Tornadoes · United States · Indiana · 2019
EF3 tornado, Mc Natts to Nottingham, Indiana, May 27, 2019
From Mc Natts to Nottingham, this EF3 tornado ran 12.8 miles across Wells County on May 27, 2019, touching down at 8:59 PM EDT and reaching 1,200 yards wide. It killed nobody and injured 2.
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.
EF065 to 85 mph
Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.
EF186 to 110 mph
Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.
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.
EF3136 to 165 mphthis tornado
Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.
EF4166 to 200 mph
Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.
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.
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
- EF3
- Date
- May 27, 2019
- Touchdown
- 8:59 PM EDT (00:59 UTC)
- Lifted
- 9:23 PM EDT (01:23 UTC)
- On the ground
- 24 minutes
- Path length
- 12.8 miles (20.5 km)
- Path width
- 1,200 yards (1097 m)
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 2
- County
- Wells County
- Touchdown point
- 40.577, -85.392
- Lift-off point
- 40.571, -85.149
- Record number
- 1905271859-01
The damage survey
2 damage points were recorded along this path by NWS IWX, in the Damage Assessment Toolkit the survey teams carry. The strongest indicator was rated EF3. The highest wind the damage implies is 165 mph.
- very well built metal building. build truck trailers here. substantial construction with heavy anchoring and heavy metal ibeams. in addition load bearing second story floor extends wall to wall across and above garage face to front (w side) of building. clear signatures of multiple vorticies here.
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 warm front surged north across the region, allowing for a moderately unstable, highly sheared environment to exist. Thunderstorms developed in Illinois and moved into northern Indiana, producing damaging winds and several tornadoes.
The same supercell that produced a tornado in Grant |County moved east and underwent several storm mergers as it moved |over eastern Grant County. The merger caused the thunderstorm to |shift southeastwards with time before mirroring the Blackford and |Wells County lines. This thunderstorm produced a tornado with |multiple vortices, and had a width of approximately 1200 yards at |its widest. This tornado tracked from north of Roll, IN to north of |Montpelier, IN to near Nottingham, IN. The tornado lifted just east |of Highway 1. There were two significant injuries reported at a |dairy farm where EF-3 damage occurred. EF-3 damage was observed in two locations. The first was at a dairy |farm on county road 700 West north of the county line. A well built |structure sustained major damage consistent with winds of 165 mph. |Numerous other buildings at this location sustained significant |damage and several cows also died. Further east, about 1 mile east |of county road 500 west, a large power transmission tower was |toppled in the middle of a field. Winds were estimated at 140 mph at |this location. Numerous other buildings sustained EF-0 to EF-1 |damage and some EF-2 damage was also observed. Many trees were |topped or uprooted all along the path of this tornado.
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 Northern Indiana wrote its last area forecast discussion before the tornado touched down at May 27, 7:18 PM EDT, 1 hour 41 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, May 27, 7:18 PM EDT, 1 hour 41 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Northern Indiana 718 PM EDT Mon May 27 2019 .SYNOPSIS... Issued at 718 PM EDT Mon May 27 2019 Thunderstorms, possibly strong to severe, will move east through the area this evening. A frontal boundary will linger across the region Tuesday through Thursday with periodic chances for showers and thunderstorms. Temperatures will generally be near normal through the period. && .SHORT TERM...(This Evening through Tuesday) Issued at 201 PM EDT Mon May 27 2019 Temperatures this afternoon expected to warm up into the upper 70s to near 80. Cloud cover this afternoon will increase ahead of strong system to our west. Lingering low clouds/fog from Lake Michigan stretching southeast through SBN and FWA finally eroding away. This feature may play a role with stronger storms this evening as it acts as a differential heating boundary. Strong low pressure system spinning over IA/MN this afternoon will be the focus in the short term for severe weather across our area. Leading warm front will lift northward this afternoon with a few showers and thunderstorms along it possible. Severe risk with these storms will be limited but cannot rule out gusty winds and small hail. Severe risk increases late this afternoon into the evening as warm front lifts farther north. All severe hazards in play for tonight including damaging winds, large hail, isolated tornado, and heavy rain. Behind the front, SFC based instability increasing to 2000 j/kg and deep layer shear ranging from 50-60 knots. Long and curved hodographs with backed winds at the SFC veering with height along the boundary may result in storms with rotation. Damaging winds is likely the biggest risk this evening as 500-700 mb winds increase to 50-60 knots by 00z. As stronger storms develop they will have the potential to mix down these winds to the surface. Concern for large hail is low especially given high PWAT values across the area around 1.5 inches. However, due to high PWAT values, heavy rain and minor flooding is a concern especially given already saturated ground. Widespread 0.75 to 1 inch rainfall with locally heavier amounts in stronger thunderstorms. CAM guidance indicating potential for even higher amounts, but held off bumping up QPF further due to some uncertainty. Tomorrow, mild weather again with high in the upper 70s to lower 80s. Dry conditions in the morning before showers and thunderstorms fire up in the afternoon along a residual boundary leftover from previous nights storms. Kept inherited chance pops as its still uncertain where the boundary will set up. && && .LONG TERM...