An afternoon severe weather outbreak was organized by an approaching cold front and fueled by 2000-3000 J/kg of CAPE courtesy of high lapse rates aloft, surface dewpoints in the low to mid-70s, and cooresponding temperatures as high as the mid to upper 90s over western central Indiana. Numerous rotating supercell thunderstorms developed over western central Indiana in the early to mid-afternoon…
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 IND wrote it up.
An afternoon severe weather outbreak was organized by an approaching cold front and fueled by 2000-3000 J/kg of CAPE courtesy of high lapse rates aloft, surface dewpoints in the low to mid-70s, and cooresponding temperatures as high as the mid to upper 90s over western central Indiana. Numerous rotating supercell thunderstorms developed over western central Indiana in the early to mid-afternoon and proceeded to the east-southeast through central and southern Indiana. These cells produced penny or larger hail over 16 of the region's 39 counties, more isolated straight line wind damage to trees, barns and roofs, and four EF1/EF2 tornadoes within a 33-minute period along the I-69 corridor south of Indianapolis. Each tornado was spawned from a separate supercell: an EF2 that impacted residential communities in northwestern Johnson County, a pair of EF1s that tracked across rather rural portions of northern Daviess/Martin Counties and southwestern Monroe County, and finally a longer-track EF2 that crossed far southern Martin County, killing 1 person and injuring another when destroying a rural residence, before ending its track in extreme northeastern Dubois County. The end of the event saw, amid the weakening cluster of supercells, three cells produce isolated large hail over eastern central Indiana, with also wind damage to two barns in the Seymour area.
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 Jun 25, 12:25 PM EST, 1 hour 17 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Indianapolis IN 125 PM EDT Sun Jun 25 2023 ...Updated Mesoscale and Aviation Discussions... .Mesoscale Update... Issued at 125 PM EDT Sun Jun 25 2023 Just a quick update as we near expected convective initiation. Storms south of the Chicago metro have exploded over the last 30-45 minutes and expect the agitated area of cu extending from those storms down into far east central Illinois will do likewise at some point prior to 19Z...somewhere over west central Indiana. To this point...LAPS soundings continue to show a weakening cap holding on and keeping the atmosphere in check. A few more degrees of warmth to near 90 however will eradicate the inversion and allow storms to fire rapidly. Already...3000 j/kg+ CAPEs reside above the inversion with lapse rates steepening further...all but suggesting updrafts will explode and large hail/wind will become a factor shortly after initiation. With the strong jet dynamics noted in the mid and upper levels quickly approaching form the northwest...everything remains on schedule for the severe convection...modes and impacts discussed all morning. 1133 AM Mesoscale Update follows... Skies have quickly cleared across much of the forecast area as of 15Z with low to mid 80s already in the Wabash Valley. Higher dewpoints continue to advect into the region as well from the southwest. Starting to see the initial hints of cu formation across northeast Illinois and northwest Indiana. Winds are already gusting at 20-25mph as well. LAPS sounding analysis showing a nice amount of instability present above the inversion already to the tune of 2000-2500 j/kg with lapse rates at an impressive 8C/km and higher across eastern Illinois and western Indiana. To put it mildly...the atmosphere is quickly aligning itself for the convective fireworks anticipated later this afternoon. The bulk of the 12Z data is now in and continues to support a high end risk for severe storms focused over the eastern half of the forecast area after 18-19Z. There remains fluctuations in exactly where the initiation takes place but all signs point to somewhere in the Kokomo-Marion to Indy metro zone continuing S/SW towards Bloomington. Timing of initiation is critical. An earlier start closer to 18Z would support west of the zone mentioned above while a later start at 19-20Z would support in or just east of this zone. The atmosphere should start providing clues on this timing over the next 1-2 hours. All severe risks are on the table but want to clarify level of concern for each risk. 1) Large Hail (possibly 2"+): the amount of instability already in the hail growth zone supports this as the primary risk out of the gate as convection fires. And with the wind potential accompanying the storms as well...we need to be talking more about the risk of wind driven hail in the strongest cells. 