Tornadoes · United States · Indiana · 2020

EF0 tornado, Dillsboro to Farmers Retreat, Indiana, April 8, 2020

From Dillsboro to Farmers Retreat, this EF0 tornado ran 1.0 miles across Dearborn County on April 8, 2020, touching down at 10:10 PM EDT and reaching 150 yards wide. It killed nobody, and did $40,000 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 mphthis tornado

    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 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
EF0
Date
April 8, 2020
Touchdown
10:10 PM EDT (02:10 UTC)
Lifted
10:12 PM EDT (02:12 UTC)
On the ground
2 minutes
Path length
1.0 miles (1.5 km)
Path width
150 yards (137 m)
Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$40,000
County
Dearborn County
Touchdown point
39.003, -85.097
Lift-off point
38.991, -85.087
Record number
2004082010-01

The damage survey

3 damage points were recorded along this path by NWS ILN, in the Damage Assessment Toolkit the survey teams carry. The strongest indicator was rated EF1. The highest wind the damage implies is 86 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

Thunderstorms developed ahead of an advancing cold front which crossed east through the region.

The tornado touched down in the 8800 block of Davies Road. The tornado continued to travel southeast, destroying barns and damaging roofs and trees for about 1 mile. ||Based on the degree of damage, the tornado produced winds of around 75 mph.

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. One was issued for the county at another hour that day.

The county was under a tornado watch, issued at 23:25 UTC and running to 02:59 UTC.

Issued (UTC)ExpiredProductOffice
23:25 UTC02:59 UTCTornado WatchILN
01:46 UTC02:45 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningILN
02:13 UTC02:18 UTCTornado WarningILN

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 Enhanced Risk, with a 0.05 chance of a tornado within 25 miles. The outlook in force was issued at 01:04 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.

Cncnati-Daytn, OH (KILN), 00:00Z

2.2 hours before the tornado, 121 km from the path. April 9, 2020.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Cncnati-Daytn, OH at 00:00Z on 2020-04-09Temperature 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 -94574, lifted condensation level 2413 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°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, Cncnati-Daytn, OH at 00:00Z on 2020-04-09The 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 128 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 66 knots.1939587897117Sfc1 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
-94574 J/kg
Surface CAPE
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2413 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
66 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
13 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
128 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
295 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0
0-3 km lapse rate
7.7 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

Cncnati-Daytn, OH (KILN), 12:00Z

9.8 hours after it, 121 km from the path. April 9, 2020.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Cncnati-Daytn, OH at 12:00Z on 2020-04-09Temperature 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 -88104, lifted condensation level 958 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°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, Cncnati-Daytn, OH at 12:00Z on 2020-04-09The 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 0 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 85 knots.1939587897117136Sfc1 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
-88104 J/kg
Surface CAPE
2 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
958 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
85 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
28 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
0 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
62 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0
0-3 km lapse rate
4.5 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The surface observations

Cincinnati / N Kentucky Intl (CVG), 37 km from the path, in the two hours either side.