(Tuesday Night through Monday) Issued at 245 PM EDT Mon May 27 2019 Continued chances for rain in the long term as active pattern repeats itself again on Wednesday and Thursday. Rain and thunderstorms chances will once again depend on upstream convection that makes its way towards the Great Lakes. A brief break in the pattern with a rare dry day Friday and into the day on Saturday. Another shortwave drops down into the area Sat afternoon bringing once again rain to the area into Sunday. && .AVIATION...(For the 00Z TAFS through 00Z Tuesday Evening) Issued at 718 PM EDT Mon May 27 2019 Thunderstorms, potentially strong to severe, will continue to impact KSBN through approximately 01z and KFWA between 00z and 02z. A convectively aided vort max and sfc warm front are providing the forcing for this convection. Brief IFR/low MVFR conditions possible. Shower/storm chances quickly diminish later this evening into Tuesday morning, though cannot completely rule out scattered showers/iso thunder in the vicinity of a frontal boundary that will linger across the Lower Great Lakes region. Some MVFR, possibly IFR, stratus may creep back into mainly KSBN later tonight into Tuesday morning near the leftover frontal zone. && .IWX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... IN...NONE. MI...NONE. OH...NONE. LM...NONE. && SYNOPSIS...Steinwedel SHORT TERM...Heidelberger LONG TERM...Heidelberger AVIATION...Steinwedel Visit us at www.weather.gov/iwx Follow us on Facebook...Twitter...and YouTube at: www.facebook.com/NWSNorthernIndiana www.twitter.com/nwsiwx www.youtube.com/NWSNorthernIndiana
Hazardous weather outlook, May 27, 3:48 PM EDT, 5 hours 11 minutes before
Hazardous Weather Outlook...UPDATED National Weather Service Northern Indiana 348 PM EDT Mon May 27 2019 INZ003>005-012>016-020-022>024-032-MIZ077-078-282000- La Porte-St. Joseph IN-Elkhart-Starke-Pulaski-Marshall-Fulton IN- Kosciusko-White-Cass IN-Miami-Wabash-Grant-Berrien-Cass MI- 348 PM EDT Mon May 27 2019 /248 PM CDT Mon May 27 2019/ ...TORNADO WATCH 263 IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM EDT /9 PM CDT/ THIS EVENING... This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for northern Indiana and southwest Michigan. .DAY ONE...This afternoon and tonight. Please listen to NOAA Weather Radio or go to weather.gov on the Internet for more information about the following hazards. Tornado Watch. Thunderstorms will become likely late this afternoon into this evening. Strong to severe thunderstorms are possible with large hail, damaging winds, locally heavy rainfall and isolated tornadoes possible threats. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Tuesday through Sunday. There is a risk of severe thunderstorms Tuesday afternoon into early evening. Chances of thunderstorms will continue Wednesday into Thursday but confidence remains low at this time regarding the potential of severe weather. Locally heavy rainfall is possible at times from Tuesday through Thursday. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotters will likely be needed across the area late this afternoon into this evening. INZ006>009-017-018-025>027-033-034-MIZ079>081-OHZ001-002-004-005-015- 016-024-025-282000- Lagrange-Steuben-Noble-De Kalb-Whitley-Allen IN-Huntington-Wells- Adams-Blackford-Jay-St. Joseph MI-Branch-Hillsdale-Williams- Fulton OH-Defiance-Henry-Paulding-Putnam-Van Wert-Allen OH- 348 PM EDT Mon May 27 2019 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for northern Indiana, southwest Michigan and northwest Ohio. .DAY ONE...This afternoon and tonight. Thunderstorms will become this evening. Strong to severe thunderstorms are possible with large hail, damaging winds, locally heavy rainfall and isolated tornadoes possible threats. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Tuesday through Sunday. There is a risk of severe thunderstorms Tuesday afternoon into early evening. Chances of thunderstorms will continue Wednesday into Thursday but confidence remains low at this time regarding the potential of severe weather. Locally heavy rainfall is possible at times from Tuesday through Thursday. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation will likely be needed this evening. LMZ043-046-282000- New Buffalo MI to St Joseph MI-Michigan City IN to New Buffalo MI- 348 PM EDT Mon May 27 2019 ...TORNADO WATCH 263 IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM EDT THIS EVENING... This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for The Nearshore Waters of Southeastern Lake Michigan. .DAY ONE...This afternoon and tonight. Please listen to NOAA Weather Radio or go to weather.gov on the Internet for more information about the following hazards. Tornado Watch. Thunderstorms will become likely late this afternoon into early this evening. Severe storms are possible with large hail and wind gusts in excess of 50 knots. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Tuesday through Sunday. Periodic chances of thunderstorms will continue for Tuesday through Thursday.