2) Damaging Winds and Downbursts: The dry adiabatic flow already present into the mid levels with steep lapse rates supports convection having no problem pulling winds to the surface. Current thinking is that while this will be a threat initially...it should become the primary threat as storms grow upscale and mature into a larger cluster...and that may not occur until after it moves out of the forecast area. 3) A Few Tornadoes: not to diminish the tornado risk at all because it is enhanced across our eastern counties this afternoon...but it is not the main risk. Directional shear through 850mb is maximized over eastern counties later this afternoon with the greatest concern for tornadoes in a zone from northern Madison Co and Muncie area south through Rushville and perhaps down to Greensburg then shifting east into far eastern Indiana and western Ohio. This also correlates to the area where supercells may remain discrete before congealing further east. 0-1km SRH values will exceed 100 m2/s2 and combined with available shear and instability makes a stronger tornado a valid concern as well. 4) Flash Flooding: it seems weird to be mentioning this considering the antecedent dry conditions but...there are likely to be tremendous rainfall rates within the strongest storms. And one factor many are not thinking about: torrential rainfall over a short timeframe on dry soils actually could enhance runoff concerns. One final non-convective risk to mention is the heat and humidity. Temps expected to peak in the low to mid 90s with dewpoints in the upper 60s and lower 70s will produce max heat indices in the 95-100 degree range. This does not meet Heat Advisory criteria...but it has been since Summer 2022 since these heat indices were realized over central Indiana. Be sure to take precautions for the heat this afternoon as well. && .Short Term...(Today and tonight) Issued at 255 AM EDT Sun Jun 25 2023 - Weakening Storms moving in to west central Indiana around 4 AM - Stronger potentially severe storms will develop late this afternoon Remainder of the Overnight and this Morning... Latest radar mosaic was showing a cluster of thunderstorms over northeastern Missouri and western Illinois moving east around 25 mph. Meanwhile, a larger, mainly linear complex, was moving east and southeast across north central Illinois into southeastern Iowa. HRRR was handling the evening and overnight convection fairly well and has this complex and elements of the further south convection moving into the Wabash Valley around 09z. As the convection gets closer, especially the northern complex, it will turn southeast along the 850-300 millibar thickness lines and thetae gradient. Lack of instability and low level inversion in place suggests the convection will be weakening when it gets to central Indiana and will continue to weaken overnight. That said, with 30-40 knot deep shear, 30 knot low level jet and thetae advection, would not rule out isolated damaging winds early on over the Wabash Valley per the SPC Day1 Severe Weather Outlook. Otherwise, the main focus on the first round of convection will be how it may effect re-development this afternoon of potentially severe storms as many ingredients will be in place that favor severe storms. We will be looking to see what boundaries this convection has laid out ahead of the synoptic front. This Afternoon... CAMs in pretty good agreement that the morning convection will be diminishing and or moving out of central Indiana mid morning and model soundings are bringing in very dry air aloft in the wake of said convection. In addition, BUFKIT suggests a cap will be in place through around 3 PM. After that, little cloud cover will allow for optimum diabatic heating and the cap to erode. It will also result in the 30+ knot low level jet max to mix down and allow for gusty southwest winds. Instability progs were showing an instability axis pointing SW-NE along the I-69 corridor at 18z with mixed layer CAPEs to around 2000 J/kg or slightly higher. Meanwhile, 100+ upper jet streak over the Missouri Valley will provide diffluence over the Ohio Valley in the left exit region. Combination of veering and speed shear displayed with curved hodographs will support supercells. The main