EF1 tornado, French Lick Muni Arp to Millersburg, Indiana, August 6, 2023

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.

Rating

EF1

Date

August 6, 2023

Touchdown

12:45 AM EDT (04:45 UTC)

Lifted

12:46 AM EDT (04:46 UTC)

On the ground

1 minutes

Path length

1.0 miles (1.6 km)

Path width

40 yards (37 m)

Deaths

0

Injuries

0

County

Orange County

Touchdown point

38.543, -86.623

Lift-off point

38.542, -86.607

Record number

2308062245-01

180 damage points were recorded along this path by NWS LMK, in the Damage Assessment Toolkit the survey teams carry. The strongest indicator was rated EF1. The highest wind the damage implies is 110 mph.

• Large parts of the aluminum roofing have been blown away. Garage doors are gone. Structural damage to roofing supports and garage supports. Mud splatter in multiple directions on south side of home and western side of home.
• Multiple trees uprooted and snapped in multiple directions. Closest large tree was uprooted towards the north east. Multiple trees snapped facing the south west. Images from drones indicate convergence in the woods slightly behind this photo. Indication of tornado track through this tree line according to the converging pattern.
• Free standing garage with door blown off. Entire roof missing. Southern wall is missing. Mud splatter on eastern wall. Most of the debris scattered on the north and east side.m
• Tree uprooted in different direction from the rest of the fallen trees. Most of the trees in the area fell falling NE

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

Several individual storms moved across Missouri and Illinois before combining into a line of convection as it moved across southern Indiana. The line interacted with the low level jet to produce 6 tornadoes across 4 Indiana counties, including a long track tornado that traveled 25.89 miles through Dubois and Orange Counties. This set the record for the longest known tornado track for the month of August within the NWS Louisville County Warning Area. Other parts of the line surged and caused tree and power line damage along and north of Interstate 64 across southern Indiana and into the greater Louisville, Kentucky area. Additional wind and hail reports were received from the Bluegrass region of Kentucky.

The tornado first touched down in Dubois County near County Rd 200 West and Haysville Rd. After crossing into Orange County, the tornado continued about a mile and a half east where drone footage as well as tree snapping and uprooting indicated a slight convergence pattern towards the northeast. Multiple vehicles, trailers, and mobile homes were rolled over into the forest towards the northeast. This area along South County Road 1050 W sustained significant and extensive damage as compared to areas just west. The tornado continued to track in the east-northeast direction. Drone footage from trees and cornfields also indicate convergence. Most of the worst damage was observed just north of the French Lick airport.||As the tornado tracked northeastward, large swaths of trees were snapped and uprooted. Some homes saw minor roof and wall paneling damage. Areas just east of W County Road 150 S saw extensive tree damage where a path of about 200 yards wide experienced 105 mph winds according to the damage observed in the forest.||Just southwest of Paoli, near S county Road 225 and heading northeast towards S Thompson Lane, a path of significant damage affected multiple homes and created a vast debris field toward the northeast. The entire western side of a home had sidewall and paneling ripped off part of the roof. Part of the actual roof was also ripped off. Tree next to it also snapped. There was lots of debris to the northeast and house insulation in the fences and trees. A barn located on the edge of a clearing near a cornfield was mostly flattened towards the northeast.||Thompson lane saw major tree damage with large swaths of trees being snapped in a northeast direction and some slight convergence seen from drone footage. The tornado ended here with no observed damage to the east from this tornado track on the southwest side of Paoli. In total, the tornado was rated EF1 with 107 mph maximum|winds and was a continuous track for 25.89 miles, which is a record long tornado for August in the NWS Louisville county warning area. This breaks the previous known record for long track tornado in August of 4 miles in Jefferson County, IN on August |14, 2002.

The tornado began along S Indiana Ave where several large hardwood trees had branches snap towards the east. Some homes saw side wall paneling damage as well as roofing cover damage. Damage continued along W Summit Circle Dr where several more large hardwoods were uprooted and snapped.||The main area of damage is located just south of the downtown area of French Lick on Skyline Drive. This is an area of higher elevation that saw multiple large hardwood trees snapped, some houses saw shingles and side paneling damage. This is where the highest wind speeds of 107 mph would have occurred based on damage making this tornado an EF1.The tornado then made its way northeast to S Summit St where one home saw significant sidewall damage on both its north and south side, as well as paneling damage.||The tornado then tracked southeast towards W County Road 100 S where it appeared to weaken. Several smaller hardwoods saw their limbs broken off and debris was spread out towards the north. A small sandbox outbuilding had its roof torn off and|debris fell just slightly east of the structure. Surrounding trees were bent towards the east and northeast. The winds in this area topped out at 85 mph based on the damage seen.

