Tornadoes · United States · Indiana · 2009

EF2 tornado, Haubstadt to Buckskin, Indiana, May 14, 2009

From Haubstadt to Buckskin, this EF2 tornado ran 10.3 miles across Gibson County on May 14, 2009, touching down at 3:25 AM CDT and reaching 125 yards wide. It killed nobody, and did $300,000 of property damage.

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The Enhanced Fujita scale rates the damage rather than measuring the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

  1. EF065 to 85 mph

    Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.

  2. EF186 to 110 mph

    Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.

  3. EF2111 to 135 mphthis tornado

    Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.

  4. EF3136 to 165 mph

    Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.

  5. EF4166 to 200 mph

    Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.

  6. EF5over 200 mph

    Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.

  7. Unrated

    The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.

The record

Rating
EF2
Date
May 14, 2009
Touchdown
3:25 AM CDT (08:25 UTC)
Lifted
3:39 AM CDT (08:39 UTC)
On the ground
14 minutes
Path length
10.3 miles (16.7 km)
Path width
125 yards (114 m)
Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$300,000
County
Gibson County
Touchdown point
38.200, -87.570
Lift-off point
38.230, -87.383
Record number
0905140225-01

The damage survey

1 damage points were recorded along this path by NWS IND, in the Damage Assessment Toolkit the survey teams carry. The strongest indicator was rated EF2. The highest wind the damage implies is 70 mph.

Survey points are preliminary and are the raw material the published rating was built from. Source: NWS Damage Assessment Toolkit.

What the Weather Service recorded

A line of severe thunderstorms moved slowly southeast through the early morning hours. These storms moved through a very moist and unstable atmosphere. A small-scale bow echo produced a significant tornado.

Maximum winds were estimated near 120 mph at the beginning of the damage path. The most significant damage occurred on a farm on the north side of the Haubstadt Raceway. A 50-foot grain bin was moved off its foundation and destroyed, several large machinery buildings sustained partial losses of roofs and walls, and a race car frame on blocks was moved about 100 feet. Damage intensity decreased eastward along the path. Elsewhere along the path, a barn lost its roof, and several homes received roof damage.

From NOAA NCEI's Storm Events Database, the narrative the local forecast office wrote for Storm Data.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the tornado touched down, 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 tornado touched down at May 13, 5:51 PM CDT, 9 hours 34 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 13, 5:51 PM CDT, 9 hours 34 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
551 PM CDT WED MAY 13 2009

.UPDATE...
REMNANT MCV INTO SOUTHERN ILLINOIS. CONVECTION HAVING A VERY
DIFFICULT TIME GENERATING PERSISTENT CORES WITH ANY APPRECIABLE
ROTATION. THE LIMITING FACTOR ALL ALONG WAS ONLY MARGINALLY
SUPPORTIVE WIND FIELDS FROM 700-300 MB IN THE 30-40 KT RANGE NOT
INCREASING WITH HEIGHT FOR SPEED SHEAR...WHILE UNIDIRECTIONAL.
ALREADY CLEARED SE MISSOURI COUNTIES. WE MAY SEE SOME WIND GUSTS
BASED ON THE LATEST TRENDS...IF THEY CAN TRANSLATE TO THE SURFACE
IN THE COMPACTING MCV AS IT HEADS TOWARD THE WABASH RIVER. BUT AT
THIS TIME...RETURNS ARE NOT TOO IMPRESSIVE. LOW LEVEL WINDS ARE
STILL DECENT...WITH AN UNSTABLE FETCH INTO THE CONVECTION FROM
WEST KY AND SE MO. CELLS MAY STILL INTENSIFY IN WATCH AREA.

ALSO UPDATED THE AVIATION SECTION BELOW FOR THE UPCOMING 00Z
TAF ISSUANCE.

...NOLES...

&&

.DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 240 PM CDT WED MAY 13 2009/

DISCUSSION...
MCV MOVING INTO SE MISSOURI THIS AFTERNOON WITH INCREASING
CONVECTION VERY CLOSE TO OUR SE MISSOURI COUNTIES. OVER THE
REMAINDER OF THE AREA...CAP IS SLOWLY WEAKENING BUT STILL
PRESENT...WITH NIL ACTIVITY ON THE RADAR. CAPE VALUES ALONG AND
WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER RUNNING 1500-2000 SURFACE BASED WITH
LI/S BELOW -6.

WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THIS AREA...BUT WITHOUT A FOCUS FOR
LIFT...MAY BE HARD TO GEN UP CONVECTION THROUGH THE END OF THE
DAY. THE PRESENCE OF THE MCV AND ATTENDANT FORCING TO ITS SOUTH
MAY HAVE TO BE THE FOCUS FOR CONVECTIVE DEVELOPMENT ACROSS WESTERN
PORTIONS OF THE REGION. ONLY OTHER FEATURES ARE WEAK CONVERGENCE
NEAR THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER...AND POTENTIALLY OUTFLOW ACROSS
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UP NEAR INTERSTATE 64 FROM EARLIER CONVECTION TO
OUR NORTH.

SPC CONTINUES TO OUTLOOK SE MISSOURI AND SRN ILLINOIS IN A
MODERATE RISK AREA...WHICH IS PLAUSIBLE. VERY UNSTABLE CONDITIONS
COUPLED WITH DECENT LOW LEVEL WIND FIELDS AND POTENTIALLY REMNANT
BOUNDARIES COULD RESULT IN DISCRETE CELLS CAPABLE OF HAIL...STRONG
WINDS AND POSSIBLY A TORNADO. IN THE VERTICAL...SPEED SHEAR IS
ONLY MARGINAL...WITH LITTLE CHANGE IN A 30-40KT PROFILE FROM
700-300MB. THEREFORE EVEN THOUGH WE MAY SEE DISCRETE CELLS...
PERSISTENCE MAY NOT BE AS PROMINENT. SHOULD BE EVOLUTIONARY
TONIGHT AS INSTABILITY SHIFTS FARTHER NORTHWEST INTO SRN ILLINOIS
AND SE MISSOURI AFTER 00Z...AHEAD OF A COLD FRONTAL BOUNDARY. POPS
WILL GO INTO CATEGORICAL RANGE...AND MODE SHOULD BECOME MORE
LINEAR AND BROAD SCALE COVERAGE WISE THROUGH 06Z. AFTER 06Z
INSTABILITY DIMINISHES...WITH WHAT SHOULD BE A LOWERING THREAT OF
SEVERE WEATHER LATE...AS THE BOUNDARY SETTLES SOUTH TO THE OHIO
RIVER AND WEAKENS AND STALLS...WITH LIKELY POPS SOUTHERN SECTIONS
BY THURSDAY MORNING.

A CONTINUED UNSETTLED PATTERN WILL PERSIST THROUGH SATURDAY WITH
A COLD FRONT COMING INTO THE REGION BY LATE SATURDAY AFTERNOON
INTO EARLY SATURDAY NIGHT. THEREFORE CANNOT ELIMINATE POPS FROM
ANY PERIOD. BUT THE NEXT BEST CHANCES WILL LIKELY BE FRIDAY WITH
A POTENTIAL MCS...AND WITH THE FRONT LATE SATURDAY INTO EARLY
SATURDAY NIGHT.

THE OPS MODELS AND ENSEMBLES CONTINUE TO SUPPORT DRY WEATHER SUNDAY
THROUGH THE MIDDLE PART OF NEXT WEEK...WITH HIGH PRESSURE DOMINANT
FOR THE MOST PART...ACROSS THE EASTERN PART OF THE NATION.

WILL LET WIND ADVISORY CONTINUE THROUGH EARLY EVENING IN WIND DAMAGE
AREAS OF SE MISSOURI AND SRN ILLINOIS...WITH THE LAKE WIND ADVISORY
CONTINUING THROUGH 6 PM ELSEWHERE.

&&

.AVIATION...
WILL MONITOR KEVV AND KOWB FOR CONVECTIVE TRENDS EARLY ON. BEST
CHANCE OF CONVECTION AT ALL THE TAF SITES WILL BE LATER ON AS A
COLD FRONT SETTLES SOUTH INTO THE REGION OVERNIGHT. GENERALLY VFR
CONDITIONS OUTSIDE OF CONVECTION. SHORT TERM...KPAH AND KCGI
TAF SITES WILL LIKELY BE FREE OF CONVECTION THROUGH 06Z.