In the hours before
Local storm report, May 27, 8:41 PM EDT, 18 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA
841 PM EDT MON MAY 27 2019
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0840 PM TORNADO 1 NNE MACY 40.97N 86.13W
05/27/2019 MIAMI IN TRAINED SPOTTER
HOMES AND BUILDINGS DAMAGED.
&&
BROWNLocal storm report, May 27, 8:44 PM EDT, 15 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA
844 PM EDT MON MAY 27 2019
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0840 PM HAIL 3 NNW MAJENICA 40.81N 85.48W
05/27/2019 E1.00 INCH HUNTINGTON IN EMERGENCY MNGR
&&
GHLocal storm report, May 27, 8:45 PM EDT, 14 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA
845 PM EDT MON MAY 27 2019
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0845 PM TORNADO 3 SSW NORTH OAKS 40.74N 85.24W
05/27/2019 WELLS IN TRAINED SPOTTER
TORNADO ON THE GROUND.
&&
GHLocal storm report, May 27, 8:46 PM EDT, 13 minutes before
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</html>Local storm report, May 27, 8:50 PM EDT, 9 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA
850 PM EDT MON MAY 27 2019
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0705 PM TSTM WND DMG NORTH LIBERTY 41.53N 86.43W
05/27/2019 ST. JOSEPH IN BROADCAST MEDIA
TREES ON POWERLINES.
&&
GHLocal storm report, May 27, 8:54 PM EDT, 5 minutes before
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</html>The surface observations
Portland (PLD), 27 km from the path, in the two hours either side.
| Time (UTC) | Temp (°F) | Dew point (°F) | Wind | Gust (kt) | Pressure (mb) | Weather |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 00:00 UTC |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of airport observations.
The radar
The Northern Indiana radar (KIWX), 94 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 00:59 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 2019 tornado in IndianaEvery tornado in Indiana since 1950Warnings in force in Indiana nowThe forecast where you are
The other tornadoes of May 27, 2019
62 more were confirmed in the United States that day.
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 27 | 1:10 AM CDT | EF0 | Potter, TX | 1.6 | 50 | |||
| May 27 | 1:13 AM CDT | EF0 | Mitchell, KS | 0.0 | 25 | $25,000 | ||
| May 27 | 12:07 PM CDT | EF0 | Freeborn, MN | 0.6 | 50 | |||
| May 27 | 12:23 PM CDT | EF1 | Floyd, IA | 9.8 | 105 | $625,000 | ||
| May 27 | 1:10 PM CDT | EF0 | Chickasaw, IA | 4.1 | 25 | $35,000 | ||
| May 27 | 1:23 PM CDT | EF0 | Fillmore, MN | 0.2 | 25 | $15,000 | ||
| May 27 | 1:25 PM CDT | EF1 | Howard, IA | 12.6 | 95 | $1.3 million | ||
| May 27 | 1:25 PM CDT | EF3 | Van Buren, IA | 7.3 | 100 | |||
| May 27 | 1:29 PM CDT | EF0 | Fillmore, MN | 0.2 | 15 | $5,000 | ||
| May 27 | 1:36 PM CDT | EF1 | Lee, IA | 0.5 | 20 | |||
| May 27 | 1:40 PM CDT | EF0 | Fillmore, MN | 0.2 | 25 | $20,000 | ||
| May 27 | 1:47 PM CDT | EF0 | Kendall, IL | 1.0 | 30 | |||
| May 27 | 1:49 PM CDT | EF0 | Howard, IA to MN | 6.2 | 30 | $202,000 | ||
| May 27 | 2:03 PM CDT | EF0 | Des Moines, IA | 0.1 | 20 | |||
