F3 Tornado — Shelby, Indiana

2005-11-15 · near Norristown, Shelby, Indiana

Event narrative

A strong F3 tornado touched down in northern Bartholomew county on 15 November 2005, continuing into southeast Shelby county, where it would do the majority of its damage. No one was killed by this powerful tornado, despite areas of severe damage, and only one minor injury was reported. A resident sustained an ankle injury when moving quickly down into his basement with his family to take cover. The worst damage along the tornado's path took place along and near Vandalia Road just east of the town of Geneva, where a large hog farm was severely damaged, and an old farm house was blown off its foundation. The structural integrity of the destroyed home was insufficient to justify a violent rating. Around 25 properties were damaged in this largely rural area, with six declared total losses.

Wider weather episode

An area of severe thunderstorms moved through central Indiana on the afternoon and evening of 15 November 2005, fueled by abnormally warm conditions which had been the rule across the region for the first half of the month. One strongly rotating supercell produced three tornadoes, two of them rated strong F3, over southern portions of central Indiana. Additional severe weather occurred with other supercells and squall line storms across central Indiana. Thanks to early warnings and heightened awareness of the severe weather threat, no one was killed by the tornadoes, and only one serious injury was reported.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (39.5333, -87.1167)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5479611. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.