ingredient will be working against widespread development is the mostly dry column. In addition, it is still unknown where any boundaries or boundaries will set up from the overnight convection ahead of the main cold front, so confidence in how far southeast storms will fire up this afternoon is still not great. SPC Day1 Severe Weather Outlook has a reasonable good estimate implying storms will fire NE-SW just west of the I-69 corridor 18z-20z and well east of the cold front. Storm motion will be WSW and increase to 30+ knots. If this scenario does play out, broken line of storms will move into the instability axis and quickly strengthen. Veering and deep shear will promote supercells with all modes of severe possible. Thus, areas roughly along and east of the I-69 corridor are in an Enhanced Risk. Once again we would like to stress, where the initial afternoon storms fire is still dependent highly on what boundary or boundaries are left over from overnight convection. Not expecting heavy rain to big a big issue with high dry the soundings are. Tonight... The cold front will sweep through central Indiana late this afternoon and this evening. This should bring an end to most of the convection and allow for clear skies over most of central Indiana. That said, cyclonic flow and increased moisture could lead to some wraparound convection over our far northern counties through the night. && .Long Term...(Monday through Saturday) Issued at 255 AM EDT Sun Jun 25 2023 The low pressure system bringing the potential for severe weather today will continue to spin across the Great Lakes region early in the work week. This will keep clouds and rain chances in the forecast. Numerous showers are expected on Monday and models show sufficient instability for at least a few thunderstorms. Breezy conditions will persist into Monday with gusts up to 30 mph. Slightly stronger gusts could occur in any thunderstorms that develop. Severe weather is not expected due to weak overall forcing and instability. Other than the potential for a few lingering showers, mostly quiet conditions are expected Tuesday as the aforementioned low and parent trough move east. This will allow an upper ridge across the Plains to build eastward. Mostly quiet conditions should persist into Wednesday with increasing large scale subsidence. Warm moist advection returns late Wednesday and into the weekend which will likely lead to more unsettled weather. Daily showers and thunderstorms are possible, but the best chance for precipitation arrives late week as a few shortwave troughs help to flatten the ridge. Models show considerable amounts of CAPE within the warm moist airmass during this period and there are some hints of MCS potential. However, confidence in this occurring is low at this time due to a large spread in model output. Temperatures will be slightly cooler than normal through Tuesday. A warming trend should then occur through late week as warm air advection returns. && .Aviation...(18Z TAF Issuance) Issued at 125 PM EDT Sun Jun 25 2023 Impacts: * Convection developing shortly after 18Z with greatest impacts late this afternoon at KBMG and KIND * Strongest storms may produce brief wind gusts to 50kts * Dry after 22Z at all terminals * Non thunderstorm wind gusts up to 25kts through early evening * MVFR ceilings possible Monday morning Discussion: The region remains in a lull at the moment as the atmosphere organizes for expected robust convective development to initiate somewhere between 18-19Z ahead of an approaching boundary over eastern Illinois. KHUF and very possibly KLAF will not be impacted as convection likely fires east of those terminals. For KBMG and KIND though...storms will impact between 19-22Z with the potential for brief damaging wind gusts...large hail and very heavy rainfall. With the highest confidence in impacts at KIND...will maintain a tempo group and adjust as needed. Outside of any storms...southwest winds will continue to gust to around 25kts at times...gradually transitioning to westerly behind the boundary this evening before diminishing. For the overnight into Monday...skies will largely clear tonight before expansion of MVFR stratocu towards daybreak as the cold pool associated with the upper low approaches. Winds will become gusty again Monday from the west with the potential for a few showers by later in the afternoon. && .IND WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...None. && Mesoscale...Ryan Short Term...MK Long Term...Melo Aviation...Ryan