| May 27 | 2:04 PM CDT | EF0 | Will, IL | 3.2 | 300 | |||
| May 27 | 3:15 PM CDT | EF0 | Knox, IL | 0.1 | 10 | |||
| May 27 | 3:02 PM MDT | EF0 | Morgan, CO | 0.0 | 25 | |||
| May 27 | 3:22 PM MDT | EF0 | Logan, CO | 0.0 | 25 | |||
| May 27 | 4:27 PM CDT | EF0 | Lee, IL | 0.7 | 30 | |||
| May 27 | 4:27 PM CDT | EF0 | Cook, IL | 0.8 | 50 | |||
| May 27 | 4:30 PM CDT | EF0 | Lake, IN | 1.1 | 100 | |||
| May 27 | 4:38 PM CDT | EF0 | Woodford, IL | 0.1 | 10 | |||
| May 27 | 3:40 PM MDT | EF0 | Elmore, ID | 0.5 | 10 | |||
| May 27 | 4:35 PM MDT | EF0 | Logan, CO | 0.0 | 25 | |||
| May 27 | 4:44 PM MDT | EF0 | Sedgwick, CO | 0.0 | 50 | |||
| May 27 | 4:53 PM MDT | EF0 | Adams, CO | 0.0 | 25 | |||
| May 27 | 5:04 PM MDT | EF0 | Weld, CO | 0.0 | 25 | |||
| May 27 | 5:25 PM MDT | Unrated | Yuma, CO | 0.0 | 10 | |||
| May 27 | 7:34 PM EDT | EF1 | Miami, IN | 0.6 | 50 | |||
| May 27 | 7:51 PM EDT | EF3 | Fulton, IN | 13.7 | 800 | |||
| May 27 | 5:51 PM MDT | EF0 | Phillips, CO | 0.0 | 25 | |||
| May 27 | 8:05 PM EDT | EF2 | Madison, IN | 5.9 | 100 | 1 | $150,000 | |
| May 27 | 8:10 PM EDT | EF2 | Grant, IN | 4.1 | 150 | |||
| May 27 | 8:26 PM EDT | EF1 | Wabash, IN | 1.9 | 50 | |||
| May 27 | 8:29 PM EDT | EF1 | Henry, IN | 0.2 | 50 | $20,000 | ||
| May 27 | 6:31 PM MDT | EF0 | Phillips, CO | 0.0 | 25 | |||
| May 27 | 8:39 PM EDT | EF1 | Henry, IN | 2.5 | 200 | $40,000 | ||
| May 27 | 6:43 PM MDT | EF0 | Chase, NE | 0.2 | 25 | |||
| May 27 | 7:23 PM MDT | EF1 | Chase, NE | 5.5 | 250 | $200,000 | ||
| May 27 | 7:37 PM MDT | EF0 | Chase, NE | 0.1 | 50 | $15,000 | ||
| May 27 | 9:48 PM EDT | EF1 | Darke, OH | 1.4 | 100 | $100,000 | ||
| May 27 | 10:02 PM EDT | EF3 | Mercer, OH | 10.8 | 250 | 1 | 8 | $15 million |
| May 27 | 10:04 PM EDT | EF1 | Darke, OH | 0.5 | 200 | $500,000 | ||
| May 27 | 8:05 PM MDT | EF0 | Chase, NE | 0.2 | 25 | $15,000 | ||
| May 27 | 10:25 PM EDT | EF3 | Darke, OH | 10.5 | 1,320 | 1 | $10 million | |
| May 27 | 10:33 PM EDT | EF1 | Auglaize, OH | 1.3 | 150 | $500,000 | ||
| May 27 | 10:41 PM EDT | EF4 | Dayton tornado, OH | 18.2 | 1,050 | 166 | $500 million | |
| May 27 | 10:47 PM EDT | EF0 | Auglaize, OH | 4.0 | 150 | $50,000 | ||
| May 27 | 10:47 PM EDT | EF0 | Miami, OH | 5.6 | 200 | $50,000 | ||
| May 27 | 11:01 PM EDT | EF0 | Auglaize, OH | 0.2 | 30 | $10,000 | ||
| May 27 | 11:08 PM EDT | EF0 | Miami, OH | 1.1 | 50 | $10,000 | ||
| May 27 | 11:12 PM EDT | EF3 | Montgomery, OH | 9.9 | 1,230 | $51 million | ||
| May 27 | 11:19 PM EDT | EF0 | Miami, OH | 3.0 | 50 | $70,000 | ||
| May 27 | 11:28 PM EDT | EF0 | Hardin, OH | 2.0 | 50 | $25,000 | ||
| May 27 | 11:34 PM EDT | EF2 | Montgomery, OH | 7.6 | 440 | $1.0 million | ||
| May 27 | 10:45 PM CDT | EF0 | Nuckolls, NE | 0.0 | 75 | $75,000 | ||
| May 27 | 11:48 PM EDT | EF1 | Greene, OH | 5.8 | 250 | $53,000 | ||
| May 27 | 12:23 AM EDT | EF0 | Greene, OH | 4.2 | 250 | $200,000 | ||
| May 27 | 12:57 AM EDT | EF1 | Pickaway, OH | 3.8 | 150 | $1.0 million | ||
| May 27 | 1:09 AM EDT | EF1 | Pickaway, OH | 1.6 | 75 | $1.5 million |
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.