Tornadoes · United States · Indiana · 2025

EF1 tornado, Tampico, Indiana, March 15, 2025

This EF1 tornado ran 2.2 miles across Jackson County on March 15, 2025, touching down at 5:14 AM EDT and reaching 50 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
March 15, 2025
Touchdown
5:14 AM EDT (09:14 UTC)
Lifted
5:17 AM EDT (09:17 UTC)
On the ground
3 minutes
Path length
2.2 miles (3.6 km)
Path width
50 yards (46 m)
Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$25,000
County
Jackson County
Touchdown point
38.803, -86.030
Lift-off point
38.820, -85.995
Record number
2503150314-01

The damage survey

3 damage points were recorded along this path by NWS IND, in the Damage Assessment Toolkit the survey teams carry. The strongest indicator was rated EF1. The highest wind the damage implies is 105 mph.

  • Newly built pole barn was lifted off ground and collapsed.
  • South and West facing wall of 2 story barn completely tore off and blown into neighbor's yard.

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 potent low pressure system generated a line of strong to severe thunderstorms that moved across central Indiana. Storms ahead of the line also become severe. Widespread wind damage along with a few tornadoes occurred. Tens of thousands of people were without power.

The EF1 tornado was a brief spin up that tracked to the east-northeast along the leading edge of a bowing line of severe storms. The circulation touched down one-third mile south-southwest of the intersection of County Roads 50 East and 500 South. High end EF1 damage then occurred to a mobile home on County Road 500 South where the entire roof was torn off with walls collapsed. The track ended when the vortex lifted one-third mile west-southwest of the intersection of County Road 400 South and Indiana Route 39, although straight line winds up to 80 mph assumed the tornado's path, produced further damage to barns to County Road 300 East. Maximum winds were estimated at 105 mph.

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 Indianapolis, IN wrote its last area forecast discussion before the tornado touched down at Mar 15, 1:57 AM EDT, 3 hours 17 minutes earlier. Its key messages:

  • Fast-moving strong to severe thunderstorms will continue to march across central Indiana the remainder of the overnight with damaging winds and isolated tornadoes possible.
  • More strong to severe storms are possible Saturday afternoon and evening and mainly over southeastern sections.
  • Strong non-thunderstorms winds will continue today with frequent gusts 40 to 50 mph
  • Heavy rainfall will also be a concern today with rainfall totals of 1 to 2 inches with locally higher amounts through tonight may produce localized flooding.
Area forecast discussion, Mar 15, 1:57 AM EDT, 3 hours 17 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Indianapolis IN
157 AM EDT Sat Mar 15 2025

.KEY MESSAGES...

- Fast-moving strong to severe thunderstorms will continue
  to march across central Indiana the remainder of the
  overnight with damaging winds and isolated tornadoes
  possible.

- More strong to severe storms are possible Saturday afternoon
  and evening and mainly over southeastern sections.

- Strong non-thunderstorms winds will continue today with
  frequent gusts 40 to 50 mph

- Heavy rainfall will also be a concern today with rainfall totals
  of 1 to 2 inches with locally higher amounts through tonight may
  produce localized flooding.

&&

.SHORT TERM (Today and tonight)...
Issued at 157 AM EDT Sat Mar 15 2025

Synopsis...

A potent negatively-tilted low pressure system will lift northeast
from northern Iowa to Lake Superior by this afternoon and Hudson Bay
tonight as a broad upper trough moves into the Mississippi Valley. A
strong 60+ knot low level jet will continue to pump deep moisture
from the Gulf to the Ohio Valley Valley the remainder of the
overnight before this feature shifts to eastern parts of Kentucky
and Indiana late today.

Latest radar data was indicated a broken line of storms with
embedded supercells moving into east central Illinois and
southeastern Missouri. These storms were located within an elongated
area of strong deep moisture convergence an in the right entrance of
a 100 knot upper jet streak, across northwestern Illinois. Deep and
low level shear was outstanding over this area although surface base
CAPEs were unspectacular per the SPC Mesoscale Analysis page owing
partially to modest lapse rates and dew points only in the 50s
downstream of the convection. Finally, Hi-Res soundings and
hodographs were indicating long curved hodographs, 0-1km and 0-3km
SRH values 500-700 m2/s2 and very fast storm motion of 60 knots from
around 210 degrees. Thus, while the line and stratiform area
continues to move east overnight, individual cells will race off to
the northeast. The low level jet and strong surface pressure
gradient associated the potent system will continue to generate
gusts 40 to 50 mph away from storms today, while gusts will be much
higher in any cell within the broken line especially the cells that
rotate. With instability waning overnight, damaging winds will be
the main threat with a lessor but non-zero chance for tornadoes,
especially early and over the Wabash Valley.

Heavy rain will also be a concern, but with the fast storm motion,
flooding will be a lesser concern until potentially later today when
better potential shifts to southeastern sections. Max moving average
PWATS to 1.3 inches per SPS local sounding climatology support an
inch to an inch and a half of storm total rainfall over central
Indiana through tonight with the highest amounts likely over the
southeastern sections as the initial cold front stalls due to the
southern upper trough spinning up a surface low that will lift
northeast along the stalled front and across the region tonight, and
another low level jet will surge northeast into northern Kentucky
and southeastern Indiana tonight, along with the surface low. In
addition, a 100 knot 500 millibar speed max will be moving in and
provide potential additional jet streak enhancement.