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Indianapolis IN 939 AM EDT Sun Jun 25 2023 INZ021-028>031-035>049-051>057-060>065-067>072-261000- Carroll-Warren-Tippecanoe-Clinton-Howard-Fountain-Montgomery-Boone- Tipton-Hamilton-Madison-Delaware-Randolph-Vermillion-Parke-Putnam- Hendricks-Marion-Hancock-Henry-Vigo-Clay-Owen-Morgan-Johnson-Shelby- Rush-Sullivan-Greene-Monroe-Brown-Bartholomew-Decatur-Knox-Daviess- Martin-Lawrence-Jackson-Jennings- Including the cities of Delphi, Flora, Williamsport, West Lebanon, Lafayette, West Lafayette, Frankfort, Kokomo, Attica, Covington, Veedersburg, Crawfordsville, Lebanon, Zionsville, Tipton, Fishers, Carmel, Noblesville, Anderson, Muncie, Winchester, Union City, Farmland, Parker City, Clinton, Fairview Park, Rockville, Montezuma, Rosedale, Greencastle, Plainfield, Brownsburg, Danville, Indianapolis, Greenfield, New Castle, Terre Haute, Brazil, Spencer, Gosport, Martinsville, Mooresville, Greenwood, Franklin, Shelbyville, Rushville, Sullivan, Carlisle, Shelburn, Farmersburg, Linton, Bloomfield, Jasonville, Worthington, Bloomington, Nashville, Columbus, Greensburg, Vincennes, Washington, Loogootee, Shoals, Bedford, Mitchell, Seymour, and North Vernon 939 AM EDT Sun Jun 25 2023 This hazardous weather outlook is for central Indiana. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight. Thunderstorms will redevelop by mid afternoon. Severe storms are expected, especially near and east of the Interstate 69 corridor and between 2 and 8 pm. Damaging winds and large hail will be the main severe threats. A few tornadoes are possible as well, especially from near Muncie and Anderson south through Rushville. Storm motion will be from the west 30 to 40 mph. Temperatures prior to the storms will warm into the lower and mid 90s in much of the area with heat indices peaking close to 100 degrees in some locations. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Monday through Saturday. Thunderstorms will be possible at times through Tuesday and again Thursday night through Saturday. Lightning and brief heavy rain will be possible. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is likely this afternoon and evening. && More information, along with other weather, hydrological and climate information can be found at http://weather.gov/ind Ryan
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Indianapolis IN
203 PM EDT Sun Jun 25 2023
INZ029-030-035-036-251830-
Clinton IN-Montgomery IN-Fountain IN-Tippecanoe IN-
203 PM EDT Sun Jun 25 2023
...A strong thunderstorm will impact portions of east central
Fountain, southern Tippecanoe, southwestern Clinton and northern
Montgomery Counties through 230 PM EDT...
At 203 PM EDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm 13
miles northeast of Veedersburg, or 14 miles northwest of
Crawfordsville, moving northeast at 45 mph.
HAZARD...Winds in excess of 40 mph and half inch hail.
SOURCE...Radar indicated.
IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
unsecured objects. Minor damage to outdoor objects is
possible.
This storm will remain over mainly rural areas of east central
Fountain, southern Tippecanoe, southwestern Clinton and northern
Montgomery Counties, including the following locations... New
Richmond, Shadeland, Linden, Clarks Hill, Dayton, Wingate and
Mulberry.
This includes Interstate 65 between mile markers 155 and 174.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.
A Tornado Watch remains in effect until 800 PM EDT for central and
west central Indiana.
&&
LAT...LON 4012 8702 4023 8716 4046 8686 4025 8651
TIME...MOT...LOC 1803Z 243DEG 40KT 4022 8704
MAX HAIL SIZE...0.50 IN
MAX WIND GUST...40 MPH
UpdikeThe Indianapolis radar (KIND), 73 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:41 UTC.
28 hail, 8 thunderstorm wind, 5 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
Thunderstorm winds downed numerous tree limbs over far southeastern Tippecanoe County.
Thunderstorm hail over southwestern Clinton County, with hail as large as 1.50 inches east of Coalfax.
Thunderstorm hail caused damage to roof and siding of home in Kirklin.
Thunderstorm hail as large as hen eggs fell across far northern Boone County from Mechanicsburg and east.
Thunderstorm hail as large as nickels reported in Frankfort.
Thunderstorm hail continued into southeastern Clinton County, as large as softballs in Kirklin.
Thunderstorm hail as large as ping pongs in Clayton.
Thunderstorm hail continued into far northeastern Boone County, with hailstones as large as tennis balls.