The first damage point had a few topped and twisted trees near Red Bud Lane and Hospital Rd. Wind speeds were between 75 and 80 mph with a 50 yard width. There was sporadic tree damage along a creek, and tree damage became more concentrated along Apache and Slaten Drive with trees twisted, topped, and one uprooted tree. Wind speeds increased to 85 to 90 mph with a width of 75 yards. The width increased to 100 yards along Sandy Hook Road and Paul Street with wind speeds around 90 mph. There were several trees on homes, and increased twisting of the trees with damage going from the east southeast to the north northeast. There were numerous power poles and powerlines down between Indiana 37 and Paul Street.||The peak of the tornado damage was on the east side of Indiana 37 between Locust Street and Oak Street. Several warehouses had significant roof damage with debris thrown from east southeast to north northeast. There were several cars that had debris on the west and east side of them. The debris from the warehouse was thrown into a forested area up to 200 yards in distance. Wind speed in this area were 100 mph with a width of 110 yards. The NWS drone was key to the survey, with drone imagery capturing trees snapped, topped, and uprooted several hundred yards east of the last warehouse. There was a lot of straight line wind damage between the two different tornadoes in Paoli.

There was plenty of straight-line tree damage from just south of the courthouse in Paoli all the way to the Pioneer Mothers Park of Hoosier National Forest. Across from the park (west side of Indiana Hwy 37) at a residence, there were many trees and large limbs down from straight-line winds (west to the east direction) of 65 mph on the south side of the property and further south on Indiana Hwy 37.||However on the north side of the property, cedar trees were twisted and debris thrown to a north-northeasterly direction. A sycamore tree was snapped with debris going from the east-northeast all the way to a northerly direction.||The survey team spoke to hikers attempting to hike down the Pioneer Mothers Park trail and it was impassable due to trees uprooted, twisted, snapped and topped. The hikers showed pictures of the dozens and dozens of snapped and uprooted trees going from the east- northeast to the north-northeast direction. This EF0 tornado had max wind speeds of 85 mph with a width of 60 yards wide.||The NWS Drone was key to the survey, with drone imagery capturing trees snapped, topped, and uprooted well into the forest. The drone was flown to a large quarry near Highway 150 with all tree damage all facing west to east direction.

The tornado first touched down on the west side of Paoli near the intersection of West Main Street and Willowcreek Road. It then moved eastward, hitting a warehouse on the north side of West Main Street while causing some damage to the roof and soffits. Winds speeds were around 85 mph with a width of 50 yards.||There was sporadic shingle and gutter damage to businesses along West Main Street on the west side of Paoli, with roofing material displaced and several trees snapped and twisted. The roofing material was spread out from a northerly to an easterly direction. There were at least two large trees on homes, laying in a north to northeasterly direction. The Jesus Christ Latter-Day Saints Church had most of their windows blown out, as well as roof damage. An anchored sign had been blown over, facing almost due north. Winds were estimated at 90 mph with the tornado`s width increasing to 75 yards.||Several taller buildings at the square in Paoli had significant damage to brick fascia and roofing material was uplifted. The court house had several large chimneys down, and street signs were bent over more than 45 degrees. Damage was thrown several hundred yards to the north and east. Winds were estimated at 100 mph with a width of|75 yards.||There were numerous snapped and twisted trees along Indian Trail Road, with 75 trees down across Green Acres Golf Course. Additionally, there were many snapped, topped, and uprooted trees along Indiana State Road 56 with dozens of trees down on Blueberry Hill Estate. Winds were estimated to be 90 mph with a width increasing to 175 yards. Along Indiana State Road 56 between Limeberry Road and Tater Road, there were 7 barns sustaining roofing and gutter damage. Drone photography was able to detail large swirls in the corn and soybean fields adjacent to the property.||The most impressive damage was to two grain storage tanks, weighing over 50,000 pounds, with a collapse from the southwest to northeasterly direction. NWS drone photography did not show much damage to an adjacent corn field, and surveyors estimated winds at 100 mph at this point with a width of 150 yards.||There were dozens of power poles and lines down all along Indiana State Road 56 approaching Badger Family Farms. The last damage point was near County Road 700 and Indiana State Road 56 with some trees topped and twisted. Winds were estimated at 80 mph with an estimated tornado width of 50 yards. This is approximately 1 mile from the Washington County line on Indiana|State Road 56.

