Evansville Tornado of November 2005
 | |
| Date of tornado outbreak: | November 5-6, 2005 |
| Duration1: | 10 hours, 25 minutes |
| Maximum rated tornado2: | F3 tornado |
| Tornadoes caused: | 7 |
| Damages: | $92 million[1] |
| Fatalities: | 25 |
| Areas affected: | Missouri, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio |
1Time from first tornado to last tornado | |
The Evansville Tornado of November 2005 was a powerful tornado that formed early in the morning of November 6, 2005, outside of Evansville, Indiana, a city in southwestern Indiana on the Ohio River. The tornado resulted in 25 confirmed fatalities across the region, making it by far the deadliest and most destructive tornado in the United States in 2005, and it was also the deadliest single tornado in the US since 36 died in Oklahoma on May 3, 1999. Significant tornadoes were also reported in western Kentucky.
It was the first of several significant tornado events in the month of November 2005.
Contents |
Meteorological analysis
The system formed on a cold front that tracked across the Midwest and stretched from the northern Great Lakes to Tennessee. The front was enhanced by a strong jet stream and warm, humid air ahead of it, allowing thunderstorms to develop. A severe thunderstorm watch was issued for the region as the main threat appeared to be straight-line winds.[2] The system had formed into a squall line but at about 1:30 am CST (0730 UTC), the squall line broke up in the Ohio Valley area, allowing embedded tornadoes to form rapidly out of newly-formed supercells. They were fairly isolated (only seven were confirmed across the entire region over a 24-hour period) but four significant tornadoes formed from two simultaneous supercells in southern Indiana and western Kentucky - one of them was the deadly Evansville tornado.[3]
Confirmed tornadoes
| F# | Location | County | Time (UTC) | Path length | Damage | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indiana | ||||||
| F3 | Evansville area | Henderson (KY), Vanderburgh, Warrick, Spencer | 0750 | 41 miles (66 km) | 25 deaths - see section on this tornado. | |
| Kentucky | ||||||
| F3 | Mattoon | Crittenden | 0750 | 11.25 miles (18 km) | Complete destruction to several homes, including a two-story house. At least five people were injured along its path, which was 150 yards (137 m) wide.[4] | |
| F2 | Munfordville | Hart | 1045 | unknown | Significant damage was reported in the community. Several buildings were destroyed and numerous others were severely damaged. Many trees fell across roads.[5] | |
| Missouri | ||||||
| F1 | Garrison | Christian, Douglas | 0200 | 17 miles (29 km) | Overall damage was minor; only one home was affected.[6] | |
| F2 | Myrtle | Oregon | 0420 | 7 miles (11 km) | Two mobile homes were destroyed, many trees also fell.[7] | |
| F0 | Tucker | Ripley | 0500 | unknown | No damage reported from this brief tornado.[8] | |
| Ohio | ||||||
| F0 | Russellville | Brown | 1225 | unknown | Brief touchdown in field according to public accounts. No damage reported.[9] | |
Evansville area tornado
On Sunday, November 6, 2005 at around 1:50 am CST (0750 UTC), a tornado touched down 2 miles (3 km) north-northwest of Smith Mills in Henderson County, Kentucky, near the Indiana/Kentucky border, and then crossed the Ohio River into Vanderburgh County, Indiana. Staying just south of I-164, the tornado traveled to the northeast causing extensive damage to parts of Evansville, Newburgh, and Boonville in Indiana. The tornado finally lifted in Spencer County, 1.5 miles (2.4 km) south-southwest of Gentryville. According to a damage survey done by the National Weather Service office in Paducah, Kentucky the damage path was at least 400 yards (365 m) wide and 41 miles (66 km) long. The tornado's maximum wind speed was estimated to be 200 mph (320 km/h), making it a high-end F3 on the Fujita scale. The tornado killed 25 people; two of the victims died from injuries more than a month after the storm. Damages were estimated at around $85 million.[10]
Ellis Park (a horse racing facility between Henderson and Evansville) was the first area to be devastated. The track suffered heavy damage; 11 of its 38 barns were destroyed and another 11 were damaged, and several of their racehorses were killed.[11] Extensive tree damage also occurred in the area as the tornado leveled a swath of forests.[12]
The worst damage occurred in the southeast side of Evansville, where the Eastbrook Mobile Home Park suffered extreme damage from the tornado. Among the 350 trailers in the park, over 100 were flattened and another 125 were severely damaged.[13] 21 people were killed in the park and another 230 were injured. Electricity service was cut for over 25,000 customers in the area after the tornado hit.[14]
| State | Total | County | County total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indiana | 25 | Vanderburgh | 21 |
| Warrick | 4 | ||
| Totals | 25 | ||
| All deaths were tornado-related | |||
