RSS Feeds17 May 2003
Harrison Co., Indiana
Tornado Damage
During the evening hours of Saturday, May 17th, an unusual situation
developed across parts of southern Indiana and northwest Kentucky. Ahead of
a slow moving upper level low, very strong low-level wind shear contributed
to the development of numerous funnel clouds, and a few weak tornadoes, from
storms that produced little or no lightning. The following are some
damage pictures and other informational materials from that evening, then a
report on one tornado touchdown in southwestern Harrison County Indiana.
Remains of a recreational trailer near New Amsterdam that had been blown
down a steep embankment into the Ohio River. The mobile home was not tied
down, and much of the structure is submerged in the water.
Large tree that was blown over.
Damage to a barn about 2 miles south of New Amsterdam.
Louisville NEXRAD high-resolution (8-bit) base velocity image over Perry
County Indiana. This circulation was associated with numerous funnel cloud
reports, and at least two brief weak tornado touchdowns, as it moved
northwest across the county.
A four-panel reflectivity image shows that this storm over Perry County
exhibited a relatively unremarkable reflectivity pattern.
Broad circulation, but slightly stronger in terms of the peak
inbound/outbound velocities, as it organized south of New Amsterdam along
the Ohio River.
Circulation as it passed near the New Amsterdam area.
Hodograph from the Louisville NEXRAD during the time funnels were being
sighted. This clearly shows how the low-level atmospheric shear profile was
very conducive for brief spin-ups.
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOUISVILLE KY 300 PM EDT MON MAY 19 2003
...STORM DAMAGE ASSESSMENT FOR SOUTHWEST HARRISON COUNTY IN SOUTH-CENTRAL INDIANA...
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICIALS CONDUCTED A GROUND STORM DAMAGE SURVEY ACROSS SOUTHWEST HARRISON COUNTY IN SOUTH-CENTRAL INDIANA...WITH THE MAIN EMPHASIS AROUND THE NEW AMSTERDAM AREA ALONG THE OHIO RIVER BANK.
ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS WERE RIPE ON SATURDAY EVENING FOR FUNNEL CLOUDS WITH A STRONG UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE SPINNING SOUTHWEST OF THE REGION...PROVIDING THE NEEDED COUNTERCLOCKWISE SPIN TO FORM FUNNEL CLOUDS. THESE TYPES OF FUNNEL CLOUDS ARE OFTEN TERMED "COLD AIR FUNNELS"...AND INFREQUENTLY REACH THE GROUND AS WEAK TORNADOES.
* EVENT DATE: SATURDAY MAY 17, 2003
* EVENT TYPE: F0 TORNADO
* ESTIMATED MAXIMUM WINDS: 70 MPH
* ESTIMATED LOCATION: THE FIRST OBSERVED TOUCHDOWN OF THE WEAK TORNADO WAS ABOUT 2 MILES SOUTH OF NEW AMSTERDAM NEAR THE OHIO RIVER BANK. THE TORNADO THEN SKIPPED NORTH ACROSS THE COUNTRYSIDE TO THE SMALL TOWN OF NEW AMSTERDAM WHERE ADDITIONAL MINOR DAMAGE OCCURRED. NO ADDITIONAL DAMAGE WAS FOUND TO THE NORTH OF NEW AMSTERDAM.
* EVENT TIME: THE STORM MOTION BASED ON RADAR WAS NORTH NORTHWEST AROUND 15 MPH. RESIDENTS AROUND NEW AMSTERDAM SAID THE TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN SEVERAL TIMES FOR ONLY A FEW SECONDS EACH TIME. APPROXIMATE TIME OF OCCURRENCE WAS 530 PM EST (630 PM EDT).
* DAMAGE AREA DIMENSIONS: LENGTH: 2.0 MILES
WIDTH: 50 YARDS
* INJURIES: NONE.
* FATALITIES: NONE.
* DAMAGE: A MODERN BARN WAS DAMAGED 2 MILES SOUTH OF NEW AMSTERDAM. A PORTION OF THE ROOF WAS BLOWN OFF AND LANDED ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE BARN. ALONG THE OHIO RIVER BANK IN NEW AMSTERDAM, A MOBILE HOME WAS BLOWN INTO THE OHIO RIVER WITH SOME DEBRIS SCATTERED ALONG THE RIVER BANK. THE MOBILE HOME WAS NOT TIED DOWN TO A STURDY FOUNDATION. IT WAS NOT OCCUPIED AND WAS BEING USED ONLY AS A TEMPORARY RECREATIONAL STRUCTURE. A LARGE TREE WAS DOWNED. SEVERAL TREES ALONG THE RIVER BANK WERE TOPPED.
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