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

12 minutes of warning. NWS LMK issued a tornado warning for this county at 04:33 UTC, 12 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 05:00 UTC.

The county was under a tornado watch, issued at 01:37 UTC and running to 08:48 UTC.

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 Storm Prediction Center had this point in a Slight Risk, with a 0.02 chance of a tornado within 25 miles. The outlook in force was issued at 01:10 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.

NWS Louisville, KY wrote its last area forecast discussion before the tornado touched down at Aug 6, 9:40 PM EDT, 3 hours 5 minutes earlier.

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Louisville KY
940 PM EDT Sun Aug 6 2023

...Tornado Watch in Effect for Portions of the Region...

.Forecast Update...
Issued at 939 PM EDT Sun Aug 6 2023

After coordinating with surrounding WFOs and SPC, Tornado Watch
#598 has been issued for portions of the region, primarily
along/north of the I-64 corridor and along/west of the I-65
corridor. The greater tornado threat will likely be in areas north
and west of the CWA, but given some low-end potential for a spin-
up in our neck of the woods, the decision was made to go with a
tornado vs severe t-storm watch.

Issued at 916 PM EDT Sun Aug 6 2023

Strong to severe storms have developed across portions of Missouri
and Illinois this evening ahead of a frontal boundary. Environment
ahead of the storms features ample shear and instability for
organized convection to persist, including that of supercellular
storms, though its likely that the upstream activity will likely
congeal into a line (or broken lines) dominated by cold-pool
processes.

Current radar and model trends suggest this activity will be
approaching our southern Indiana counties (Dubois, Orange,
Washington, Scott) closer to 11pm or midnight EDT before spreading
eastward the remainder of the overnight hours. Confidence in the
longevity of severe potential overnight in our region remains low,
but feel fairly confident that areas west of I-65 and north of I-64
will have at least a few strong/severe storms with a decreasing
trend in severe potential as the activity advances eastward. The
bulk of the storm activity will likely stay along and north of the I-
64 corridor.

Main severe threat going into the overnight hours will be the
potential for damaging winds, though hail will be possible in more
discrete storms. The tornado threat is low with a subtle surface
inversion inhibiting tornadogenesis processes, but non-zero if a
strong mesovortex develops within a bowing structure or if discrete
supercells with strong low level mesocyclones develop ahead of the
main convective line.

&&

.Short Term...(This evening through Monday)
Issued at 319 PM EDT Sun Aug 6 2023

...RISK OF SEVERE WEATHER TONIGHT ACROSS SOUTHERN INDIANA AND
PORTIONS OF NORTHERN KENTUCKY...

========================================
Near Term         Now through 800 PM EDT

Risks     :  Isolated Storms in the west
Confidence:  Medium-High
========================================

Afternoon satellite imagery shows low clouds continuing to scour out
into an afternoon cumulus field.  With a bit more insolation,
temperatures have warmed into the lower-mid 80s across the region
with some upper 80s across far southwest KY.  For the remainder of
the afternoon, most areas should remain generally dry.  Can't rule
out a stray thunderstorm to pop up across the region.  There isn't a
real particular area of forcing that would suggest a higher PoP over
a certain area, though some models suggest some convection could
fire across southern KY in the next few hours.  Recent satellite
imagery does show some vertical Cu development in the Hopkinsville
area.  For now, plan on keeping the PoPs at 13% or less on coverage.
Breezy southwest winds will be seen across the region this
afternoon, but these winds should simmer down in the 700-800 PM time
frame. Temps should top out in the low-mid 80s before settling down
into the upper 70s to around 80 by sunset.

