Tornadoes · United States · Indiana · 2011

EF1 tornado, Rensselaer Jasper Ar, Indiana, May 22, 2011

This EF1 tornado ran 0.3 miles across Jasper County on May 22, 2011, touching down at 4:37 PM CDT and reaching 33 yards wide. It killed nobody, and did $25,000 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 mphthis tornado

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

  3. EF2111 to 135 mph

    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
EF1
Date
May 22, 2011
Touchdown
4:37 PM CDT (21:37 UTC)
Lifted
4:38 PM CDT (21:38 UTC)
On the ground
1 minutes
Path length
0.3 miles (0.5 km)
Path width
33 yards (30 m)
Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$25,000
County
Jasper County
Touchdown point
40.961, -87.156
Lift-off point
40.962, -87.150
Record number
1105221537-01

What the Weather Service recorded

Strong to severe thunderstorms moved across northwest Indiana during the afternoon and evening hours of May 22nd.

A tornado touched down just north of Wood Road and south of West Amsler Road, and crossed U.S. Highway 231 (north McKinley Ave). The tornado was rated EF1 with roof damage to the Farm Bureau Insurance building at 2570 North McKinley Avenue as well as soffit, fascia and window damage to the Purdue Agricultural Extension office just to the west. The EF1 damage was confined to a path length of approximately 100 yards with weaker EF0 damage over the remainder of the track. The tornado lifted as it moved across highway 231.

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

The warnings

No tornado warning for this county appears in the archive as in force at the moment the tornado touched down.

The county was under a tornado watch, issued at 19:05 UTC and running to 04:29 UTC.

Issued (UTC)ExpiredProductOffice
19:05 UTC04:29 UTCTornado WatchLOT
21:12 UTC22:30 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningLOT
22:08 UTC02:36 UTCFlash Flood WarningLOT
22:24 UTC23:31 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningLOT

Every warning and watch covering the touchdown point that day, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service products. Lead time is measured from the issue of the warning in force to the touchdown time in the database, both of which were recorded to the minute by different people.

The forecast that day

The Storm Prediction Center had this point in a Slight Risk, with a 0.05 chance of a tornado within 25 miles. The outlook in force was issued at 20:00 UTC.

SPC's Day 1 convective outlook as it stood when the tornado began, read at the touchdown point. The same archive is on the radar archive.

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), 12:00Z

9.6 hours before the tornado, 152 km from the path. May 22, 2011.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Lincoln, IL at 12:00Z on 2011-05-22Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 0 joules per kilogram, CIN -77535, lifted condensation level 1465 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCL10008507005003002001001 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 12:00Z on 2011-05-22The 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 -98 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 48 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-77535 J/kg
Surface CAPE
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1465 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
48 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
16 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-98 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
133 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0
0-3 km lapse rate
4.7 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

Lincoln, IL (KILX), 00:00Z

2.4 hours after it, 152 km from the path. May 23, 2011.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Lincoln, IL at 00:00Z on 2011-05-23Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 2469 joules per kilogram, CIN -13, lifted condensation level 952 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 2011-05-23The 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 228 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 46 knots.193958Sfc1 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
2469 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-13 J/kg
Surface CAPE
2838 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
952 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
46 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
24 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
228 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
319 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
3.8
Supercell composite
17.0
0-3 km lapse rate
6.3 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The radar

The Chicago radar (KLOT), 106 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 21:38 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.

What was reported nearby

Local storm reports within 60 km of the path, in the three hours either side.

Time (UTC)ReportWhereCountyRemark
21:18 UTCHAIL 0.25Cedar LakeLake, IN
21:37 UTCTSTM WND DMGRensselaerJasper, IN1/4 MILES NORTH. WIND BLEW SHINGLES OFF BUILDINGS.
21:37 UTCTORNADO1 N RensselaerJasper, INTORNADO TOUCHED DOWN NORTH OF WOOD ROAD AND SOUTH OF AMSLER ROAD AND CROSSED 231. THE TORNADO WAS RATED EF1. PATH LENGTH WAS 1 MILE AND THE WIDTH WAS UP TO 33 YARDS.
22:00 UTCTSTM WND GST 542 Ese BremsStarke, IN
22:06 UTCTSTM WND GST 603 S North JudsonStarke, INMEASURED 60 MPH GUST. HAIL RANGING FROM PEA TO HALF INCH CURRENTLY FALLING
22:40 UTCTSTM WND DMG8 Ne FowlerBenton, INCOUNTY RD 800E AND 400N. TREE DOWN FELL ON OTHER TREES AND CAUSED DAMAGE TO LAWN DECORATIONS
22:40 UTCBLIZZARD8 Ne FowlerBenton, INCOUNTY RD 800E AND 400N. TREE DOWN FELL ON OTHER TREES AND CAUSED DAMAGE TO LAWN DECORATIONS

From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service local storm reports.

