EF1 Tornado — Scott, Indiana

2017-03-01 · near Vienna, Scott, Indiana

Event narrative

The National Weather Service in conjunction with Scott County Emergency Management, determined an EF-1 Tornado touched down 4 miles south of Scottsburg, on Interstate 65 at approximately mile marker 25.5. After overturning a semi tractor-trailer on the Interstate, the tornado moved east-southeast, collapsed a wall on a large cinder block building, then destroyed two metal outbuildings and flipped an unanchored mobile home on a farmstead 1/4 mile east. It continued skipping east, uprooting and snapping trees and destroying an anchored mobile home on Underwood Road. Three residents were in the home at the time when it rolled over and disintegrated. They received minor injuries. The tornado then damaged an outbuilding and numerous more trees as it headed east toward Double or Nothing Road. Near the intersection of Double or Nothing Road and Radio Tower Road, it destroyed a large garage and pushed a double-wide manufactured home off its foundation. The tornado was embedded in a 1-2 mile wide area of 60 to 80 mph winds that extended further east for over 10 miles, and may have briefly touched down within this area as well.

Within the county, this tornado and two areas of straight-line wind resulted in approximately 23 minor injuries and the closure of seven roadways across the county.

Wider weather episode

The combination of a moist and unseasonably warm air mass and an approaching low pressure system and cold front brought multiple rounds of severe weather to southern Indiana during the early morning hours on March 1. In the end, there were 5 tornadoes across southern Indiana, the strongest being an EF-2 that tracked through portions of Dubois County. In addition to the tornadoes, there were several areas of intense straight-line winds estimated up to 100 mph in places. The impacts included numerous areas of structural damage and downed trees. The widespread heavy rain brought the Muscatatuck River at Deputy into minor flood.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (38.6270, -85.7840)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 675721. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.