&&

.PAH WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
KY...NONE.
MO...NONE.
IL...NONE.
IN...NONE.

&&
Hazardous weather outlook, May 13, 10:07 PM CDT, 5 hours 18 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PADUCAH KY
1007 PM CDT WED MAY 13 2009

ILZ075>078-080>094-INZ081-082-085>088-KYZ001>022-MOZ076-086-087-
100-107>112-114-141000-
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-
1007 PM CDT WED MAY 13 2009

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN
ILLINOIS...SOUTHWEST INDIANA...WESTERN KENTUCKY AND SOUTHEAST
MISSOURI.

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT

A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS ASSOCIATED WITH A COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED
TO PUSH SOUTHEAST THROUGH MUCH OF THE QUAD STATE AFTER MIDNIGHT.
THE STORMS MAY BE SEVERE AS THEY ENTER THE AREA...BUT WILL LIKELY
BE WEAKENING AS THEY MOVE EASTWARD THROUGH THE REGION. DAMAGING
WINDS WILL BE THE PRIMARY THREAT...BUT A TORNADO OR TWO AND SOME
LARGE HAIL WILL STILL BE POSSIBLE. LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL WILL BE
ANOTHER CONCERN TONIGHT.

SOME GUSTS UP TO 30 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE AHEAD OF THE FRONT TONIGHT.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY

THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE IN THE FORECAST THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY
NIGHT. LOCALLY HEAVY RAINS AND LIGHTNING ARE THE PRIMARY HAZARDS
WITH STORMS DURING THIS TIME PERIOD. ISOLATED SEVERE STORMS CANNOT
BE RULED OUT...ESPECIALLY SATURDAY INTO SATURDAY NIGHT.

REFER TO THE LATEST FLOOD WARNINGS AND STATEMENTS FOR RIVER FLOOD
INFORMATION.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUESTED TONIGHT.

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 14, 2:48 AM CDT, 37 minutes before
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Special weather statement, May 14, 2:58 AM CDT, 27 minutes before
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Local storm report, May 14, 3:04 AM CDT, 21 minutes before
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The air that afternoon

The radiosonde launches on either side of the tornado, from the nearest station that was launching then, drawn and analyzed the way Storm Lab does: the same diagram, the same parcel and shear definitions SPC's mesoanalysis uses.

Lincoln, IL (KILX), 00:00Z

8.4 hours before the tornado, 236 km from the path. May 14, 2009.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Lincoln, IL at 00:00Z on 2009-05-14Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 1574 joules per kilogram, CIN -113, lifted condensation level 930 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed. The warm shading is its CAPE, the cool shading the inhibition it has to break through.
HodographHodograph, Lincoln, IL at 00:00Z on 2009-05-14The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers as a curve, rings every 10 meters per second labeled in knots. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 350 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 46 knots.19395878Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km. RM and LM are the right and left moving storms Bunkers' method gives; the shaded area is the 0 to 1 km storm-relative helicity.
Mixed-layer CAPE
1574 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-113 J/kg
Surface CAPE
2039 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
930 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
46 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
31 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
350 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
407 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
2.0
Supercell composite
8.7
0-3 km lapse rate
5.5 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The surface observations

Evansville (EVV), 19 km from the path, in the two hours either side.

Time (UTC)Temp (°F)Dew point (°F)WindGust (kt)Pressure (mb)Weather
00:00 UTC

From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of airport observations.

The radar

The Evansville,IN radar (KVWX), 22 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 08:23 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment, over the track

Reflectivity and velocity, decoded from the Level II archive in the browser. Volumes take a few seconds to open the first time.

This ground now

The live radar over the trackEvery 2009 tornado in IndianaEvery tornado in Indiana since 1950Warnings in force in Indiana nowThe forecast where you are

The other tornadoes of May 14, 2009

5 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
May 141:11 AM CDTEF1Saint Francois, MO0.6200
May 143:15 AM CDTEF0Red River, TX0.550$500
May 143:58 AM CDTEF0Bowie, TX1.275
May 144:20 AM CDTEF0Little River, AR2.4100
May 1410:45 AM CDTEF0Calcasieu Parish, LA0.05

What this means

Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.

Sources

NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.