Time (UTC)Temp (°F)Dew point (°F)WindGust (kt)Pressure (mb)Weather
00:10 UTC180° 5 kt1001.4HZ
00:15 UTC180° 5 kt1001HZ
00:20 UTC180° 5 kt1001
00:25 UTC180° 7 kt1000.7HZ
00:30 UTC180° 5 kt1000.7HZ
00:35 UTC180° 5 kt1000.7
00:40 UTC170° 5 kt1000.3
00:45 UTC170° 5 kt1000.3
00:50 UTC170° 5 kt1000.3
00:52 UTC7150160° 6 kt1000.3
00:55 UTC170° 5 kt1000.3
01:00 UTC170° 5 kt1000
01:05 UTC170° 5 kt1000
01:10 UTC170° 5 kt999.7
01:15 UTC170° 7 kt999.7
01:20 UTC160° 7 kt999.7
01:25 UTC170° 7 kt999.7
01:30 UTC160° 8 kt999.3
01:35 UTC160° 10 kt999.7
01:40 UTC160° 13 kt999.7
01:45 UTC160° 13 kt999.3
01:50 UTC170° 11 kt999
01:52 UTC7156180° 12 kt999
01:55 UTC 13 kt999
01:59 UTC7256190° 12 kt998.6TS
02:00 UTC190° 11 kt998.6
02:05 UTC 11 kt999
02:10 UTC200° 14 kt999
02:15 UTC 17 kt999
02:20 UTC 15 kt999
02:25 UTC 14 kt999
02:29 UTC7255300° 36 kt511002.7-TSRA SQ
02:30 UTC310° 451003-RA SQ
02:32 UTC6553310° 35 kt511003.7-TSRA SQ
02:34 UTC5953300° 28 kt511004.1+TSRA SQ
02:35 UTC300° 23 kt301004.4+RA SQ
02:40 UTC310° 16 kt1004.4+RA BR
02:45 UTC5653320° 27 kt371003.7+TSRA BR
02:50 UTC320° 1004.1+RA BR
02:52 UTC5754330° 24 kt371004.1+TSRA BR
02:55 UTC320° 1004.4RA BR
02:59 UTC5754320° 20 kt321004.7TSRA BR
03:00 UTC320° 20 kt1004.7RA BR
03:02 UTC5754320° 21 kt301004.7TSRA BR
03:05 UTC 19 kt1004.7RA BR
03:08 UTC5755330° 22 kt271004.7TSRA BR
03:10 UTC320° 21 kt1004.7RA BR
03:15 UTC 18 kt1005.1RA BR
03:20 UTC310° 15 kt1005.1RA BR
03:25 UTC310° 11 kt1005.1RA BR
03:30 UTC310° 8 kt1004.7RA BR
03:35 UTC300° 7 kt1004.7RA BR
03:40 UTC350° 2 kt1004.1RA BR
03:45 UTC0° 0 kt1003.7RA BR
03:50 UTC55.455.4 3 kt1003TSRA BR
03:52 UTC5655140° 5 kt1002.7TSRA BR
03:55 UTC140° 8 kt1002.4RA BR
03:56 UTC5654150° 8 kt1002RA BR
04:00 UTC130° 9 kt1001-RA BR
04:05 UTC140° 4 kt1001.7-RA

