield, Harrodsburg, Nicholasville, Winchester, Hodgenville, Lebanon, Danville, Lancaster, Richmond, Morgantown, Brownsville, Horse Cave, Greensburg, Campbellsville, Liberty, Stanford, Russellville, Bowling Green, Franklin, Providence, Scottsville, Glasgow, Tompkinsville, Edmonton, Columbia, Jamestown, Burkesville, and Albany 332 PM EST Fri Feb 24 2017 /232 PM CST Fri Feb 24 2017/ This hazardous weather outlook is for portions of south central Indiana and Central Kentucky. .DAY ONE...Tonight. Severe thunderstorms are possible this evening. The main severe weather hazard will be damaging winds. The greatest severe threat is from 5 to 10 PM EST along and west of the I-65 corridor, and from 8 PM to 1 AM EST east of I-65. A brief tornado cannot be ruled out in areas along and north of I-64 and east of I-65. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Saturday through Thursday. No hazardous weather is expected at this time. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation may be needed this evening. && More information, along with other weather, hydrological and climate information can be found, at weather.gov/louisville. RAS
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY
134 PM EST FRI FEB 24 2017
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0900 AM NON-TSTM WND DMG ORLEANS 38.66N 86.45W
02/24/2017 ORANGE IN PUBLIC
TIN SHEETS BLOWN OFF METAL BARN. WINDS
ESTIMATED 40 MPH.
&&
NWS LOUISVILLE KY
IRIS SYSTEMSpecial Weather Statement
National Weather Service Louisville KY
547 PM EST FRI FEB 24 2017
INZ079-242300-
Jefferson-
547 PM EST FRI FEB 24 2017
...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT NORTHERN JEFFERSON COUNTY...
At 546 PM EST, a strong thunderstorm was located 9 miles southeast of
Vernon, moving northeast at 55 mph.
Wind gusts up to 50 mph are possible with this storm.
Locations impacted include...
Dupont, Middlefork, Canaan, Five Points, Deputy, Belleview,
Bryantsburg and Barbersville.
To report severe weather, contact your nearest law enforcement
agency. They can relay your report to the National Weather Service
office in Louisville.
LAT...LON 3888 8520 3877 8568 3882 8568 3882 8561
3885 8561 3885 8557 3888 8557 3888 8554
3891 8553 3891 8520
TIME...MOT...LOC 2246Z 240DEG 49KT 3885 8553
AMSSpecial Weather Statement
National Weather Service Louisville KY
608 PM EST FRI FEB 24 2017
INZ078-079-090>092-KYZ024-025-028>031-242330-
Jefferson-Floyd-Clark-Scott-Harrison-Jefferson-Oldham-Bullitt-Meade-
Hardin-Breckinridge-
608 PM EST FRI FEB 24 2017
...A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL AFFECT COUNTIES ALONG AND
NEAR THE OHIO RIVER WEST OF THE LOUISVILLE METRO...
At 604 PM EST /504 PM CST/, radar indicated strong thunderstorms
from 6 miles northeast of New Providence Town to 11 miles north of
Leitchfield. Movement was northeast at 60 mph.
Wind gusts of 50 to 55 mph and nickel size hail are possible with
these storms.
These storms will be near...
Scottsburg around 615 PM EST.
Madison around 630 PM EST.
Other locations impacted by these storms include the west side of
Louisville, Fort Knox, and Henryville.
These storms may intensify, so be certain to monitor local radio
stations and available television stations for additional information
and possible warnings from the National Weather Service.
LAT...LON 3775 8589 3761 8635 3850 8592 3850 8589
3852 8588 3852 8587 3855 8587 3855 8585
3857 8585 3858 8589 3881 8577 3883 8573
3882 8570 3882 8561 3885 8561 3885 8557
3888 8557 3888 8554 3891 8553 3891 8535
TIME...MOT...LOC 2304Z 225DEG 65KT 3855 8587 3765 8632
13The Louisville radar (KLVX), 64 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:16 UTC.
1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A trained spotter measured a 52 knot gust with a handheld anemometer at the Henryville exit off I-65.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Indiana in 2017Every state in 2017This day in weather historyWarnings in Indiana, February 2017
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: 672404.