Historical Humpdays 04/20/2011 Tornado Outbreak in Kentucky and Southern Indiana

Tuesday/Wednesday April 19-20, 2011

Kentucky/Southern Indiana Historic Tornado Outbreak

The event only lasted about 4 hours; however, it would produce at least 2 dozen confirmed tornadoes, as the NWS offices would uncover.

There were several tornadoes that occurred over Southern Indiana, late in the evening on the 19th. Listed below are a few examples....

Between 10:30 and 11:00 p.m., in Orange County near Greenbrier, an EF-1 tornado with winds approaching 125 mph damaged or destroyed at least 4 metal barns or outbuildings, even tossing one of them 300 yards downwind. Trees were uprooted in a convergent pattern, a strong indicator that a tornado was present, as the uprooted trees were pointing toward a central location. Straight-line winds show damage of uprooted trees blown down facing only the opposite direction from which a damaging wind segment occurs, not blown down toward the wind source.

The same tornadic cell may have briefly lifted but touched down again for a brief period of time near Greenbrier and destroyed a metal roof barn while ripping off the front porch of another house and depositing it in the back yard. In addition, several tall evergreens were snapped off and thrown chaotically in all directions. The second touchdown apparently had winds of about 110 mph producing EF-1 damage.

About 11:00 p.m., in Washington County, near Livonia, an EF-1 tornado with wind speeds up to 100 mph destroyed a grain bin, then two silos and a 20 x 30 ft outbuilding. One home that was seriously damaged not only had the roof peeled back, but the home was pelted with flying gravel as the tornado lifted it from the driveway and pinged the home as with multiple slingshots.

Then, in Scott County, near Scottsburg, between 11:00 and 11:30 p.m., an EF-0 tornado with wind speeds up to 80 mph damaged the exterior wall panels of a Holiday Inn

Additional tornadoes were reported in Jefferson County Indiana, also in Clark County near the Jeffersonville airport.

In Central Kentucky, confirmed tornadoes in Breckinridge and Meade counties occurred just before midnight as well as an EF-1 tornado in Oldham County that destroyed a barn and damaged another later.

After midnight, in Franklin County, near the Frankfort Capitol building, an EF-0 tornado with wind speeds up to 70 mph caused minor damage to homes.

Also, near Georgetown in Scott County, an EF-1 tornado with wind speeds up to 95 mph caused extensive damage to a tied-down trailer and outbuildings as well as buckling the brick garage wall of a well-built home.

In addition to the tornadoes which by the way did not cause any injuries or deaths, widespread wind damage occurred in many places along that intense squall line.

Even in Central Alabama like Tuscaloosa, they would see widespread wind damage with speeds up to 75 mph.

Little did they know but in exactly one week on the 27th of the month, a historic tornado outbreak would affect Central Alabama, including the major cities of Tuscaloosa and Birmingham. This will be the focus of my next Historical Humpdays segment. I will have a large write-up for the 5-year anniversary and hope you get a chance to review it.

Thanks to the storm reports from the NCDC's Storm Data publication from April 2011

MS