========================================
Tonight        800 PM through 800 AM EDT

Risks    : Strong/Severe Storms w/
           Damaging winds/heavy rainfall

Confidence: Medium
========================================

Moving into tonight, convection should be in progress across
portions of IA/MO/IL.  This activity is being forced by a fairly
potent mid-level wave that will push through the Ohio Valley.  Ahead
of this feature overnight will be a southwesterly low-level jet axis
pushing into the lower Ohio and TN Valleys.  Models vary at the
strength of this jet axis, but 30-35 kts seems to be a good multi-
model consensus here.  Plenty of moisture will be available with
PWATs running around the 90 percentile.  Upstream multi-cellular and
supercellular convection (across MO/IL) is likely to grow upscale
into an MCS and this feature will track eastward across the Ohio
Valley.  Forecast confidence on the track of this is a bit uncertain
given the run to run variations of the CAMs.  Initial CAMs from
early this morning had this MCS going through much of KY, but the
trend in the runs has been further north (mainly along and north of
the I-64 corridor).  However, given that the LLJ structure will be
in swing across KY/TN, I am somewhat hesitant to believe that the
convection would be that far north, such as what the HRRR suggests.
As of this writing, I think the best chances of storms will likely
be along and north of the WK/BG Parkways.  For this forecast, will
keep a slight chance of PoPs south of the Parkways, and then go with
a 30-50% PoP in the area between the Parkways and Ohio River, with
likely PoPs north of the river.  With the storms expected to arrive
later tonight, not overly confident in whether these storms will
be surface based.  Most model soundings from across the region show
the nocturnal PBL inversion in place by the time storms arrive, but
we'll have some elevated instability to work with.  In this type of
set up, damaging winds, heavy rainfall, and lightning would be the
main severe weather threats.  Given that low-mid level lapse rates
will be decent, can't rule out some hail with this activity,
especially in the stronger cores.  Overnight lows look to be in the
upper 60s to the lower 70s.

========================================
Monday         800 AM through 800 PM EDT

Risks    :  Strong/Severe storms east
Confidence:  Medium
========================================

Overnight convection may still be in progress across portions of SE
IN and the Bluegrass region of central KY Monday morning.  Surface
cold front is expected to be moving into western KY during the
morning hours and looks to cross the I-65 corridor around lunchtime.
We may have some extensive stratus in the morning in the wake of the
overnight convection.  Depending on the stratus, that may hold off
some heating across much of the region. However, this stratus may
mix out and we should be able to get some additional heating in the
afternoon east of I-65.  With the front crossing into this
possibility destabilizing atmosphere, a refiring of storms along the
front across central/eastern KY will be possible in the afternoon.
Main threats here would be damaging winds and perhaps some large
hail with any taller storms.  Overall progression of the line should
limit residence time of the storms resulting in a low threat of
flash flooding.  However, any training of storms could lead to some
isolated flood issues in spots.  Highs on the day will vary from
west to east, with readings in the upper 70s to around 80 in the
west, and lower-mid 80s in the east, prior to the front pushing
through the region.

.Long Term...(Monday night through Sunday)
Issued at 300 PM EDT Sun Aug 6 2023

We'll be in a post-frontal regime by Monday night, with the primary
sfc low spinning off to the Northeast. Drier conditions will be the
story for Monday night into Tuesday as low-amplitude ridging moves
over the Ohio Valley, and we get a weak sfc high across our area.
Tuesday appears to be a fairly nice day, with partly sunny skycover
and temperatures in the low to mid 80s. By Tuesday night, conditions
will be quiet here, but a potent shortwave will be swinging through
the Rockies, ultimately resulting in sfc lee cyclogenesis, and our
next weather feature.

We'll need to keep eyes on the Wednesday-Thursday time frame as that
shortwave swings through the central Plains. The GFS has been keen
on a MCS feature driving through central Kentucky by Wednesday late
afternoon/evening for several runs now, though other global
deterministic solutions differ a bit on timing. Regardless of the
timing discrepancies right now, there is a fairly good agreement of
a signal for the middle of the week. General consensus is to see
convection initiate over Kansas/Nebraska Tuesday night, push through
Missouri and central Illinois, and eventually dive into central
Kentucky by Wednesday evening/night. Forecast soundings for this
wave indicate strong instability paired with a saturated airmass,
and elevated DCAPEs to promote a damaging wind threat. Showers may
linger into Thursday, though should see a brief drying period by
Thursday night.

For Friday, an upper low will swing across the Great Lakes, driving
a vorticity lobe over the lower Ohio Valley. This will likely lead
to developing some isolated to scattered showers and storms to close
out the work week. Additional rounds of showers and storms will be
possible into the weekend as the upper low gradually makes its way
east of the Ohio Valley.

&&

.Aviation...(00Z TAF Issuance)
Issued at 701 PM EDT Sun Aug 6 2023

Showers and storms have stared to fire off across portions of IL and
MO this evening, and these will gradually push eastward into the
overnight hours and likely grow in coverage/area. Appears highest
likelihood for storms will be along and north of the I-64 corridor,
and areas near the TN border may stay dry for the duration of the
night. Any TAF site that is impacted by a storm will likely see
reduced cigs/vis, and at the onset, brief gusty winds out of the
west or northwest.