Thunderstorm hail as large as pennies in Kempton.
Thunderstorm winds caused minor roof damage and downed several smaller tree limbs in northeastern Boone County.
Thunderstorm hail as large as tennis balls in and north of Sheridan.
Thunderstorm hail continued into southeastern Hendricks County, with hail as large as 1.25 inches in the Plainfield area.
Thunderstorm hail lasted about five minutes.
Thunderstorm hail continued across northern Hamilton County, including 1.00 hail in Cicero.
Thunderstorm winds caused tree damage that blocked Speedway Drive.
Thunderstorm winds damaged trees east of Washington near Interstate 69.
Thunderstorm hail as large as softballs in Spencer.
A rotating supercell thunderstorm spawned the tornado just west of the intersection of Travis and Mullinix Roads. Moving east, it intensified quickly while producing mainly high-end EF1 damage (winds up to 110 mph) near and around this intersection, with bricks blown off of a large house, roof damage, a trailer moved into an adjacent yard, trees snapped, and a few snapped power poles. Spotty low-end EF-2 (up to 115 mph) damage was also probable here.
The tornado continued east and went through parts of the Kensington Grove subdivision causing substantial roof damage to some homes while several trees were downed and snapped, indicative of EF1 intensity (95-110 mph). The tornado continued east through the Waters Edge neighborhood and over the area's pond while maintaining EF1 strength (90-100 mph). The tornado continued past the Old Marsh by Indiana Route 135, just before impacting portions of an apartment complex under construction. Here the roof was torn off the length of one of the apartment buildings while many windows were broken and even a few pieces of debris were impaled into the ground, indicative of low-end EF2 winds (115 mph).
The tornado then started to turn southeast and pass over an open field where a narrow debris swath was deposited. In this area the tornado may have skipped off the surface a bit. The tornado then came down and snapped and uprooted numerous trees along West County Road 600 North just south of the Restoration Church. More high-end EF1 damage was evident here (100-110 mph). The tornado lifted about 1500 feet southeast of the church.
Thunderstorm hail continued, as large as quarters, into far southwestern Morgan County.
Thunderstorm hail as large as ping pongs along a path to east-northeast through southern and eastern parts of Greenwood.
Thunderstorm hail continued into northwestern Monroe County, with hail as large as tennis balls to the south of Ellettsville.
A supercell thunderstorm spawned this second tornado of the day just northeast of the intersection of County Roads 1100 East and 1575 North. The weak tornado then tracked in an east to east-southeasterly direction occasionally downing trees. Scores of hardwood trees were snapped, many at mid trunk, on a hilltop just west of US Highway 231. The tornado continued across the highway and soon after into northwestern Martin County, before ending within the grounds of Crane Naval Support Activity about one mile west-southwest of the southwest corner of Lake Greenwood.
Thunderstorm hail continued, as large as quarters in Bloomington.
Thunderstorm hail larger than baseballs near Loogootee, amid quarter to golf ball sized hail over parts of west-central Martin County.
Thunderstorm hail as large as ping pongs in Southport.
Continuation of EF1 supercell tornado from northeastern Daviess County. The tornado continued onto far northwestern portions of Crane Naval Surface Warfare Center's grounds, snapping hardwood trees in a non-continuous path, before lifting about a mile west of Lake Greenwood's southwest corner.
A supercell thunderstorm spawned this third tornado of the day, which would track across far southwestern Monroe County, for its first 3 miles in a mainly easterly direction, before turning more east-southeasterly along the track's final 1.5 miles. The tornado inflicted a combination of EF0 and EF1 intensity damage. Strongest winds were estimated at 100 mph over latter portions of the track, both where the tornado turned right and again when impacting a home shortly after crossing South Rockport Road.