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

The radar

The Cincinnati radar (KILN), 119 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 02:07 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
01:45 UTCTSTM WND DMG2 Nne WestportDecatur, INHOUSE WITH HALF ROOF REMOVED AND BARN WITH DAMAGE. TIME ESTIMATED FROM RADAR.
01:48 UTCTSTM WND DMG1 E North VernonJennings, INEXTENSIVE TREE DAMAGE REPORTED VIA FACEBOOK. TIME ESTIMATED FROM RADAR.
01:53 UTCTSTM WND GST 46Khlb Batesville AptFranklin, IN
01:55 UTCTSTM WND DMG5 Wnw VersaillesRipley, INBARN DAMAGED ALONG HOPEWELL ROAD NEAR HOLTON. TIME ESTIMATED BY RADAR.
01:57 UTCTSTM WND DMG3 Ese BrookvilleFranklin, INLARGE TREES DOWNED ALONG HOLLAND ROAD. TIME ESTIMATED BY RADAR.
01:58 UTCTSTM WND DMG2 Wnw VersaillesRipley, INPORTION OF A SILO DAMAGED ALONG S. COUNTY ROAD 175 WEST. TIME ESTIMATED BY RADAR.
01:59 UTCTSTM WND DMGVersaillesRipley, INPARTIAL ROOF DAMAGE TO SHOPPING CENTER. DOWNED POWERPOLES. TIME ESTIMATED BY RADAR.
01:59 UTCTORNADO 1Wsw VersaillesRipley, INEF1 TORNADO. A BRIEF TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN ON THE SOUTHWEST SIDE OF VERSAILLES, DAMAGING HOMES, BUSINESSES AND TREES ALONG ITS PATH.
02:01 UTCTSTM WND DMGVersaillesRipley, INTELEPHONE POLE SNAPPED IN HALF. TIME ESTIMATED FROM RADAR.
02:02 UTCTSTM WND DMG2 Ese VersaillesRipley, INSEVERAL BARNS FLATTENED ALONG 1300 BLOCK OF S. CAVE ROAD. DEBRIS SCATTERED IN FIELD. SEVERAL TREES DOWNED NEARBY.
02:04 UTCTSTM WND DMGFriendshipRipley, INROOF RIPPED OFF BUILDING AND MULTIPLE TREES DOWN. TIME ESTIMATED FROM RADAR.
02:06 UTCTSTM WND DMG4 W DillsboroRipley, INLARGE SHED BLOWN OVER ON FARMERS RETREAT ROAD. TIME ESTIMATED FROM RADAR.
02:06 UTCTORNADO 06 Ese VersaillesRipley, INCORRECTED TIME AND STARTING LOCATION. EF0 TOUCHED DOWN 5.6 MILES SOUTHEAST OF VERSAILLES ALONG SOUTH FRIENDSHIP ROAD AND CONTINUED TO COUNTY ROAD 700 EAST. DAMAGE TO SILOS, BARNS, ROOFS, AND SIDING.
02:06 UTCTORNADO 09 Sse VersaillesRipley, INCORRECTED TIME AND STARTING LOCATION. EF0 TOUCHED DOWN 5.6 MILES SOUTHEAST OF VERSAILLES ALONG SOUTH FRIENDSHIP ROAD AND CONTINUED TO COUNTY ROAD 700 EAST. DAMAGE TO SILOS, BARNS, ROOFS, AND SIDING.
02:06 UTCTORNADO9 Sse VersaillesRipley, INBRIEF TORNADO TOUCHDOWN IN CROSS PLAINS, INDIANA IN SOUTHEAST RIPLEY COUNTY. DAMAGE TO ROOFS AND SIDING AS WELL AS TREES. WIND ESTIMATED FROM DAMAGE AT 65 MPH.
02:06 UTCTORNADO9 Sse VersaillesRipley, INBRIEF TORNADO TOUCHDOWN IN CROSS PLAINS, IN IN SOUTHEAST RIPLEY COUNTY. DAMAGE TO ROOFS AND SIDING AS WELL AS TREES. WIND ESTIMATED FROM DAMAGE AT 65 MPH.
02:08 UTCTORNADO 06 Se VersaillesRipley, INUPDATED TO INCLUDE DAMAGE POINT FURTHER TO THE NORTHWEST. TOUCHED DOWN ALONG S. FRIENDSHIP ROAD AND TRAVELED 2.6 MILES ESE TO S. COUNTY ROAD 700 EAST. SILO, TREE, BARN AND ROOF DAMAGE.
02:09 UTCTSTM WND DMG4 Sw DillsboroDearborn, INBARN FLATTENED ALONG 4200 BLOCK OF S. FARMERS RETREAT RD. TIME ESTIMATED BY RADAR.
02:09 UTCTSTM WND DMG4 Sw DillsboroDearborn, INBARN SEVERELY DAMAGED ALONG 4600 BLOCK OF S. FARMERS RETREAT RD. DEBRIS SCATTERED IN NEARBY FIELD. MINOR STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TO NEARBY STRUCTURES. TIME ESTIMATED BY RADAR.
02:09 UTCTSTM WND DMG4 Sw DillsboroDearborn, INSIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO TWO FARM SILOS AND METAL BARN. TIME ESTIMATED FROM RADAR DATA. TIME CORRECTED.
02:09 UTCTORNADO 04 W DillsboroRipley, INEF0 TORNADO.WEAK TORNADO DAMAGE EMBEDDED WITHIN LARGER AREA OF STRAIGHT LINE WIND DAMAGE ABOUT 2.8 MILES NNE OF FRIENDSHIP, IN. OUTBUILDINGS DESTROYED WITH MAJOR ROOF DAMAGE. DAMAGE TO ROOFS AND SIDING OF HOMES.
02:10 UTCTORNADO 02 Sw DillsboroDearborn, INSEVERAL BARNS DESTROYED, SIDING DAMAGED, AND TREES DOWN
02:11 UTCTORNADO 02 W Bear BranchOhio, INBARN DESTROYED, DAMAGE TO SIDING, TREES, AND MOBILE HOMES
02:11 UTCTORNADO 08.3 Ssw DillsboroOhio, INBARN DESTROYED, DAMAGE TO SIDING, TREES AND MOBILE HOMES.
02:13 UTCTORNADO 05 Sse DillsboroOhio, INEFO TORNADO. TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN ALONG DOWNEY RIDGE ROAD IN WESTERN OHIO COUNTY INDIANA. PATH EXTENDED 8 MILES EAST TO JUST SOUTH OF RISING SUN. ADDITIONAL STRAIGHT LINE WIND DAMAGE OCCURRED ON EITHER SIDE OF TORNADO PA
02:13 UTCTORNADO4 Sse DillsboroOhio, INTORNADO TOUCHDOWN NEAR THE DEARBORN AND OHIO COUNTY LINE. DAMAGE TO SIDING, ROOFS AND TREES. 5.8 MILE PATH.
02:18 UTCTORNADO5.5 Wnw Rising SunOhio, ININITIAL TOUCHDOWN IN THE 7300 BLOCK OF SALEM RIDGE ROAD AND TRAVELING 5 MILES TO JUST SOUTH OF RISING SUN ON THE OHIO RIVER. DAMAGE TO ROOFS, SIDING, TREES AND BARNS.
02:23 UTCTSTM WND DMG3 Wnw WarsawSwitzerland, INROOF DAMAGE TO A GARAGE ON BETHEL RIDGE ROAD. A FEW SMALL TREES DOWNED. TIME ESTIMATED FROM RADAR.
02:23 UTCTSTM WND GST 67LawrenceburgDearborn, INPERSONAL WEATHER STATION
02:23 UTCTSTM WND GST 67LawrenceburgDearborn, IN

