Overview
An unstable atmosphere combined with unseasonably strong wind shear allowed for isolated supercells to develop across southern Indiana on the evening of May 7, 2024. The environment was favorable for brief tornadic activity and resulted in a short-lived EF-0 tornado in Clark County, Indiana.
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EF-0 damage to a home near Perry Crossing, IN |
Tornadoes:
Tornado - Perry Crossing, IN
Track Map |
Tornado - Sulphur Springs, IN
Track Map |
The Enhanced Fujita (EF) Scale classifies tornadoes into the following categories:
EF0 Weak 65-85 mph |
EF1 Moderate 86-110 mph |
EF2 Significant 111-135 mph |
EF3 Severe 136-165 mph |
EF4 Extreme 166-200 mph |
EF5 Catastrophic 200+ mph |
Photos
NWS Louisville drone photo showing damage (NWS Louisville) |
A small shed was damaged and fence was destroyed (NWS Louisville Damage Survey) |
Damage to a home consistent with 80 MPH winds (NWS Louisville Damage Survey) |
Radar
KLVX Base Reflectivity (left) and Storm Relative Velocity (right) at 916 PM EDT, 7 minutes before the tornado touched down | KLVX Base Reflectivity (left) and Storm Relative Velocity (right) at 919 PM EDT, 4 minutes before the tornado touched down | KLVX Base Reflectivity (left) and Storm Relative Velocity (right) at 923 PM EDT, as the tornado touched down |
Storm Reports
Preliminary Local Storm Report National Weather Service Louisville KY 1040 AM EDT Wed May 8 2024 ..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON... ..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE.... ..REMARKS.. 0923 PM Tornado 1 ENE Bennettsville 38.44N 85.78W 05/07/2024 Clark IN NWS Storm Survey The NWS in Louisville conducted a storm survey and found EF0 85 mph wind damage. The tornado was 0.41 miles long with a width of 60 yards. For more information, please see the associated Public Information Statement survey summary.
0841 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg 1 SW Sulphur Springs 38.21N 86.48W 05/07/2024 Crawford IN Emergency Mngr On Old Union Church Rd just south of East Rainforth Rd, trees and power lines down, and carport blown in the road. Time estimated from radar.
0925 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg 2 ENE Bennettsville 38.45N 85.76W 05/07/2024 Clark IN Trained Spotter Trees down on US-31.
Environment
Figure 1: Mixed Layer CAPE around the time of the tornado. Values around 3000 J/KG indicate a strongly unstable environment | Figure 2: Effective Shear around the time of the tornado | Figure 3: Effective Storm Relative Helicity around the time of the tornado. Values over 200 M2/S2 are considered favorable for tornadoes |
Figure 4: 500 mb winds indicating the exit region of a strong mid level jet. This contributed strong deep layer shear, and a favorable supercell setup | Figure 5: Strong low level jetting at 850 mb was also added to strong and turning deep layer shear. | Figure 6: Surface analysis showing a frontal boundary draped near the region |
Figure 7: Supercell Composite Parameter peaking at more than sufficient values right where tornado occurred | Figure 8: Significant Tornado Parameter signaled a very favorable environment for tornadoes |
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