This ground now

The live radar over the trackEvery 2011 tornado in IndianaEvery tornado in Indiana since 1950Warnings in force in Indiana nowThe forecast where you are

The other tornadoes of May 22, 2011

47 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
May 222:13 PM CDTEF1Hennepin, MN13.6880148$167 million
May 222:33 PM CDTEF1Price, WI to IA, MN3.3600$4,000
May 222:33 PM CDTEF2Howard, IA to MN28.72503$775,000
May 222:38 PM CDTEF0Lafayette, MO0.340$500
May 222:40 PM CDTEF2Iowa, IA3.975$250,000
May 222:52 PM CDTEF0Anoka, MN0.230$50,000
May 222:54 PM CDTEF0Iowa, IA2.025$10,000
May 223:13 PM CDTEF0Bremer, IA0.130
May 223:16 PM CDTEF0Washington, MN2.675$50,000
May 223:25 PM CDTEF0Lafayette, MO0.150
May 223:37 PM CDTEF1Fayette, IA7.970$175,000
May 223:58 PM CDTEF0Lafayette, MO0.150$3,000
May 224:00 PM CDTEF1Barron, WI2.0300$200,000
May 224:01 PM CDTEF0Fayette, IA1.450$10,000
May 224:05 PM CDTEF2Houston, MN to WI13.8150$15 million
May 224:10 PM CDTEF0Labette, KS0.350
May 224:47 PM CDTEF1La Crosse, WI8.2125$920,000
May 224:50 PM CDTEF1Saline, MO3.575$230,000
May 225:15 PM CDTEF2Monroe, WI64.58001$7.7 million
May 225:34 PM CDTEF5Joplin tornado, MO21.61,6001581150$2.8 billion
May 225:39 PM CDTEF0Price, WI1.1350$1,000
May 225:52 PM CDTEF0Price, WI1.1400
May 226:01 PM CDTEF0Price, WI2.1350$5,000
May 226:10 PM CDTEF2Newton, MO14.1800$1.0 million
May 226:20 PM CDTEF0Jack, TX0.050
May 226:25 PM CDTEF1Ogle, IL29.1200$150,000
May 226:26 PM CDTEF0Price, WI0.8275
May 226:28 PM CDTEF1Ogle, IL1.7200$50,000
May 226:33 PM CDTEF2Delaware, OK6.7800$1.0 million
May 226:40 PM CDTEF1Ogle, IL0.5100$50,000
May 226:42 PM CDTEF1Wagoner, OK3.5300
May 226:52 PM CDTEF3Delaware, OK to MO17.91,5504$2.0 million
May 226:55 PM CDTEF1Winnebago, IL2.750
May 226:59 PM CDTEF1Winnebago, IL0.950$15,000
May 227:10 PM CDTEF2Stone, MO15.7200$1.1 million
May 227:27 PM CDTEF1Cherokee, OK3.0250$70,000
May 227:33 PM CDTEF0Green Lake, WI0.430$1,000
May 227:47 PM CDTEF0Green Lake, WI4.250$5,000
May 227:50 PM CDTEF0Cherokee, OK0.150
May 228:13 PM CDTEF1Delaware, OK4.7400$25,000
May 228:14 PM CDTEF2Adair, OK4.5200$250,000
May 228:29 PM CDTEF0Delaware, OK1.0100
May 228:30 PM CDTEF2Delaware, OK2.935012$400,000
May 228:36 PM CDTEF1Delaware, OK1.7150
May 228:41 PM CDTEF0Renville, ND0.125
May 228:44 PM CDTEF1Delaware, OK0.5100
May 228:54 PM CDTEF1Benton, AR2.8450$25,000

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.