The tornado began as an EF0 on the south side of West Carmichael Road, about 1500 feet west-northwest of the intersection of West Carmichael Road and West Rock East Road; here it damaged multiple outbuildings and a barn. About a half mile of EF1 intensity damage then occurred along West Rock East Road including multiple trees snapped at the trunk. Near the midpoint of the track upon crossing South Lee Phillips Road, the tornado caused isolated tree and home damage including uprooted a hardwood tree and blowing out a window. 0.9 miles later the tornado reached peak intensity over a slight rise of ground, with winds snapping trees, destroying a wood-anchored shed, and bending an anchored steel plate. The tornado then turned to the east-southeast, and again exhibited peak intensity upon crossing South Rockport Road where a well-built barn was partially destroyed and a 2-story home sustained extensive roof damage. For the final 0.8 miles of its track, the tornado roughly paralleled South Rockport Road while occasionally snapping pine trees, before ending about 4 miles west of the western end of Monroe Lake.
Thunderstorm straight line winds followed approximately 800 to 1700 feet southwest of the center line track of the corresponding EF2 tornado from its start location (where estimated 77 mph winds collapsed a farm outbuilding on Haw Creek Road) to at least as far as the Shoals 8 S COOP station (where 3 trees were downed around the house with several more downed to the east of Windom Road). Fifteen power poles were reported broken from the storm's winds along Windom Road with lines on the ground.
Thunderstorm hail continued into Acton.
A supercell thunderstorm spawned this fourth and final tornado of the day, which tracked in an overall east-southeastern direction across primarily far southern Martin County, before entering northeastern Dubois County for its final 1 mile. The tornado's intensity varied from EF0/EF1 damage along its first 3 miles, to EF1/EF2 impacts amid its middle 3.5 miles, with a slight weakening to EF1 damage seen after leaving Martin County. The tornado also turned to a more southeasterly track for a 2 mile segment within its most intense portion.
The tornado touched down on elevated ground about 250 feet west of Haw Creek Road (just northeast of straight line wind damage that occurred further southwest along the road), causing EF1 damage to a home, ripping off the roof while destroying the 2-car garage. The tornado then crossed the East Fork White River and surrounding lowlands before producing EF1 damage to numerous trees along Jackman Hill Road. The circulation strengthened to EF2 intensity as it crossed the Lost River, snapping scores of hardwood trees. EF2 damage was also inflicted to a home along Windom Road between River Road and Ridge Road, collapsing all but one exterior wall; winds associated with the tornado lifted the structure from under the elevated patio's decking with some 2x4's sticking vertically upwards, which caused the eventual collapse of the structure; one fatality and one serious injury were reported at this home.
The tornado turned southeasterly upon crossing Windom Road before producing widespread tree damage along Blue Creek Lane where multiple trunks were snapped and uprooted. The tornado continued towards Simmons Creek Road producing widespread tree damage over elevated terrain just north of the road. Damage was also reported to a structure north of Simmons Creek Road. The tornado then turned back to an east-southeasterly heading, yet began to weaken as it paralleled Simmons Creek. The tornado crossed into Dubois County near Butler Bridge Road.
Thunderstorm hail as large as half dollars.
Thunderstorm winds downed trees in south-central Brown County.
Thunderstorm hail as large as quarters over southern Rush County.
Thunderstorm winds damaged trees and blew barn doors in and off in Courtland.
Thunderstorm hail as large as quarters near Seymour.
Thunderstorm winds downed or uprooted multiple trees, including one onto a propane tank, and blew a barn roof off along County Road 640 West near 620 South.
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tornado, Martin | 2023-06-25 | Male | Permanent Home | Direct |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Indiana in 2023Every state in 2023This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Indiana, 2023Warnings in Indiana, June 2023
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: 1096733, 1096711, 1096714, 1096712, 1096717, 1096715, 1112171, 1096716, 1096718, 1096719, 1096735, 1096721, 1096720, 1106769, 1112174, 1112172, 1096736, 1096740, 1106770, 1096724, 1096745, 1096728, 1096730, 1096726, 1096747, 1096727, 1096731, 1096732, 1096748, 1096746, 1106761, 1112173, 1096749, 1106768, 1096742, 1096738, 1096744, 1106760, 1096741, 1096739, and more.