EF1 tornado in Clark County, Indiana

The National Weather Service conducted a storm damage assessment

survey in Clark County, Indiana after the pre-dawn storms of

February 10, 2024. The survey team found a tornado on the south

side of Underwood starting at the shoulder on Interstate 65 and

continuing to just east of US 31.

The tornado touched down just east of mile marker 23 on Interstate

65. Some trees were snapped near the interstate with wind speeds

estimated at 85 mph, which is EF-0 with a width of 50 yards.

The tornado increased in windspeed and width at the end of

Henretty Road. The tornado destroyed two large older barns, taking

the metal sheeting from the barn and twisting it around numerous

trees. Some boards were impaled in the ground. Drone photography

was instrumental in determining the tornado by delineating downed

tree damage. Trees were snapped, uprooted, and topped, with trees

lying from the north northeast to the east southeasterly

direction. A nearby family home had soffit, gutter, and shingle

damage. Winds were estimated at 90 mph with a width of 75 yards.

The tornado continued to the east, snapping power poles along US

31 and uprooting a couple of trees. Winds were estimated at 80 mph

with a width of 60 yards.

The tornado did extensive damage along Old State Road. A mixture

of hardwood and softwood trees were facing from the north

northeast all the way to the southerly direction. Winds were

estimated at 87 mph with a width of 60 yards. There was no

evidence of any further tornadic damage off Beagle Club Road past

the large pond just east of Old State Road.

Even though there was a tornado, there were many dozens of trees

that were topped and uprooted by straight line winds in the

Underwood community. Some trees fell on outbuildings, power

lines, and blocked roads including US 31. One home at 310 Henretty

Road had a large portion of the roof collapse into the bedroom.

Fortunately, the homeowner had gone down to check on his sump pump

just before a large portion of the roof collapsed onto his bed.

Winds were 85 mph at this location. The straight line winds

started by knocking over an Amazon truck on Interstate 65 at the

23 mile marker. Straight line wind damage in Underwood ranged from

75 to 85 mph.

There was sporadic straight line wind damage from Underwood to

Marysville and New Washington. The most significant damage was

near IN 3 and IN 203 at a sod farm, where a large 100 x 50 foot

barn had major roof and siding damage. Drone photography showed no

tree damage next to this barn and all of the barn damage fell to

the east into a field. Wind speeds were estimated to be 85 mph.

The survey team drove to Washington County, Indiana, and looked at

damage along Canton South Boston Road. Straight line winds of 80

to 85 mph uprooted or snapped 11 trees in a forest grove on the

west side of the road and destroyed two storage buildings. Debris

from the storage buildings was thrown over the road and downwind

up to 300 yards, all to the east northeast.

A line of showers and thunderstorms developed in the early morning hours of February 10, 2024, ahead of a cold front in an environment that had very strong shear but little instability. The storms, mainly in southern Indiana and portions of north-central Kentucky, ended up morphing into a convective line that produced both wind damage and a couple of isolated tornadoes before weakening and pushing east of the region by sunrise. A total of two small, short-lived EF-1 tornadoes developed with the line, one in southern Indiana and one is central Kentucky.