Severe damage was also reported in Warrick County, where four more people lost their lives. The communities of Paradise, DeGonia Springs, Newburgh, Boonville and Tennyson all sustained major damage, including houses damaged or destroyed, as a result. Three of the victims died in mobile homes and one in a car.[15]
Tornado warnings were in effect at the time and issued on average about 30 minutes before the tornado hit, but few people were alerted; many were asleep as the tornado hit in the overnight hours.[16]
Aftermath
The community's response lead by county commissoner Cheryl Musgrave to the tornado garnered national praise. Brad Gair, a coordinating officer for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) noted, "I don't think I've ever seen a community of people come out so quickly to help each other. All communities come together after a disaster, but this one is exceptional."[17] He also was taken aback by the hundreds of thousands of dollars that poured in from area residents and businesses. A local telethon helped raise the funds. "Just having a telethon that quickly was amazing," said Gair, "Then to raise that kind of money ... That's unusual."[18]
On August 12, 2006 a granite monument memorial was built at the site, along with a new playground dedicated to the children lost in the tornado. It was part of a campaign launched by two parents that lost children in the tornado. In addition, Rep. Phil Hoy introduced a bill called "C.J.'s law" which mandates that manufacturers of mobile homes install an operating weather radio with a separate power outlet in order to alert residents.[19] Vanderburgh County also passed legislation toughening safety standards for their 3,100 mobile homes, requiring them to be more securely anchored with additional straps and braces, to try to prevent another tornado disaster.[20]
Ellis Park was successfully rebuilt and reopened on June 1, 2006 for training and the first races at the rebuilt facility were held on July 19, 2006.[21][22]
Trivia
The 25 deaths from the Evansville tornado made it the deadliest tornado event in Indiana since the Super Outbreak of 1974, when several tornadoes resulted in 47 deaths in the state.
It was also the most deaths caused in a single day by tornadoes since May 4, 2003 during the May 2003 Tornado Outbreak Sequence when 39 were killed. It was the deadliest single tornado since May 3, 1999 when 36 were killed from the Moore, Oklahoma area tornado during Oklahoma Tornado Outbreak.
See also
References
- ^ Storm Events. National Climatic Data Center. Retrieved on 2006-10-28.
- ^ Severe Thunderstorm Watch 844. Storm Prediction Center (2005-11-06). Retrieved on 2006-10-28.
- ^ Severe Thunderstorm Watch # 844 (GIF image). Storm Prediction Center (2005-11-06). Retrieved on 2006-10-28.
- ^ http://www.crh.noaa.gov/crnews/display_story.php?wfo=pah&storyid=119&source=0
- ^ http://www.crh.noaa.gov/crnews/display_story.php?wfo=pah&storyid=111&source=0
- ^ http://www.crh.noaa.gov/crnews/display_story.php?wfo=sgf&storyid=116&source=0
- ^ http://www.crh.noaa.gov/crnews/display_story.php?wfo=sgf&storyid=116&source=0
- ^ http://www.crh.noaa.gov/product.php?site=pah&issuedby=PAH&product=LSR&format=ci&version=1
- ^ http://www.spc.noaa.gov/climo/reports/051106_rpts.html
- ^ http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent~storms
- ^ http://www.courierpress.com/news/2006/jul/18/ellis-park-has-had-its-share-of-ups-downs/
- ^ http://www.crh.noaa.gov/pah/?n=evansvilletornado-nov.6,2005#AERIAL
- ^ http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent~ShowEvent~577991
- ^ http://www.14wfie.com/Global/story.asp?S=4077888&nav=menu54_3_7
- ^ http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent~ShowEvent~577997
- ^ http://www.cnn.com/2005/WEATHER/11/06/indiana.tornadoes/index.html
- ^ http://www.courierpress.com
- ^ http://www.courierpress.com
- ^ http://www.courierpress.com/news/2006/aug/13/playground-monument-a-tribute-to-victims-of-nov/
- ^ http://www.courierpress.com/news/2006/jun/28/mobile-home-standards-approved/
- ^ http://www.ellisparkracing.com/news/track_news/track_news_05312006.html
- ^ http://www.ellisparkracing.com/news/track_news/track_news_07192006.html
External links
- Nightmare in November: Complete Coverage (WFIE)
- Tornado kills 22 in Indiana (CNN)
- Deadly tornado rakes Kentucky, Indiana (MSNBC), (AP)
- Twenty-fourth victim of southern Indiana tornado dies (WTHR), (AP)
- Major tornado struck the Evansville, IN area on Saturday night (NWS-Paducah)
- Damage survey for tornado in Crittenden/Webster Counties in KY (NWS-Paducah)
- Sunday Morning Severe Storms and Tornadoes - Damage Survey and Photos (NWS-Louisville)
- Severe Thunderstorms of 6 November 2005 (NWS Louisville, KY)
- Severe Weather (November 5, 2005) {NWS Little Rock, Arkansas)
- Severe Weather Outbreak of November 5, 2005 (NWS Central Illinois)
- Satellite imagery (University of Wisconsin-Madison)
Categories
2005 meteorology | 2005 disasters | Evansville, Indiana | Historic tornadoes in the United States | Kentucky tornadoes | Natural history of Indiana | Tornado outbreaks with an F3 maximum