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

This ground now

The live radar over the trackEvery 2020 tornado in IndianaEvery tornado in Indiana since 1950Warnings in force in Indiana nowThe forecast where you are

The other tornadoes of April 8, 2020

24 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
April 88:22 PM EDTEF0Lanier, GA4.4300$100,000
April 88:43 PM EDTEF1Morgan, IN1.035$500,000
April 87:47 PM CDTEF0Craighead, AR0.930$8,000
April 88:05 PM CDTEF2Poinsett, AR9.3752$250,000
April 89:59 PM EDTEF1Ripley, IN2.5450$50,000
April 810:06 PM EDTEF0Ripley, IN0.275$20,000
April 810:08 PM EDTEF0Ripley, IN2.6220$50,000
April 810:11 PM EDTEF0Ohio, IN0.160$20,000
April 810:13 PM EDTEF0Ohio, IN5.3200$20,000
April 810:13 PM EDTEF0Ohio, IN5.7450$50,000
April 810:22 PM EDTEF0Hamilton, OH6.2300$100,000
April 810:27 PM EDTEF0Gallatin, KY0.550$30,000
April 810:37 PM EDTEF0Hamilton, OH3.3350$45,000
April 810:40 PM EDTEF1Grant, KY2.4500$35,000
April 810:42 PM EDTEF0Kenton, KY1.2100$20,000
April 810:47 PM EDTEF1Grant, KY19.2400$45,000
April 810:50 PM EDTEF0Clermont, OH8.8200$40,000
April 810:53 PM EDTEF0Clermont, OH0.875$25,000
April 810:56 PM EDTEF0Brown, OH2.450$15,000
April 811:01 PM EDTEF0Clinton, OH0.950$5,000
April 811:16 PM EDTEF0Robertson, KY1.050$25,000
April 811:20 PM EDTEF1Nelson, KY4.045$200,000
April 811:25 PM EDTEF0Mason, KY1.250$15,000
April 812:33 AM EDTEF1Vinton, OH0.3125$200,000

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.