With any breaks in the clouds likely limited to mid morning into
early afternoon but a continued strong surge of return low level
flow, temperatures will continue to be well above normal and likely
reach the lower to middle 70s which is 20+ degrees above normal.
However, it will be getting colder overnight tonight as the front
moves through and cold advection takes over. The upper Wabash Valley
could get all the way down to the upper 30s while southeastern
sections should not get lower than the 40s.

&&

.LONG TERM (Sunday through Friday)...
Issued at 157 AM EDT Sat Mar 15 2025

Next week will continue March's variable, if not active weather
pattern.  The short term's multi-faceted, and at times potent
weather system will linger rain showers into Sunday morning as
temperatures recoil to near normal levels.  Amid a longer-wave, yet
progressive pattern...a broad zonal upper ridge will cross the
Midwest Monday through Tuesday night.  Robust south-southwesterly
surface flow Tuesday will return highs to around 70F.

The next weather system will also cross the central US Wednesday,
again promoting impressive surface cyclogenesis from northwest of
the local region and into the Great Lakes.  Accompanying
precipitation chances will have lower confidence in any appreciable
amounts despite lingering through 2-3 periods as the system's
supporting trough slows and broadens over the Ontario/Great Lakes
region.  Near to possibly slightly below normal readings are
expected as the long term period ends amid zonal northwesterly flow,
as southern extents of late-winter Canadian high pressure reach
Indiana.  The normal max/min through the long term increases from
52/33 to 54/35.

&&

.AVIATION (06Z TAF Issuance)...
Issued at 1147 PM EDT Fri Mar 14 2025

Impacts:

- Winds 170-200 degrees to 25 knots with gusts to 45 knots
  and higher possible in severe storms, mainly overnight

- MVFR and worse flying conditions at times in convection
  overnight and today

Discussion:

A potent low pressure system will lift northeast to Lake this
afternoon as a broad upper trough moves into the PLains. This will
cause the cold front to get hung up near and or west of the
terminals. Return flow off the Gulf and an unstable atmosphere will
lead to periods of thunderstorms, some severe overnight, along with
windy conditions and deteriorating flying conditions at times
through much of the TAF period.

&&

.IND WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
Wind Advisory until 4 PM EDT this afternoon for INZ021-028>031-
035>049-051>057-060>065-067>072.

&&

SHORT TERM...MK
LONG TERM...AGM
AVIATION...MK
Hazardous weather outlook, Mar 15, 3:13 AM EDT, 2 hours 1 minute before
Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service Indianapolis IN
313 AM EDT Sat Mar 15 2025

INZ021-028>031-035>049-051>057-060>065-067>072-161000-
Carroll-Warren-Tippecanoe-Clinton-Howard-Fountain-Montgomery-Boone-
Tipton-Hamilton-Madison-Delaware-Randolph-Vermillion-Parke-Putnam-
Hendricks-Marion-Hancock-Henry-Vigo-Clay-Owen-Morgan-Johnson-Shelby-
Rush-Sullivan-Greene-Monroe-Brown-Bartholomew-Decatur-Knox-Daviess-
Martin-Lawrence-Jackson-Jennings-
313 AM EDT Sat Mar 15 2025

This hazardous weather outlook is for central Indiana.

.DAY ONE...Today and Tonight.

Severe thunderstorms are possible the remainder of the overnight.
Damaging wind gusts up to 75 mph are the primary threat, though a few
tornadoes are also possible. Heavy rain and lightning will accompany
the storms as well.

Non-thunderstorm wind gusts up to 50 mph are possible overnight and
today.

Additional severe thunderstorms are possible this afternoon. Damaging
winds and large hail will be the main threats.

Heavy rain and localized flooding will also be possible through
tonight.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Sunday through Friday.

No hazardous weather is expected at this time.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotter activation is likely overnight and possible later today.

&&

More information, along with other weather, hydrological and climate
information can be found at http://weather.gov/ind

In the hours before

Local storm report, Mar 15, 3:24 AM EDT, 1 hour 50 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Indianapolis IN
324 AM EDT Sat Mar 15 2025

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0315 AM     Tstm Wnd Gst     3 WSW Frankfort         40.27N 86.57W
03/15/2025  M60 MPH          Clinton            IN   AWOS

            AWOS station KFKR Frankfort.

&&

AW
Local storm report, Mar 15, 3:25 AM EDT, 1 hour 49 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Indianapolis IN
325 AM EDT Sat Mar 15 2025

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0216 AM     Tstm Wnd Dmg     1 NNE Mecca             39.74N 87.32W
03/15/2025                   Parke              IN   Fire Dept/Rescue

            Extensive tree damage, barn damage, road
            shutdown from being impassable.