Stratus will gradually build in behind the showers and storms
tomorrow morning ahead of a frontal boundary. Could see some brief
MVFR cigs for a few hours before lifting to VFR. Additional storms
may fire off across eastern portions of the region by mid to late
morning, mainly impacting the LEX terminal.

&&

.LMK WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
IN...None.
KY...None.
&&

Update...DM
Short Term...MJ
Long Term....CJP
Aviation...DM

Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service Louisville KY
951 PM EDT Sun Aug 6 2023

KYZ023-024-026>028-035>037-039>043-045>049-053>057-061>067-070>078-
081-082-080200-
Hancock-Breckinridge-Ohio-Grayson-Hardin-Franklin-Scott KY-
Harrison KY-Anderson-Woodford-Fayette-Bourbon-Nicholas-Nelson-
Washington KY-Mercer-Jessamine-Clark KY-Larue-Marion-Boyle-Garrard-
Madison-Butler-Edmonson-Hart-Green-Taylor-Casey-Lincoln-Logan-Warren-
Simpson-Allen-Barren-Monroe-Metcalfe-Adair-Russell-Cumberland-
Clinton-
Including the cities of Lewisport, Hawesville, Hardinsburg,
Hartford, Leitchfield, Elizabethtown, Frankfort, Georgetown,
Cynthiana, Lawrenceburg, Versailles, Lexington, Paris, Carlisle,
Bardstown, Springfield, Harrodsburg, Nicholasville, Winchester,
Hodgenville, Lebanon, Danville, Lancaster, Richmond, Morgantown,
Brownsville, Horse Cave, Greensburg, Campbellsville, Liberty,
Stanford, Russellville, Bowling Green, Franklin, Providence,
Scottsville, Glasgow, Tompkinsville, Edmonton, Columbia, Jamestown,
Burkesville, and Albany
951 PM EDT Sun Aug 6 2023 /851 PM CDT Sun Aug 6 2023/

This hazardous weather outlook is for portions of south central
Indiana and Central Kentucky.

.DAY ONE...Tonight.

Strong to severe storms will be possible late this evening and
overnight ahead of an approaching cold front. The highest risk of
thunderstorms will be in areas along and north of the Western
Kentucky and Bluegrass Parkways. Damaging winds, heavy rainfall,
and frequent lightning will be the main threats with this
activity.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Monday through Saturday.

An additional round of thunderstorms is likely on Monday, mainly in
areas east of I-65. Some of the storms on Monday could be strong to
severe.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotter activation may be required tonight and Monday.

INZ076>079-083-084-089>092-KYZ025-029>034-038-080200-
Orange-Washington IN-Scott IN-Jefferson IN-Dubois-Crawford-Perry-
Harrison IN-Floyd-Clark IN-Meade-Bullitt-Jefferson KY-Oldham-Trimble-
Henry-Shelby-Spencer-
Including the cities of Paoli, Salem, Scottsburg, Madison, Jasper,
English, Tell City, Corydon, New Albany, Jeffersonville,
Brandenburg, Shepherdsville, Louisville, La Grange, Bedford, Milton,
New Castle, Shelbyville, and Taylorsville
951 PM EDT Sun Aug 6 2023 /851 PM CDT Sun Aug 6 2023/

...TORNADO WATCH 598 IN EFFECT UNTIL 5 AM EDT /4 AM CDT/ MONDAY...

This hazardous weather outlook is for portions of south central
Indiana and Central Kentucky.

.DAY ONE...Tonight.

Strong to severe storms will be possible late this evening and
overnight ahead of an approaching cold front. A tornado watch is
currently in effect for portions of the region. Please see that
product for the latest information.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Monday through Saturday.

An additional round of thunderstorms is likely on Monday, mainly in
areas east of I-65. Some of the storms on Monday could be strong to
severe.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotter activation may be required tonight and Monday.

DM

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.

French Lick (FRH), 4 km from the path, in the two hours either side.

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

The Louisville radar (KLVX), 86 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 04:43 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.

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

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

The live radar over the trackEvery 2023 tornado in IndianaEvery tornado in Indiana since 1950Warnings in force in Indiana nowThe forecast where you are

9 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

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.

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