&&

KF
Local storm report, Mar 15, 3:37 AM EDT, 1 hour 37 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Indianapolis IN
337 AM EDT Sat Mar 15 2025

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0217 AM     Tstm Wnd Dmg     3 W Rockville           39.77N 87.28W
03/15/2025                   Parke              IN   Amateur Radio

            reports of tree damage.

&&

KF
Local storm report, Mar 15, 4:41 AM EDT, 33 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Indianapolis IN
441 AM EDT Sat Mar 15 2025

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0235 AM     Tstm Wnd Dmg     Alamo                   39.99N 87.06W
03/15/2025                   Montgomery         IN   Public

            Tree limbs downed on State Road 25.

0349 AM     Tstm Wnd Dmg     1 ESE Indian Heights    40.42N 86.10W
03/15/2025                   Howard             IN   Public

            Tree of unknown size downed over road. Time
            estimated from radar.

&&
Local storm report, Mar 15, 5:00 AM EDT, 14 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.

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

9.2 hours before the tornado, 203 km from the path. March 15, 2025.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Cncnati-Daytn, OH at 00:00Z on 2025-03-15Temperature 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 -84358, lifted condensation level 2150 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, Cncnati-Daytn, OH at 00:00Z on 2025-03-15The 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 125 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 33 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
-84358 J/kg
Surface CAPE
80 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2150 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
33 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
22 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
125 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
226 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0
0-3 km lapse rate
7.9 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The surface observations

Bedford (BFR), 38 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 Louisville radar (KLVX), 93 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the touchdown began at 09:12 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 2025 tornado in IndianaEvery tornado in Indiana since 1950Warnings in force in Indiana nowThe forecast where you are

The other tornadoes of March 15, 2025

49 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
March 151:03 AM CDTEF1New Madrid, MO4.550$900,000
March 151:12 AM CDTEF1Lake, IN0.9200
March 152:14 AM EDTEF1Parke, IN2.775$350,000
March 151:15 AM CDTEF2Johnson, IL15.6150$1.0 million
March 151:19 AM CDTEF0Lake, IN4.9200
March 151:25 AM CDTEF1Calhoun, MS8.2300$110,000
March 152:53 AM CDTEF2Gibson, IN57.5400$4.3 million
March 154:45 AM EDTEF1Orange, IN11.050
March 154:53 AM EDTEF0Lawrence, IN6.2100$120,000
March 155:01 AM EDTEF0Lawrence, IN1.025$70,000
March 157:56 AM CDTEF0Hardeman, TN2.750$10,000
March 1510:22 AM CDTEF2Issaquena, MS19.51,600
March 1512:17 PM CDTEF4Tylertown tornado, Louisiana and Mississippi67.21,40066$5.5 million
March 1512:27 PM CDTEF1Chickasaw, MS3.0150$25,000
March 1512:47 PM CDTEF0Simpson, MS0.4100
March 151:16 PM CDTEF0Monroe, MS2.050$10,000
March 151:24 PM CDTEF3Walthall, MS26.188012$5.0 million
March 151:32 PM CDTEF0Newton, MS3.575
March 151:41 PM CDTEF1Newton, MS6.7300
March 151:54 PM CDTEF2Covington, MS16.175011
March 152:11 PM CDTEF2Jefferson Davis, MS12.6600
March 152:21 PM CDTEF1Lauderdale, AL2.363$109,000
March 152:38 PM CDTEF1Jasper, MS8.4300
March 153:03 PM CDTEF2Marion, MS18.21,16011
March 153:08 PM CDTEF1Greene, AL26.51,200
March 153:20 PM CDTEF1Bedford, TN4.5300$1.0 million
March 153:27 PM CDTEF1Covington, MS6.8580
March 153:46 PM CDTEF1Jasper, MS2.6320
March 154:00 PM CDTEF1Tuscaloosa, AL11.5600
March 154:09 PM CDTEF2Jasper, MS13.0300
March 154:12 PM CDTEF2Tuscaloosa, AL39.51,000
March 154:17 PM CDTEF1Saint Tammany Parish, LA7.750
March 154:32 PM CDTEF2Pickens, AL21.6950
March 154:33 PM CDTEF1Clarke, MS13.3400
March 155:20 PM CDTEF2Sumter, AL3.3650
March 156:38 PM CDTEF0Hale, AL21.6700
March 157:39 PM CDTEF0Bibb, AL7.675
March 157:57 PM CDTEF1Shelby, AL7.5250
March 158:00 PM CDTEF1Shelby, AL2.5150
March 158:20 PM CDTEF1Washington, AL6.3200
March 158:42 PM CDTEF2Talladega, AL3.650011
March 158:48 PM CDTEF1Clarke, AL13.9240
March 158:50 PM CDTEF3Autauga, AL24.31,00022
March 159:10 PM CDTEF0Clarke, AL1.4200
March 159:33 PM CDTEF1Coosa, AL12.0200
March 1511:41 PM EDTEF1Paulding, GA11.6200
March 1510:48 PM CDTEF3Tallapoosa, AL20.4800
March 1511:02 PM CDTEF2Pike, AL21.31,4003
March 1511:59 PM CDTEF0Chambers, AL3.8100

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.